Chapter IX: Section II: Sphæroidea.--Spherical Apples (7)

The tree is a free grower, and healthy, scarcely attaining the middle size, and an excellent bearer. It prefers a light and warm soil, succeeds well on the paradise stock, and is well adapted for growing in pots, when grafted on the pomme paradis of the French. Bradley in one of his tracts records an instance of it being so cultivated. “Mr. Fairchild (of Hoxton) has now (February) one of the Nonpareile apples upon a small tree, in a pot, which seems capable of holding good till the blossoms of this year have ripened their fruit.” In the northern counties and in Scotland, it does not succeed as a standard as it does in the south, and even when grown against a wall, there is a marked contrast in the flavor when compared with the standard grown fruit of the south.

It is generally allowed that the Nonpareil is originally from France. Switzer says “It is no stranger in England; though it might have its original from France, yet there are trees of them about the Ashtons in Oxfordshire, of about a hundred years old, which (as they have it by tradition) was first brought out of France and planted by a Jesuit in Queen Mary or Queen Elizabeth’s time.” It is strange, however, that an apple of such excellence, and held in such estimation as the Nonpareil has always been, should have received so little notice from almost all the early continental pomologists. It is not mentioned in the long list of the Jardinier François of 1653, nor even by De Quintinye, or the Jardinier Solitaire. Schabol enumerates it, but it is not noticed by Bretonnerie. It is first described by Duhamel and subsequently by Knoop. In the Chartreux catalogue it is said “elle est forte estimée en Angleterre”, but, among the writers of our own country, Switzer is the first to notice it. It is not mentioned by Rea, Worlidge or Ray, neither is it enumerated in the list of Leonard Meager. In America it is little esteemed.

246. NORFOLK BEEFING.--H.

SYNONYMES.--Norfolk Beaufin, _Hort. Soc. Cat._ ed. 3, n. 34. _Lind. Guide_, 55. _Down. Fr. Amer._ 120. Norfolk Beau-fin, _Rog. Fr. Cult._ 59. Norfolk Beefin, _Fors. Treat._ ed. 3, 124. Reeds Baker, _Hort. Soc. Cat._ ed. 1, 858. Catshead Beaufin, _acc. Hort. Soc. Cat._

FIGURES.--Brook. Pom. Brit. pl. xcii. f. 3. Ron. Pyr. Mal. pl. xxxiii. f. 3.

Fruit, medium sized, three inches wide, and two inches and three quarters high; oblate, irregular in its outline, caused by several obtuse angles or ribs, which extend from the base to the basin of the eye, where they form prominent knobs or ridges. Skin, smooth, green at first, but changing to yellow, and almost entirely covered with dull brownish-red, which is thickest and darkest next the sun; sometimes it is marked with a few broken stripes of dark crimson, and in specimens where the color extends over the whole surface, the shaded side is mottled with yellow spots. Eye, open, set in a rather deep and angular basin. Stalk short, inserted in a deep and russety cavity. Flesh, firm and crisp, with a brisk and pleasant flavor.

A well known and first-rate culinary apple; it is in use from January to June. It is extensively cultivated in Norfolk, where, besides being applied to general culinary purposes, they are baked in ovens, and form the dried fruits met with among confectioners and fruiterers, called “Norfolk Biffins.”

The tree is vigorous in its young state, but unless grown in a rich soil, and a favorable situation, it is apt to canker, particularly if it is too moist.

The name of this apple has hitherto been written Beaufin, as if of French origin; but it is more correctly Beefing, from the similarity the dried fruit presents to raw beef.

247. NORFOLK PARADISE.--Fors.

IDENTIFICATION.--Fors. Treat. 117. Lind. Guide, 77. Hort. Soc. Cat. ed. 3.

FIGURE.--Brook. Pom. Brit. pl. xcii. f. 4.

Fruit, medium sized; oblong, irregularly formed. Eye, very large, deeply sunk in an uneven, oblique hollow. Stalk, rather short, not deeply inserted. Skin, greenish-yellow; on the sunny side of a brownish-red, streaked with a darker color. Flesh, white, very firm. Juice, abundant and of a very excellent flavor.

A dessert apple; in use from October till March.

Its name seems to indicate a Norfolk origin; but I never could find it in any part of the county.--_Lindley._

248. NORFOLK STONE PIPPIN.--Hort.

IDENTIFICATION.--Hort. Soc. Cat. ed. 3, n. 804.

SYNONYMES.--Stone Pippin, _Lind. in Hort. Trans._ vol. iv. p. 69. _Lind. Guide_, 82. _Diel Kernobst._ xi. 119. White Stone Pippin, _Hort. Soc. Cat._ ed. 1, 1071. White Pippin, _in Norfolk_. Englischer Kleiner Steinpepping, _Diel Kernobst._ xi. 119.

Fruit, below medium size, two inches broad, and the same in height; oblong, slightly angular on the sides, and narrowing a little towards the apex. Skin, smooth and very thin, pale green at first, but changing by keeping to pale yellow with a mixture of green; sometimes it has a slight tinge of red next the sun. Eye, small, half open, with acuminate segments, set in a rather shallow and wide basin. Stalk, slender, half-an-inch long, inserted in a shallow cavity with a fleshy protuberance on one side of it. Flesh, white, firm and breaking, brisk, sweet, and perfumed.

An excellent long-keeping culinary apple, and useful also in the dessert; it is in use from November to July. In the “Guide to the Orchard,” Mr. Lindley says “This is a valuable Norfolk Apple known in the Norwich market by the name of White Pippin. The fruit when peeled, sliced, and boiled in sugar, becomes transparent, affording for many months a most delicious sweetmeat for tarts.”

The tree is a free and vigorous grower, and attains the middle size. It is a regular and abundant bearer.

249. NORTHERN GREENING.--Hort.

IDENTIFICATION.--Hort. Soc. Cat. ed. 3, n. 497. Fors. Treat. 117. Lind. Guide, 77. Diel Kernobst. xi. 83.

SYNONYMES.--Walmer Court, _Hort. Soc. Cat._ ed. 1. 1134. Cowarne Queening, _Ron. Pyr. Mal._ 49. John, of some, _acc. Hort. Soc. Cat._

FIGURE.--Ron. Pyr. Mal. pl. xxv. f. 4.

Fruit, medium sized, two inches and three quarters broad, and about three inches high; roundish, inclining to ovate, being narrowed towards the eye. Skin, smooth and tender, of a beautiful grassy green in the shade, and dull brownish-red marked with a few broken stripes of a darker color, on the side exposed to the sun. Eye, small and closed, with long segments, set in a narrow, round, deep, and even basin. Stalk, three quarters of an inch long, inserted in a narrow and deep cavity. Flesh, greenish-white, tender, crisp, and very juicy, with a brisk and somewhat vinous flavor.

