Apple tree, a large tree which is more widespread in the temperate climates of Europe than in any other part of the world. It is spreading rather than upright and has a short stem. The crown is composed of a large number of thorny shoots, which, since they are lateral, are prone to bend under the weight of the leaves and fruit, often bowing down to the ground. The bark renews itself and falls in shreds. The roots, far from being taprooted, creep along the surface of the ground. The leaves are oval, serrate, pointed, and alternate. The white flowers have a purplish tint, appear at the beginning of May, and are quite pleasantly fragrant. The fruit may round or oval and is sometimes flat, but its colour, size, taste, and ripening season vary according to the cultivar.

The apple tree is the most commonly cultivated fruit tree and produces the main fruit crop of an orchard. However, it is inferior to the pear tree with regard to flavour, fragrance, and number of cultivars, though apples have one advantage which is more to the taste of common people: they are long keeping and can be eaten before they are ripe when they are no worse than green, whereas unripe pears are intolerably tart. Moreover, the apple tree grows more quickly, fruits more reliably, and, since it flowers a fortnight later than the pear tree, is less vulnerable to unpredictable weather during the change of season. Finally, apple trees require less warmth than pear trees, and it has even been observed that apple trees planted in espaliers of a favourable exposure do not always bear fine fruit.

Apple trees may be propagated from seed and by grafting, and some species even diversify readily from cuttings. The first method is suitable only for procuring rootstocks for grafting, since the pips of a good apple not only fail to come true, but also give apples which are usually wild and degenerate; it is true that a few may prove excellent, but this is a rare and chance occurrence. It is therefore only by grafting that one can be certain to obtain the desired fruit.

Apples may be cleft grafted or shield budded on to wild apples, apple cultivars, Doucins, and French Paradise rootstocks. These four rootstocks belong to the same genus as the apple. [1] Wild apples are taken from woods but used only when there is no alternative, because they conserve a bitterness which passes to the fruit one has grafted on top. However, one may use the three remaining rootstocks, which each have particular qualities: apple cultivars are suitable for obtaining large trees, Doucins develop into medium-grown trees, and French Paradise rootstocks form only dwarf trees of no more than three feet.

In order to procure apple rootstocks, the pips of all sorts of edible apple are sown. Doucins, which are also called ‘fichets’, and French Paradise rootstocks grow readily from cuttings. When the rootstocks are sufficiently strong, they are cleft grafted or shield budded. For the proper grafting season and method, see Tree nursery.

Apples thrive in flat sites of a cool rather than a warm exposure, and in soil which is rich, black, and somewhat damp. They grow quite well in heavy soil when it is somewhat cool, but cannot tolerate bare chalk or pure clay.

Grafting on to each rootstock produces quite different results: grafting on to wild pears [ sic ] produces large trees which are the strongest and most long-lived; grafting on to pear [ sic ] cultivars also gives large trees, which grow more quickly but are not as long-lived; grafting on to Doucins results in trees which are shorter and less long- lived but grow evenly more quickly; finally, grafting on to French Paradise rootstocks gives trees of accelerated growth and fruit which is larger, finer, more plentiful, and more flavourful, but only on dwarf trees which are not long-lived. [2]

Apples grafted on to wild apples and cultivars are grown only as standard trees; those grafted on to Doucins may be formed into any shape, but apples grafted on to French Paradise rootstocks are grown only as espaliers or bushes.

Apples may be grafted on to pears, wild quinces, and hawthorns, but these rootstocks produce feeble, languid trees which are not long-lived; the same is true when these trees are grafted on to apples.

When removing half-standard apples from the tree nursery in order to plant them permanently, one must choose vigorous trees with smooth barks and good graft unions. Those which have been grafted for two years should be preferred. This tree is so hardy that it should always be transplanted in autumn, when it will take root again more reliably than in spring. Moreover, apples grow vigorously when they are maidens, which is beneficial when establishing the desired shape of young trees. Apples grafted on to wild apples or cultivars which are left to grow freely into standards, some to forty feet in large plantations, must be spaced at intervals of 25-30 feet. One can scarcely imagine how important it is for the quality of the fruit to allow enough room for the air to circulate round these trees and the sun’s rays to reach them. Apples grafted on to Doucins may be spaced at intervals of 20-25 feet when they are grown as standard trees and 12-15 feet when they are grown as bushes or espaliers. Apples grafted on to French Paradise rootstocks need only 8-10 feet whether they are grown as espaliers or bushes. These distances are also regulated according to the condition and depth of the soil.

The apple must be pruned simply and sparingly: it can dispense with being pruned more readily than any other fruit tree. One need remove only those branches which are detrimental or untidy. The wounds inflicted by pruning heal slowly and branches which are pruned too closely dry up. Feeble trees must be pruned in autumn, whereas trees which are too vigorous must not be pruned until spring. The apple grows more quickly than the pear but is less long-lived and has poorer wood.

One must be vigilant when cultivating the apple: digging is detrimental when the trees are full grown. In his treaty on the perfect knowledge of fruit trees, abbé de la Chataigneraie has observed, and I have verified, that cultivation makes the apple perish after a few years. [3] This tree apparently needs the soil to be firmed around its roots.

The finest apples are reserved for the table, but those which are unpalatable are not without use, as cider is made from them in regions where vines cannot thrive. Sweet apples make delicious cider which is good to drink but does not keep. Sour, dry apples, which are known as long-keeping apples, are used for making a stronger cider which keeps longer. Vinegar and spirits can also be made from these different ciders.

Wild apple wood is heavy, compact, soft, and pliable; however, it is softer and more coloured than wild pear wood. [4] It is sought after by cabinetmakers, turners, violin makers, wood engravers, and carpenters for the small parts of mills, and is also good for burning. The wood of apple cultivars is more suitable than that of the wild apple for joinery.

French gardeners mention almost three hundred apples, of which there are twelve at most which are good and about fifteen which pass for being mediocre, while the remainder are not worth cultivating. The nature of this work does not permit us to enter into detail on the particular qualities of each different fruit: see the catalogues of the R.R.P.P. Chartreux de Paris and abbé Nolin.

Several apples are of ornamental interest, such as the wild apple with leaves variegated white, the apple cultivar with spotted leaves which is more attactive than the first, the double-flowered apple which is more rare than beautiful, and the wild Virginian apple with odorous flowers, which is interesting because of the sweet fragrance which it exudes, though it does not bear excellent fruit. [5]

Notes

1. That is, the genus Malus, of which Malus pumila variety paradisiaca is the French Paradise apple, with over thirty cultivars.

2. Article Pear Tree was written by the same author, and, since the trees are cultivated in so similar a manner, thereby lending themselves to comparison, Daubenton has, where possible, repeated himself, partly for the sake of clarity. However, he has twice committed an editorial oversight, omitting to replace the word ‘pear’ with ‘apple’. The two articles are in fact well composed, and the author draws attention to the relative merits of the two fruits.

3. Chataigneraie, 1692.

4. The wild crab apple is Malus sylvestris.

5. The first two apples are cultivars of Malus sylvestris, the third is Malus sylvestris ‘Plena’, and the exotic species is Malus coronaria.