How grandma's apple tree shook 専門家s to the 核心

By JAMES MILLS

Last updated at 22:00 29 January 2007


Diana Toms has always been proud of the 古代の apple tree in her garden.

It was 工場／植物d by her 広大な／多数の／重要な-広大な／多数の／重要な-広大な／多数の／重要な grandfather more than two centuries ago and has kept the family in delicious home-made apple pies, cakes and strudels for 世代s.

But what the 83-year-old grandmother never realised, until now, is that her humble tree is the only one of its 肉親，親類d in the world and has never before been 記録，記録的な／記録するd by pomologists - さもなければ known as apple 専門家s.

It can also lay （人命などを）奪う，主張する to 存在 the oldest apple tree in the country - at up to 204 years old, （警官の）巡回区域，受持ち区域ing the 初めの Bramley apple tree which was sown in 1809 and is still growing today.

The incredible 発見 was made when Mrs Toms decided to find out what variety of cooking apples were produced by her tree in the village of Beaminster, Dorset.

The family had always called the tree Granfer's Apple - a 指名する first used by Mrs Toms' 広大な／多数の／重要な grandfather when he was a boy in the 1860s - but they had never known its true 指名する.

Mrs Toms took some of her fruit to an event run by the Symondsbury Apple 事業／計画（する） in Dorset, which 申し込む／申し出s advice on caring for apple trees.

But the 居住（者） 専門家s were left baffled.

And pomologists across the country have also failed to identify the type, 含むing those from the 国家の Fruit Collection (NFC), the 主要な 当局 in fruit 身元確認，身分証明.

Mrs Toms now hopes that the NFC will 発表する it as a new variety and 指名する it Granfer's Apple.

She said: "I am rather pleased that it is baffling all these people, it's most 利益／興味ing.

"But if nobody knows what it is then it should 公式に be called Granfer's Apple. I would like that.

"All I know is my grandfather was born in 1860 and he always referred to it as Granfer's Apple, as in grandfather's apple, so it was 明白に around when his grandfather was alive.

"It is so old that the family took it for 認めるd and never bothered to find out its real n ame."

It is thought that Mrs Toms' 広大な／多数の／重要な-広大な／多数の／重要な-広大な／多数の／重要な grandfather Isaac Bugler 工場／植物d the tree in an orchard 大（公）使館員d to the family home as far 支援する as 1803 - although this cannot be 立証するd.

A number of apple 熱中している人s have taken cuttings from the tree with a 見解（をとる） to 拡大するing the new 種類.

David Squirrel, of the Symondsbury Apple 事業／計画（する）, said: "Mrs Toms brought it along to the Symondsbury Apple Day asking if we could identify it.

"It's 外見 just doesn't match up with any other variety. There are lots of things about it, the 形態／調整, の近くにd 注目する，もくろむ and length of stalk.

"We had a look at it and I had an idea of what it might have been.

"I went to see the tree the に引き続いて spring to have a look at the blossom to 確認する my 疑惑s, but the colour of the blossom blew my theory out of the water.

"I showed it to a pomologist and she couldn't put a 指名する to it. We had to return a 判決 of 'don't know' to Mrs Toms.

"Her 広大な／多数の／重要な-広大な／多数の／重要な-広大な／多数の／重要な grandfather bought the 所有物／資産／財産 in 1803 and we think he 工場／植物d the tree.

"If that is 訂正する then this apple is older than the Bramley. It looks like he took the secret of the tree to his 墓／厳粛／彫る／重大な.

"It might be a new variety that nobody knows about, or it could be an old one that was forgotten about many, many years ago.

"A 完全に new variety is very, very rare.

"The Bramley is the （判断の）基準 because everybody knows it and it is very old.

"It is baffling us at the moment but it would be very exciting if it is a new variety."

Although the 古代の tree has had its 栄冠を与える blown off after 存在 荒廃させるd by 嵐／襲撃するs over the last 30 years, it has 生き残るd and is still producing apples today.

Mrs Toms, a 未亡人, said: "When I was a child I learnt to catch by standing under the tree and my father would climb up and 減少（する） the apples 負かす／撃墜する to me.

"It is a wonderful cooking apple and my family have used it in cakes and pies for years and years.

"In the autumn I 凍結する a lot of pies and gi ve away many apples because the 刈る is so big.

"But if you like a sharp and crisp taste, then the apple is 平等に good for eating."

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