An excellent culinary apple of first-rate quality; in use from November to April.

The tree is a very strong and vigorous grower, attaining the largest size, and is an abundant bearer.

This is sometimes called Cowarne Queening, but that is a very different variety, and is a cider apple.

250. NOTTINGHAM PIPPIN.--H.

Fruit, medium sized, two inches and three quarters broad, and two inches and a half high; ovate. Skin, smooth, pale yellow at first, but changing by keeping to lemon yellow, without any trace of red, but with slight markings of russet. Eye, closed, with long green segments, set in a wide and rather deeply plaited basin. Stalk, three quarters of an inch long, inserted in a deep, funnel-shaped, and russety cavity. Flesh, white, fine and marrowy, juicy, sugary, and vinous.

A second-rate dessert apple; in use from November till February.

The tree is a strong and vigorous grower, and an excellent bearer.

251. ORD’S APPLE.--Hort.

IDENTIFICATION.--Hort. Trans. vol. ii. p. 285. Hort. Soc. Cat. ed. 3, n. 507. Lind. Guide, 77.

SYNONYME.--Simpson’s Pippin, _acc. Hort. Trans._

FIGURE.--Hort. Trans. vol. ii. t. 19.

Fruit, medium sized; conical or oblong, very irregular in its outline, caused by prominent and unequal ribs on the sides, which extend to and terminate in ridges round the eye. Skin, smooth and shining, deep grassy green, strewed with imbedded grey specks, and dotted with brown russety dots on the shaded side; but washed with thin brownish-red, which is marked with spots or patches of darker and livelier red, and strewed with star-like freckles of russet on the side exposed to the sun. Eye, small and closed, placed in a rather deep and angular basin, which is lined with linear marks of rough russet. Stalk, about half-an-inch long, somewhat obliquely inserted by the side of a fleshy swelling, which is more or less prominent. Flesh, greenish-white, tender, crisp, and brittle, abounding in a profusion of rich, brisk, sugary, and vinous juice, with a finely perfumed and refreshing flavor.

An excellent apple, of first-rate quality, and well deserving of more general cultivation; It is in use from January to May, and keeps well.

Some thirty years ago, Ord’s apple was brought into public notice as a variety which was worthy of universal cultivation; and was considered of such importance as to form the subject of a paper in the Horticultural Society’s Transactions, by A. Salisbury Esq. At that time it was received into all the collections in the London nurseries, and was very generally grown; but in the course of years it was again lost sight of, and I believe there are now very few places where it is to be met with. I shall be glad, however, if this notice should direct the attention of some lover of a good apple, to rescue this excellent variety from the oblivion into which it is likely to fall, and to restore it to the position it once occupied as one of our finest dessert apples.

This excellent variety originated at Purser’s Cross, near Fulham, Middlesex. It was raised in the garden of John Ord, Esq. by his sister-in-law, Mrs. Anne Simpson, from seed of a Newtown Pippin imported in 1777. There is another variety called _Simpson’s Seedling_, raised from the seed of Ord’s apple, to which it is very similar; but being much inferior in quality, its cultivation has been in a great measure discontinued.

252. OSLIN.--Hort.

IDENTIFICATION.--Hort. Soc. Cat. ed. 3, n. 511. Fors. Treat. 119. Lind. Guide, 5. Down. Fr. Amer, 75. Gard. Chron. 1845, 784. Rog. Fr. Cult. 33.

SYNONYMES.--White Oslin, _acc. Hort. Soc. Cat._ ed, 2. Scotch Oslin. Orglon, _Gibs. Fr. Gard._ 353. Orgeline or Orjeline, _Fors. Treat._ ed. 5, 119. Arbroath Pippin, _acc. Fors. Treat._ ed. 7. Original Pippin, _Nicol Villa Gard._ 28. Mother Apple, _acc. Caled. Hort. Mem._ i. 237. Golden Apple, _Ibid._ 238. Bur-Knot, _Ibid._ Summer Oslin, _Ron. Pyr. Mal._ 11.

FIGURES.--Pom. Mag. t. 5. Ron. Pyr. Mal. pl. vi. f. 2.

Fruit, medium sized, two inches and a half wide, and two inches high; roundish-oblate, evenly and regularly formed. Skin, thick and membranous, of a fine pale yellow color, and thickly strewed with brown dots; very frequently cracked, forming large and deep sinuosities on the fruit. Eye, scarcely at all depressed. Stalk, short and thick, inserted in a very shallow cavity. Flesh, yellowish, firm, crisp and juicy, rich and sugary, with a highly aromatic flavor, which is peculiar to this apple only.

A dessert apple of the highest excellence; ripe in the end of August, and continues during September, but does not last long. Nicol says “this is an excellent apple, as to flavor it is outdone by none but the Nonpareil, over which it has this advantage, that it will ripen in a worse climate and a worse aspect.”

The tree is a free grower, of an upright habit, and an excellent bearer; but is subject to canker as it grows old. The branches are generally covered with a number of knobs or burrs; and when planted in the ground these burrs throw out numerous fibres which take root and produce a perfect tree.

This is a very old Scotch apple, supposed to have originated at Arbroath; or to have been introduced from France by the monks of the Abbey which formerly existed at that place. The latter opinion is, in all probability, the correct one, although the name, or any of the synonymes quoted above are not now to be met with in any modern French lists. But in the “Jardinier François” which was published in 1651, I find an apple mentioned under the name of Orgeran, which is so similar in pronounciation to Orgeline, I think it not unlikely it may be the same name with a change of orthography, especially as our ancestors were not over particular, in preserving unaltered the names of foreign introductions.

253. OSTERLEY PIPPIN.--H.

SYNONYME AND FIGURE.--Osterley Apple, _Ron. Pyr. Mal._ 59, pl. xxx. f. 1.

Fruit, rather below medium size, two inches and a half wide, and two inches and a quarter high; orbicular, flattened at the base and apex. Skin, yellowish-green, strewed with thin russet and russety dots on the shaded side; but washed with thin red, and strewed with russety specks on the side next the sun. Eye, large and open, with short stunted segments, set in a wide and shallow basin. Stalk, half-an-inch long, inserted in a wide, and rather shallow cavity, which is lined with thin russet. Flesh, greenish-yellow, firm, crisp, rich, juicy and sugary, with a brisk and aromatic flavor, somewhat resembling, and little inferior to the Ribston Pippin.

A handsome and very excellent dessert apple; it is in use from October to February, and is not subject to be attacked with the grub, as the Ribston Pippin is.

This variety was raised from the seed of the Ribston Pippin, at Osterley Park, the seat of the Earl of Jersey, near Isleworth, Middlesex, where the original tree is still in existence.

254. OXNEAD PEARMAIN.--Lind.

IDENTIFICATION.--Lind. Guide, 78.

SYNONYME.--Earl of Yarmouth’s Pearmain, _Lind. Pl. Or._ 1796.

Fruit, small and conical. Skin, entirely grass green, always covered with a thin russet; sometimes when highly ripened it is tinged with a very pale brown on the sunny side. Eye, very small, surrounded with a few obscure plaits. Stalk, very slender, three quarters of an inch long. Flesh, pale green, very firm and crisp, not juicy, but very rich and highly flavored.

A dessert apple; in use from November to April.

I have never seen this apple. It was first noticed by Mr. George Lindley whose description of it I have given above. He says “it is supposed to have originated at Oxnead, near Norwich, the seat of the Earl of Yarmouth. It has been known many years in Norfolk, no doubt prior to the extinction of that Peerage in 1733, and I have never seen it out of the county. The tree is a very small grower; its branches are small and wiry and of a grass green color; it is very hardy and an excellent bearer.”

255. PADLEY’S PIPPIN.--Fors.

IDENTIFICATION.--Fors. Treat. 119. Hort. Soc. Cat. ed. 3, n. 516. Lind. Guide, 21. Gard. Chron. 1847, 36. Rog. Fr. Cult. 83.

SYNONYMES.--Compôte, _acc. Hort. Soc. Cat._ ed. 3. Padley’s Royal George Pippin, _Ron. Pyr. Mal._ 32.

FIGURES.--Pom. Mag. t. 151. Ron. Pyr. Mal. pl. xvi. f. 5.

Fruit, small, two inches wide, and an inch and a half high; roundish-oblate. Skin, pale greenish-yellow rather thickly covered with thin grey russet, and faintly tinged with orange next the sun. Eye, small and closed, set in a shallow and rather angular basin. Stalk, three quarters of an inch long, slender, and inserted in a rather shallow cavity. Flesh, yellow, juicy, sugary, brisk and richly aromatic.

A dessert apple of first-rate quality; in use during December and January.

The tree is of small dimensions, but healthy, and a prolific bearer. It is well adapted for dwarf training, when grown on the paradise or doucin stock.

This variety was raised by Mr. Padley, gardener to his Majesty George III., at Hampton Court. According to Rogers, Mr. Padley was a native of Yorkshire, and after coming to London and filling a situation of respectability, he was appointed foreman in the kitchen garden at Kew. “On the death of the celebrated ‘Capability Brown’ Mr. G. Haverfield was removed from Kew to Hampton Court, and took Mr. Padley with him as foreman. On the death of Haverfield, Padley’s interest with his sovereign out-weighed all the interests of other candidates, though urged by the most influential persons about Court. ‘No, no, no,’ said his Majesty, ‘it is Padley’s birthright.’”

256. PARRY’S PEARMAIN.--Hort.

IDENTIFICATION.--Hort. Soc. Cat. ed. 3, n. 554. Ron. Pyr. Mal. 41.

FIGURE.--Ron. Pyr. Mal. pl. xxi. f. 3.

Fruit, small; oval, and regular in its shape. Skin, almost entirely covered with dark dull red, and striped with brighter red, except a portion on the shaded side, which is green; the whole surface is thickly strewed with small russety dots, which give it a speckled appearance. Eye, small and open, set in a shallow basin. Stalk, sometimes short and fleshy as represented in the accompanying figure; and at other times, about half-an-inch long, and woody, but still retaining the swollen boss at its union with the fruit. Flesh, firm in texture, crisp, very juicy and pleasantly acid, with a sweet, brisk, and poignant flavor.

A nice sharp-flavored dessert apple; but considered only of second-rate quality; it is in use from December to March.

257. PATCH’S RUSSET--Hort.

IDENTIFICATION.--Hort. Soc. Cat. ed. 3, n. 747. Lind. Guide, 92.

Fruit, below medium size, two inches and a half wide, and two inches and a quarter high; oval, and slightly angular on its sides. Skin, greenish-yellow, entirely covered with thin grey russet. Eye, small, with long acuminate segments, set in a narrow and irregular basin. Stalk, an inch long, very slender, inserted in a round, even, and deep cavity. Flesh, yellowish-white, crisp, brisk and aromatic.

A good dessert apple of second-rate quality; in use during November and December.

258. PASSE POMME D’AUTOMNE.--Duh.

IDENTIFICATION.--Duh. Arb. Fr. i. 278. Dahuron. Traité. 115. Chart. Cat. 50. Rog. Fr. Cult. 39.

SYNONYMES.--Passe Pomme Rouge d’Automne, _Diel. Kernobst._ ii. 50. Générale, _acc. Duhamel_. Pomme d’Outre passe, _Ibid._ Passe Pomme Cotellée, _Merlet. Abregé_. Herbststrich Apfel, _Mayer. Pom. Franc._ Tab. iii. f. 3. Rother Herbststrichapfel, _Diel Kernobst._ ii. 50.

FIGURES.--Mayer. Pom. Franc. t. iii. f. 3. Sickler Obstgärt. xv. t. 7.

Fruit, medium sized, two inches and a half wide, and two inches and a quarter high; round and slightly flattened, with prominent ribs on the sides, which extend into the basin of the eye. Skin, pale straw-colored, almost white, with a few stripes of red on the shaded side; but entirely covered with beautiful crimson, which is striped with darker crimson, and strewed with small grey dots where exposed to the sun. Eye, large and closed, set in a rather shallow and ribbed basin. Stalk, fleshy, set in a wide and deep cavity. Flesh, very white, tinged with red, more so than the Passe Pomme Rouge, tender, juicy, rich, sugary and vinous.

An excellent autumn culinary apple; ripe in September.

The tree is vigorous and healthy, but does not attain a large size. It is a very abundant bearer, and well suited for dwarf training when grown on the paradise or doucin stock.

Dahuron says of this apple “on la nomme en Hollande _Pomme de Jerusalem_;” but according to Knoop, the Dutch pomologist, it is the Pigeon, which is known under that name.

259. PASSE POMME ROUGE.--Duh.

IDENTIFICATION.--Duh. Arb. Fruit, i. 277. Dahuron Traité. 114. Bret. Ecole, ii. 470. Bon. Jard. Chart. Cat. 49. Rog. Fr. Cult. 32.

SYNONYMES.--Rother August-Apfel, _Henne Anweis_, 150. Rothe Sommerpasspomm, _Christ Handworter_, 68. Rothe Kurzdauerende Apfel, _Ibid._

FIGURE.--Nois. Jard. Fruit, ed. 2, pl. 92.

Fruit, small; roundish-oblate, even and regularly formed. Skin, thick, red all over, pale on the shaded side, but of a deep and bright color next the sun; and so sensitive of shade, if any portion of it is covered with a leaf or twig, a corresponding yellow mark will be found on the fruit. Eye, small, set in a narrow, even, and rather deep basin. Stalk, half-an-inch long, slender, set in a wide, deep, and even cavity. Flesh, white, tinged with red under the skin on the side exposed to the sun, crisp, juicy, and richly flavored when first gathered, but soon becomes dry and woolly.

An excellent early apple, suitable either for culinary purposes or dessert use; it is ripe in the beginning of August, but may be used in pies before then. Bretonnerie says it may be used “en compôte” in the beginning of July, and is preferable to the Calville Rouge d’Eté.

The tree is rather a delicate grower, never attaining a large size, but healthy and hardy, and an excellent bearer. It succeeds well as a dwarf on the paradise or doucin stock.

260. PAWSAN.--Knight.

IDENTIFICATION.--Pom. Heref. t. 15. Lind. Guide, 109.

Fruit, above the middle size, two inches and three quarters wide, and two inches and a quarter high; pretty round, without angles, but sometimes it is oval. Crown, but little hollow. Eye, small, with short reflexed segments of the calyx. Skin, dull muddy olive-green, a good deal reticulated with fine network. Stalk, three quarters of an inch long, slender, causing the fruit to be pendant.

Specific gravity of the juice, 1076.

Many trees of the Pawsan are found in the south-east, or Ryland district of Herefordshire, which have apparently stood more than a century. Its pulp is exceedingly rich and yellow, and in some seasons it affords cider of the finest quality. Its name cannot be traced to any probable source.

261. PEARSON’S PLATE.--Hort.

IDENTIFICATION.--Hort. Soc. Cat. ed. 3, n. 565. Down. Fr. Amer. 126.

Fruit, small; roundish, inclining to oblate, regularly and handsomely formed. Skin, smooth, greenish-yellow in the shade; but washed with red, and streaked with deeper red on the side next the sun. Eye, open, with short segments, set in a shallow and plaited basin. Stalk, half-an-inch long, inserted in a round and rather shallow cavity. Flesh, greenish-yellow, firm, crisp, and juicy, with a rich, and brisk sugary flavor, somewhat resembling the Nonpareil.

A most delicious little dessert apple of the first quality; it is in use from December to March.

In some specimens of the fruit there is no red color, but altogether green, and covered with thin brown russet.

262. PENNINGTON’S SEEDLING.--Hort.

IDENTIFICATION.--Hort. Soc. Cat. ed. 3, n. 571. Lind. Guide, 93. Down. Fr. Amer. 127.

Fruit, medium sized, three inches wide, and two inches and three quarters deep; oblato-ovate. Skin, green at first, changing to yellowish-green, and covered with large russety spots on the shaded side; but with rough brown russet and a tinge of brown on the side next the sun. Eye, closed, with long and narrow segments, set in a round, shallow, and undulating basin. Stalk, an inch long, stout, and straight, inserted in a wide and shallow cavity. Flesh, yellowish, firm, crisp, juicy, sugary and brisk; with an excellent aromatic flavor.

A dessert apple of the highest excellence, either as a dessert or a culinary fruit; it is in use from November to March.

263. PETIT JEAN.--Hort.

IDENTIFICATION.--Hort. Soc. Cat. ed. 3, n. 581. Lind. Guide, 79. Hort. Trans. vol. iv. p. 525.

Fruit, small; oval, and flattened at the ends. Skin, almost entirely covered with brilliant red; but where shaded, it is pale yellow marked with a few stripes of red. Eye, small, set in a narrow basin. Stalk, very short, and inserted in a deep cavity. Flesh, very white and tender, with a mild and agreeable flavor.

By some considered as a dessert apple; but of inferior quality. Mr. Thompson thinks it may, perhaps, do for cider; it is in use from November to March.

The tree is a very abundant bearer.

This is a Jersey apple, and has for a long period been cultivated in the orchards of that Island. It was transmitted to the gardens of the London Horticultural Society, by Major General Le Couteur, of Jersey, in the year 1822.

264. PETWORTH NONPAREIL.--Hort.

IDENTIFICATION.--Hort. Soc. Cat. ed. 3, n. 477. Salisb. Orch. 134.

SYNONYME AND FIGURE.--Green Nonpareil, _Ron. Pyr. Mal._ 67, pl. xxxiv. f. 4.

This variety very closely resembles the old Nonpareil; but is rather larger; and though it possesses the flavor of the old variety, it is not nearly so rich. The tree is hardy and an excellent bearer. It was raised at Petworth, in Sussex, at the seat of Lord Egremont.

265. PIGEON.--Knoop.

IDENTIFICATION.--Knoop. Pom. 62, tab. xi. Duh. Arb. Fruit, i. 306, t. xii. f. 3. Hort. Soc. Cat. ed. 3, n. 582.

SYNONYMES.--Jerusalem, _Quint. Inst._ i. 201. _Lang. Pom._ 134. t. lxxvi. f. 4. Cœur de Pigeon, _acc Duhamel_. Pigeon Rouge, _Diel. Kernobst._ iii. 58. Gros Cœur de Pigeon, _Filass. Tab._ Passe-Pomme, _acc. Knoop_. Duif Apfel, _Knoop_. Rother Taubenapfel, _Mayer. Pom. Franc._ No. 28, tab. xviii. Rothe Taubenapfel, _Sickler. Obstgärt._ v. 323. t. 16. Arabian Apple, _acc. Hort. Soc. Cat._ ed. 3.

FIGURES.--Jard. Fruit, ed. 2. pl. 98. Ron. Pyr. Mal. pl. xxiii. f. 1.

Fruit, medium sized, two inches and a half wide, and two inches and three quarters high; conical and angular. Skin, membranous, shining, pale yellow with a greenish tinge, which it loses as it attains maturity; but covered with fine clear red on the side next the sun, and strewed all over with minute russety dots and imbedded white specks; the whole surface is covered with a bluish bloom, from which circumstance it receives the name of Pigeon, being considered similar to the plumage of a dove. Eye, open, with erect segments, prominently set in a narrow and plaited basin. Stalk, very short, inserted in a deep and russety cavity. Flesh, white, tender, soft and juicy, pleasantly flavored, but not at all rich.

A dessert apple of second-rate quality; but excellent for all culinary purposes; it is in use from November to January. It is necessary in storing this apple that care should be taken to prevent fermentation, by which its pleasant acidity is destroyed.

The tree, though vigorous in its young state, never attains a great size. Its shoots are long, slender and downy. It is an abundant and regular bearer.

This apple is called Pomme de Jerusalem, from, as some fancy, the core having four cells, which are disposed in the form of a cross, but this is not a permanent character, as they vary from three to five.

Diel erred in applying the synonymes of Knoop’s Pigeon bigarré to this variety, which is very distinct from the Pigeonnet.

266. PIGEONNET.--Duh.

IDENTIFICATION.--Duh. Arb. Fruit. i. 305. Calvel. Traité, iii. 32. Hort. Soc. Cat. ed. 3, n. 583.

SYNONYMES.--Pigeon Bigarré, _Knoop. Pom._ 62. Passe-pomme Panachée, _Ibid._ 132. Pigeonnet Blanc, _Hort. Soc. Cat._ ed 1, 786. Pigeonnet Blanc d’Eté, _acc. Hort. Soc. Cat._ ed. 3. Pigeonnet Gros de Rouen, _Hort. Soc. Cat._ ed. 1, 787. Museau de Lièvre. _Bon. Jard._ American Peach, of some, _acc. Hort. Soc. Cat._ Taubenartige, Taubenfarbige Apfel, _Christ Handworter_, 110.

FIGURES.--Jard. Fruit. ed. 2, pl. 98. Poit. et. Turpin. t. 80.

Fruit, below medium size, two inches and a quarter wide, and the same in height; oblato-ovate. Skin, pale greenish-yellow on the shaded side; but entirely covered with red on the side next the sun, and striped and rayed with darker red, some of the stripes extending to the shaded side. Eye, small and open, with erect segments, set in a slightly depressed basin. Stalk, short and thick, inserted in a rather shallow cavity. Flesh, white and delicate, of an agreeable acidulated and perfumed flavor.

A dessert fruit of second-rate quality; in use during August and September.

267. PILE’S RUSSET.--Miller.

IDENTIFICATION.--Mill. Dict. Fors. Treat. 120. Lind. Guide, 93. Rog. Fr. Cult. 107. Diel. Kernobst. iii. B. 8.

SYNONYME.--Pyle’s Russet, _Brad. Fam. Dict._

Fruit, medium sized, two inches and three quarters wide, and two inches and a quarter high; roundish-oblate and obscurely ribbed on the sides. Skin, dull green, thickly covered with pale brown russet, which is strewed with greyish-white dots, and pale green stelloid freckles on the shaded side; but dull olive mixed with orange, with a tinge of brown, and strewed with scales of silvery russet, intermixed with rough dots of dark russet, on the side next the sun. Eye, closed, with long broad segments, set in a deep and plaited basin. Stalk, short, inserted in a deep and oblique cavity, which is lined with scales of rough russet. Flesh, greenish, tender, crisp, breaking, very juicy and sugary, with a brisk and very poignant juice.

A very superior old English apple, particularly for culinary purposes; it is in use from October to March.

The tree is very healthy and vigorous, and attains the largest size. It is also an excellent bearer.

268. PINE APPLE RUSSET.--Lind.

IDENTIFICATION.--Lind. Plan. Or. Lind. Guide, 94.

SYNONYME--Hardingham’s Russet, _in Norfolk_.

Fruit, medium sized, two inches and three quarters wide, and two inches and a half high; roundish-ovate, with broad obtuse angles on its sides. Skin, pale greenish-yellow, almost covered with white specks on one part, and rough thick yellow russet on the other, which extends round the stalk. Eye, small, with short connivent segments, placed in a shallow, plaited basin. Stalk, an inch long, inserted half its length in an uneven cavity.

Flesh, very pale yellow, tender, crisp, very juicy, sugary, brisk and richly aromatic.

A very valuable dessert apple; in use during September and October. Mr. Lindley says the juice of this apple is more abundant than in any he had ever met with. The oldest tree remembered in Norwich was growing a century ago (1830) in a garden belonging to a Mr. Hardingham.

269. PITMASTON NONPAREIL.--Hort.

IDENTIFICATION.--Hort. Trans. vol. iii. p. 265. Hort. Soc. Cat. ed. 3, n. 478. Fors. Treat. 117. Lind. Guide, 95. Rog. Fr. Cult. 67.

SYNONYMES.--St. John’s Nonpareil, _Hort. Soc. Cat._ ed. 1, 669. Pitmaston Russet Nonpareil, _acc. Hort. Trans._

FIGURE.--Hort. Trans. vol. iii. t. 10. f. 4.

Fruit, above medium size, three inches wide, and two inches and a half high; roundish and flattened. Skin, pale green, almost entirely covered with russet, and with a faint tinge of red on the side next the sun. Eye, open, set in a broad, shallow, and plaited basin. Stalk, short, inserted in a shallow cavity. Flesh, greenish-yellow, firm, rich, and highly aromatic.

A dessert apple of the greatest excellence. It is in use from December to February.

This variety was raised by John Williams, Esq., of Pitmaston, St. John’s, near Worcester, and was first communicated to the London Horticultural Society in 1820.

270. PITMASTON GOLDEN WREATH.--M.

IDENTIFICATION AND FIGURE.--Maund. Fruit, pl. 16.

Fruit, very small, half-an-inch wide by half-an-inch high; conical and undulating round the eye. Skin, of a fine deep rich yellow, strewed with russety dots. Eye, large and open, with long, spreading, acuminate segments, set in a shallow and plaited basin. Stalk, an inch long, very slender, inserted in a narrow and shallow cavity. Flesh, rich yellow, crisp, juicy and sugary.

A pretty little apple; in use from September to Christmas.

This beautiful variety was raised by J. Williams, Esq., of Pitmaston, from the Golden Pippin, impregnated with the pollen of the Cherry apple, or what is usually called the Siberian Crab.

271. PINNER SEEDLING.--Hort.

IDENTIFICATION.--Hort. Trans. vol. iv. p. 530. Hort. Soc. Cat. ed. 3, n. 587. Lind. Guide, 79.

SYNONYME.--Carel’s Seedling, _Hort. Soc. Cat._ ed. 1, 791.

Fruit, medium sized, roundish-ovate, and slightly angular on the sides. Skin, greenish-yellow, nearly covered with clear yellowish-brown russet, so much so, that only spots of the ground color are visible; it has also a varnished redish-brown cheek next the sun which is more or less visible according to the quantity of russet which covers it. Stalk, half-an-inch long, inserted in a narrow and deep cavity. Flesh, yellowish, tinged with green tender, crisp, juicy, sugary and briskly flavored.

A dessert apple of first-rate quality; it is in use from December to April.

This excellent apple was raised by James Carel, a nurseryman at Pinner, Middlesex, in 1810. The tree first produced fruit in 1818, and was introduced to the notice of the London Horticultural Society, in 1820.

272. POMME GRISE.--Fors.

IDENTIFICATION.--Fors. Treat. 120. Down. Fr. Amer. 124.

SYNONYMES.--Grise, _Hort. Soc. Cat._ ed. 3, n. 305. Gray Apple, _acc. Downing_.

FIGURE.--Ron. Pyr. Mal. pl. xvi. f. 6.

Fruit, small, two inches wide, and an inch and three quarters high; roundish and inclining to ovate. Skin, rough, with thick scaly russet, green in the shade, and deep orange on the side next the sun. Eye, small and open, set in a narrow and shallow basin. Stalk, about half-an-inch long, inserted in a shallow and small cavity. Flesh, yellowish, crisp, very juicy and sugary, with a brisk and highly aromatic flavor.

A dessert apple of first-rate quality; in use from October to February.

The tree is rather a weak grower, but an abundant bearer.

This apple, according to Forsyth, was first introduced to this country from Canada, by Alexander Barclay, Esq., of Brompton, near London.

273, 274. POMEROY.

There are two very distinct varieties of apples, which, in different parts of the country, are known by the same name of Pomeroy. The one is that which is cultivated in Somersetshire and the West of England, and the other is peculiar to Lancashire and the Northern counties.

The POMEROY _of Somerset_, is medium sized, two inches and three quarters wide, and the same in height; conical. Skin, greenish-yellow, covered with thin grey russet, on the shaded side; but orange, covered with stripes of deep red, and marked with patches and spots of russet on the side exposed to the sun, and strewed all over with numerous large, dark russety dots. Eye, open, set in a round and even basin. Stalk, short, not extending beyond the base, inserted in a round, even, and russety cavity. Flesh, yellow, firm, crisp, juicy, sugary, and highly flavored.

An excellent dessert apple; in use from October till December.

The POMEROY _of Lancashire_, is medium sized, two inches and three quarters wide, and two inches and a half high; roundish, slightly ribbed at the apex. Skin, smooth, pale yellow on the shaded side, but clear pale red next the sun, which blends with the yellow towards the shaded side, so as to form orange; the whole covered with russety dots. Eye, small and closed, placed in a small and shallow basin. Stalk, short, imbedded in an angular cavity with a swelling on one side of it, and from which issue a few ramifications of russet. Flesh, whitish, tender, crisp, juicy, and with a brisk flavor, a good deal like that of the Manks Codlin.

An excellent culinary apple; in use during September and October.

The tree is healthy, hardy, and an excellent bearer, well adapted for orchard planting, and succeeds well in almost all situations.

There are several other varieties which are cultivated under this appellation, to which local specific names are attached; but as I have not seen any of these, they will be found among the “additional varieties” at the end of that portion of this work which treats on the apple.

275. POMEWATER.--Gerard.

IDENTIFICATION.--Ger. Herb. Park. Par. 587. Raii. Hist. ii. 1447.

Fruit, medium sized, two inches and three quarters wide, and two inches and a half high; roundish, and narrowing a little towards the apex, distinctly five-sided, and terminating at the crown in five prominent ridges. Skin smooth, yellowish-green, tinged with thin brownish-red in the shade; but covered with dark dull red on the side next the sun. Eye, closed, placed in a rather deep and angular basin. Stalk, stout, an inch long, inserted in a round and even cavity. Flesh, greenish-white, firm, crisp, and pleasantly flavored.

A culinary apple; in use from December to January.

I think there is little doubt that this is the Pome Water of Gerard. It is still grown in Lancashire, and on the borders of Cheshire, of which county Gerard was a native, and with the fruits of which, he was, in all probability, best acquainted.

276. PONTO PIPPIN.--Hort.

IDENTIFICATION.--Hort. Soc. Cat. ed. 3, n. 594.

Fruit, medium sized, two inches and a half wide, and the same in height; conical, narrow at the eye. Skin, pale greenish-yellow in the shade; but red on the side next the sun, and strewed all over with spots and dots of dark russet. Eye, small and closed, set in a narrow and irregular basin. Stalk, short, set in a wide and shallow cavity. Flesh, greenish-white, crisp, tender, juicy, sugary, with a brisk and rich flavor.

A dessert apple, of good, though not of first-rate quality; it is in use from November to February.

277. POPE’S APPLE.--H.

Fruit, large; ovate, handsomely and regularly formed. Skin, clear yellow, tinged with greenish patches, and strewed with dark dots; on the side next the sun it is marked with a few faint streaks of crimson. Eye, large and open, like that of the Blenheim Pippin, and set in a wide and plaited basin. Stalk, short, deeply inserted in a round cavity, which is lined with rough russet, and with an incipient protuberance on one side of it. Flesh, yellowish, tender, crisp, sugary and juicy, with a rich and excellent flavor.

A very valuable apple either for the dessert or culinary purposes; it is in use from November to March.

This variety has all the properties of the Blenheim Pippin, and is much superior to it, keeps longer, and has the great advantage of being an early and abundant bearer.

This excellent apple is as yet but little known. I met with it in the neighbourhood of Sittingbourne, in Kent, where it is greatly esteemed and now extensively cultivated for the supply of the London markets. The account I received of it was, that the original tree grew in the garden of a cottager of the name of Pope, at Cellar Hill, in the parish of Linstead, near Sittingbourne. It was highly prized by its owner, to whom the crop afforded a little income, and many were the unsuccessful applications of his neighbours for grafts of what became generally known as _Pope’s Apple_. The proprietor of this cottage built a row of other dwellings adjoining it, in the gardens of which there were no fruit trees; for the sake of uniformity, and in spite of Pope’s importunities and the offer of twenty shillings annual increase in the rental, the tree was condemned, and cut down in 1846, at which period it was between 50 and 60 years old. A few days after it was destroyed, Mr. Fairbeard, a nurseryman at Green Street, procured a number of the grafts which he was successful in propagating, and it is to him I am indebted for this variety.

278. POWELL’S RUSSET.--Hort.

IDENTIFICATION.--Hort. Soc. Cat. ed. 3, n. 748. Lind. Guide, 95. Rog. Fr. Cult. 74,

FIGURE--Ron. Pyr. Mal. pl. xiii. f. 9.

Fruit, small, two inches wide, and an inch and three quarters high; roundish, and regularly formed, broad and flattened at the base, and narrowing a little towards the eye. Skin, almost entirely covered with pale brown russet; but where any portion of the ground color is visible, it is greenish-yellow on the shaded side, and tinged with brown where exposed to the sun. Eye, open, placed in a round, even, and shallow basin. Stalk, about half-an-inch long, inserted in a rather wide, and shallow cavity. Flesh, yellow, firm, very juicy and sugary, with a rich and highly aromatic flavor.

A dessert apple of the very first quality; it is in use from November to February.

279. PROLIFEROUS REINETTE.--H.

Fruit, medium sized, two inches and three quarters wide, and the same in height; oval, with ten obscure ribs, extending from the base to the apex, where they form five small crowns. Skin, of a dull yellow ground color, marked with small broken stripes or streaks of crimson, and thickly covered with small russety specks. Eye, closed, placed in a shallow, plaited, and knobbed basin. Stalk, from half-an-inch to three quarters long, deeply inserted the whole of its length in a round and smooth cavity. Flesh, yellowish-white, very juicy and sugary, with a rich and brisk flavor.

A very fine, briskly flavored dessert apple; in use from October to December.

I received this variety from the garden at Hammersmith, formerly in the possession of the late Mr. James Lee.

280. QUEEN OF SAUCE.--H.

Fruit, large, three inches and a quarter broad, and two inches and a half high; obtuse-ovate, broad and flat at the base, narrowing towards the crown, and angular on the sides. Skin, greenish-yellow on the shaded side; but on the side exposed to the sun it is flushed with red, which is marked with broken streaks of deeper red; it is strewed all over with patches of thin delicate russet, and large russety specks, those round the eye being linear. Eye, open, set in a deep and angular basin, which is russety at the base. Stalk, about a quarter of an inch long, deeply inserted in a round cavity, which is lined with coarse russet. Flesh, yellowish, firm, crisp, juicy and sugary, with a brisk and pleasant flavor.

A culinary apple of first-rate quality, and not unworthy of the dessert; it is in use from November to January.

281. RABINE.--Hort.

Fruit, above medium size, three inches and a quarter wide, and two inches and a quarter high; roundish, and much flattened, ribbed on the sides, and undulated round the margin of the basin of the eye. Skin, greenish-yellow, marked with a few faint, broken streaks and freckles of red, and strewed with grey russety dots on the shaded side; but dark dull red, marked and mottled with stripes of deeper red, on the side next the sun. Eye, partially open, with broad flat segments, and placed in an angular basin. Stalk, short, inserted in a deep and uneven cavity, from which issue a few linear markings of russet. Flesh, yellowish, tender, crisp, very juicy and sugary, with a brisk and pleasant flavor.

An excellent apple, suitable either for culinary purposes or for the dessert, but more properly for the former; it is in use from October to Christmas.

282. RAMBO.--Coxe.

IDENTIFICATION.--Coxe View. 116. Hort. Soc. Cat. ed. 3. Down. Fr. Amer. 93.

SYNONYME--Romanite, _acc. Hort. Soc. Cat._ ed. 3. American Seek-no-farther, _Ibid._ Bread and Cheese Apple, _acc. Down. Fr. Amer._

Fruit, above medium size, three inches wide, and two inches and a quarter high; roundish oblate. Skin, smooth, pale yellow on the shaded side; but yellow, streaked with red, on the side next the sun, and strewed with large russety dots. Eye, closed, set in a wide, rather shallow, and plaited basin. Stalk, an inch long, and slender, inserted more than half its length in a deep, round, and even cavity. Flesh, greenish-white, tender and delicate, with a brisk and pleasant flavor.

An American apple, suitable either for the dessert or for culinary purposes; and esteemed in its native country as a variety of first-rate excellence; but with us of inferior quality, even as a kitchen apple; it is in use from December to January.

283. RAMBOUR FRANC.--Duh.

IDENTIFICATION.--Duh. Arb. Fruit. i. 307, pl. x. Mill. Dict. Hort. Soc. Cat. ed. 3, n. 615. Down. Fr. Amer. 94.

SYNONYMES.--Frank Rambour, _Switz. Fr. Gard._ 135. _Lind. Guide_, 15. Rambour Gros, _Hort. Soc. Cat._ ed. 1, 844. Rambour Blanc, _Merlet. Abrégé_. Rambour, _Quint. Inst._ i. 202. _Dahur. Traité_. 115. Le Rambour, _Bret. Ecole_, ii. 470. Rambourg, _Riv. et Moul. Meth._ 190. Rambourge, _Gibs. Fr. Gard._ 353. Pome de Rambures, _Rea Pom._ 210. Rambour d’été, _Poit. et Turp._ Rambour d’été or Summer Rambour, _Coxe View_. Cambour, _Bauh. Hist._ i. 21. Charmant Blanc, _Zink Pom._ No. 10. t. 2. Pomme de Nôtre Dame, _acc. Dahuron_. Früher Rambourger, _Mayer Pom. Franc._ No. 18, t. 13. Weisse Sommerrambour, _Sickler Obstgärt._ ix. 25. Lothinger, _Saltz. Pom._ No. 5. Lothinger Rambour, _Diel Kernobst._ i. 93.

FIGURES.--Jard. Fruit. ed. 2, pl. 94. Sickler Obstgärt. ix. t. 3.

Fruit, very large, four inches broad, and three inches high; roundish and flattened, with five ribs on the sides which extend to the eye, forming prominent ridges round the apex. Skin, yellow, marked with thin pale russet on the shaded side; but streaked and mottled with red on the side next the sun. Eye, closed, and deeply set in an angular basin. Stalk, short, deeply inserted in a round, even, and regular cavity, which is lined with russet. Flesh, yellow, firm, and of a leathery texture, brisk and sugary, with a high flavor.

A good culinary apple; in use during September and October.

This is an old French apple which must have been long cultivated in this country; as it is mentioned by Rea so early as 1665. It is supposed to take its name from the village of Rembures, in Picardy, where it is said to have been first discovered.

The tree is a strong and vigorous grower, and an abundant bearer.

284. RAVELSTON PIPPIN.--Hort.

IDENTIFICATION.--Hort. Trans. vol. iv. p. 522. Hort. Soc. Cat. ed. 3, n. 622. Lind. Guide, 9.

Fruit, medium sized, two inches and three quarters wide, and two inches and a half high; roundish, irregular in its shape, caused by several obtuse ribs which extend into the basin of the eye, round which they form prominent ridges. Skin, greenish-yellow, nearly covered with red streaks, and strewed with russety dots. Eye, closed, and set in an angular basin. Stalk, short and thick, inserted in a round cavity. Flesh, yellow, firm, sweet, and pleasantly flavored.

A dessert apple, of such merit in Scotland as to be generally grown against a wall; but in the south, where it has to compete with the productions of a warmer climate, it is found to be only of second-rate quality. Ripe in August.

285. RED ASTRACHAN.--Hort.

IDENTIFICATION.--Hort. Trans. vol. iv. p. 522. Hort. Soc. Cat. ed. 3, n. 17. Lind. Guide, 6. Down. Fr. Amer. 75. Rog. Fr. Cult. 33.

FIGURES.--Pom. Mag. t. 123. Ron. Pyr. Mal. pl. v. f. 2.

Fruit, above the medium size, three inches and a quarter wide, and three inches high; roundish, and obscurely angular on its sides. Skin, greenish-yellow where shaded, and almost entirely covered with deep crimson on the side exposed to the sun, the whole surface covered with a fine delicate bloom. Eye, closed, set in a moderately deep and somewhat irregular basin. Stalk, short, deeply inserted in a russety cavity. Flesh, white, crisp, very juicy, sugary, briskly and pleasantly flavored.

An early dessert apple, but only of second-rate quality. It is ripe in August, and requires to be eaten when gathered from the tree, as it soon becomes meally.

This variety was imported from Sweden, by William Atkinson, Esq., of Grove End, Paddington, in 1816.

The tree does not attain a large size, but is healthy and vigorous, and an abundant bearer.

286. RED INGESTRIE.--Hort.

IDENTIFICATION.--Hort. Trans. vol. i. 227. Hort. Soc. Cat. ed. 3, n. 358. Lind. Guide, 23. Down. Fr. Amer, 95. Rog. Fr. Cult. 81.

FIGURES.--Pom. Mag. t. 17. Ron. Pyr. Mal. pl. i. f. 6.

Fruit, small, two inches and a half wide, and two inches and a quarter high; ovate, regularly and handsomely shaped. Skin, clear bright yellow, tinged and mottled with red on the side exposed to the sun, and strewed with numerous pearly specks. Eye, small, set in a wide and even basin. Stalk, short and slender, inserted in a small and shallow cavity. Flesh, yellowish, firm, juicy, and highly flavored.

A dessert apple of first-rate quality; in use during October and November.

This excellent little apple was raised by Thomas Andrew Knight, Esq., from the seed of the Orange Pippin impregnated with the Golden Pippin, about the year 1800. It, and the Yellow Ingestrie, were the produce of two pips taken from the same cell of the core. The original trees are still in existence at Wormsley Grange, in Herefordshire.

287. RED-MUST.--Evelyn.

IDENTIFICATION.--Evelyn Pom. Worl. Vin. 162. Pom. Heref. Lind. Guide, 109.

FIGURE.--Pom. Heref. t. 4.

Fruit, nearly, if not quite, the largest cider apple cultivated in Herefordshire. It is rather broad and flattened, a little irregular at its base, which is hollow. Stalk, slender. Crown, sunk. Eye, deep, with a stout erect calyx. Skin, greenish-yellow on the shaded side, with a deep rosy color where exposed to the sun, and shaded with a darker red.--_Lindley._

The Red Must has at all periods been esteemed a good cider apple, though the ciders lately made with it, unmixed with other apples, have been light, and thin; and I have never found the specific gravity of its expressed juice to exceed 1064.--_Knight._

288. RED-STREAK.--Evelyn.

IDENTIFICATION.--Evelyn Pom. Worl. Vin. 164. Nourse Camp. Fel. 143. Fors. Treat. 123. Lind. Guide, 110. Pom. Heref. t. 1. Down. Fr. Amer. 146.

SYNONYMES.--Herefordshire Red-Streak, _Hort. Soc. Cat._ ed. 3, n. 625. Scudamore’s Crab.

FIGURES.--Pom. Heref. t. 1. Brook. Pom. Brit. pl. xciii. f. 4.

Fruit, medium sized, two inches and three quarters wide, and two inches and a quarter high; roundish, narrowing towards the apex. Skin, deep clear yellow, streaked with red on the shaded side; but red, streaked with deeper red on the side next the sun. Eye, small, with convergent segments, set in a rather deep basin. Stalk, short and slender. Flesh, yellow, firm, crisp, and rather dry.

Specific gravity of the juice, 1079.

A cider apple, which at one period was unsurpassed, but now comparatively but little cultivated.

Perhaps there is no apple which at any period created such a sensation, and of which so much was said and written during the 17th century, as of the Red Streak. Prose and verse were both enlisted in its favor. It was chiefly by the writings of Evelyn it attained its greatest celebrity. Philips, in his poem--_Cyder_, says

“Let every tree in every garden own
The Red Streak as supreme, whose pulpous fruit,
With gold irradiate, and vermilion, shines
Tempting, not fatal, as the birth of that
Primæval, interdicted plant, that won
Fond Eve, in hapless hour to taste, and die.
This, of more bounteous influence, inspires
Poetic raptures, and the lowly muse
Kindles to loftier strains; even I, perceive
Her sacred virtue. See! the numbers flow
Easy, whilst, cheer’d with her nectareous juice,
Her’s, and my country’s praises, I exalt.”

but its reputation began to decline about the beginning of the last century, for we find Nourse saying, “As for the liquor which it yields, it is highly esteemed for its noble colour and smell; ’tis likewise fat and oily in the taste, but withal very windy, luscious and fulsome, and will sooner clog the stomach than any other cider whatsoever, leaving a waterish, raw humour upon it; so that with meals it is no way helpful, and they who drink it, if I may judge of them by my own palate, will find their stomachs pall’d sooner by it, than warm’d and enliven’d.”

The Red Streak seems to have originated about the beginning of the 17th century, for Evelyn says “it was within the memory of some now living, surnamed the Scudamore’s Crab, and then not much known save in the neighbourhood.” It was called Scudamore’s Crab, from being extensively planted by the first Lord Scudamore, who was son of Sir James Scudamore, from whom Spencer is said to have taken the character of Sir Scudamore in his “Fairie Queen.” He was born in 1600, and created by Charles I. Baron Dromore and Viscount Scudamore. He was attending the Duke of Buckingham when he was stabbed at Portsmouth, and was so affected at the event that he retired into private life, and devoted his attention to planting orchards, of which the Red-Streak formed the principal variety. In 1634 he was sent as ambassador to France, in which capacity he continued for four years. He was a zealous royalist during the civil wars, and was taken prisoner by the parliament party, while his property was destroyed, and his estate sequestered. He died in 1671.

289. RED STREAKED RAWLING.--H.

SYNONYME AND FIGURE.--Rawling’s Fine Redstreak. Ron. Pyr. Mal. pl. x. f. 2.

Fruit, large, three inches wide by two and a quarter deep; roundish, and slightly angular. Skin, yellow, streaked with red on the shaded side; but entirely covered with clear dark red, and striped with still darker red on the side exposed to the sun. Eye, small and closed, set in a narrow and plaited basin. Stalk, long and slender, inserted in a wide and deep cavity, which is lined with russet. Flesh, yellowish, tender, sweet, juicy and well flavored, abounding in a sweet and pleasant juice.

A culinary apple, well adapted for sauce; it is in use from October to Christmas.

This is an old Devonshire apple, and no doubt the _Sweet Rawling_ referred to in a communication to one of Bradley’s “Monthly Treatises,” from which the following is an extract. “We have an apple in this country called a Rawling, of which there is a sweet and a sour; the sour when ripe (which is very early) is a very fair large fruit, and of a pleasant taste, inclined to a golden color, full of narrow red streaks; the Sweet Rawling, has the same colours but not quite so large, and if boiled grows hard; whereas the sour becomes soft. Now what I have to inform you of is, _viz._: I have a tree which bears both sorts in one apple; one side of the apple is altogether sweet, the other side sour; one side bigger than the other; and when boiled the one side is soft, the other hard, as all sweet and sour apples are.”

290. REINETTE DE BREDA.--Diel.

IDENTIFICATION.--Diel Kernobst. i. 110. Sickler Obstgärt. ix. 212.

FIGURE.--Sickler Obstgärt. ix. t. 9.