Part 20

Fruit, large, three inches wide, and the same in height; pearmain-shaped and slightly angular, having generally a prominent rib on one side of it. Skin, smooth, dark dull green at first on the shaded side, but changing during winter to clear greenish-yellow, and marked with traces of russet; on the side next the sun it is covered with brownish-red and streaks of deeper red, all of which change during winter to clear crimson strewed with many russety specks. Eye, small and open, with broad segments which are reflexed at the tips, and set in a wide, pretty deep, and plaited basin. Stalk, from half-an-inch to three quarters long, inserted in a deep cavity which is lined with russet. Flesh, yellowish, tinged with green, tender, crisp, juicy, sugary and perfumed, with a brisk and pleasant flavor.

A fine old English apple, suitable chiefly for culinary purposes, and useful also in the dessert. It comes into use in November and December, and continues till March.

The tree attains the middle size, is a free and vigorous grower, very hardy, and an excellent bearer.

In the Horticultural Society’s Catalogue this is called the old Pearmain, but this name is applicable to the Winter Pearmain. Rea is the first who notices the Royal Pearmain, and he says “it is a much bigger and better tasted apple than the common kind.” The Royal Pearmain of some nurseries is a very different variety from this, and will be found described under _Summer Pearmain_.

308. ROYAL REINETTE.--Hort.

IDENTIFICATION.--Hort. Trans. vol. iv. p. 529. Hort, Soc. Cat. ed. 3, n. 692. Lind. Guide, 82.

Fruit, large; conical. Skin, yellow, smooth and glossy, strewed all over with russety spots; stained and striped with brilliant red on the side next the sun. Eye, large and open, set in an even and shallow basin. Stalk, very short, inserted in a very narrow and shallow cavity. Flesh, pale yellow, firm and tender, juicy and sugary, with a brisk and pleasant flavor.

A very good apple for culinary purposes, and second-rate for the dessert; it is in use from December to April.

The tree is an abundant bearer, and is extensively grown in the western parts of Sussex, where it is esteemed a first-rate fruit.

309. ROYAL RUSSET.--Miller.

IDENTIFICATION.--Mill. Dict. Hort. Soc. Cat. ed. 3, n. 749. Fors. Treat. 125. Rog. Fr. Cult. 108. Lind. Guide, 96.

SYNONYME.--Passe Pomme de Canada, _acc. Hort. Soc. Cat._ Reinette de Canada Grise, _Hort. Soc. Cat._ ed. 1, 870. Reinette de Canada Platte, _Ibid._ 871. Leather Coat, _Laws. Orch._ 65. _Raii. Hist._ 1448.

FIGURE.--Ron. Pyr. Mal. pl. xix. f. 1.

Fruit, large, three inches and a half wide, and two inches and three quarters high; roundish, somewhat flattened and angular. Skin, covered with rough brown russet, which has a brownish tinge on the side next the sun; some portions only of the ground color are visible, which is yellowish-green. Eye, small and closed, set in a narrow and rather shallow basin. Stalk, half-an-inch long, inserted in a wide and deep cavity. Flesh, greenish-yellow, tender, crisp, brisk, juicy and sugary.

A most excellent culinary apple of first-rate quality; it is in use from November to May, but is very apt to shrink and become dry, unless, as Mr. Thompson recommends, it is kept in dry sand.

The tree is of a very vigorous habit, and attains the largest size. It is perfectly hardy and an excellent bearer.

This has always been a favorite old English variety, being mentioned by Lawson so early as 1597, and much esteemed by almost every subsequent writer.

310. ROYAL SHEPHERD.--H.

Fruit, above medium size, three inches wide, and two and three quarters high; roundish, inclining to ovate, slightly ribbed, and narrowing towards the eye. Skin, greenish-yellow in the shade; but covered with dull red next the sun, and strewed all over with minute russety dots. Eye, partially closed, set in a round and rather deep basin. Stalk short, inserted in a deep funnel-shaped cavity, which is lined with ramifications of russet. Flesh, greenish-white, firm, crisp, brisk and pleasantly flavored.

A very good culinary apple, grown in the neighbourhood of Lancaster. It is in use during November and December and will keep till March or April.

311. RUSSET TABLE PEARMAIN.--Hort.

IDENTIFICATION.--Hort. Soc. Cat. ed. 3, n. 557. Ron. Pyr. Mal. 41.

FIGURE.--Ron. Pyr. Mal. pl. xxi. f. 1.

[Illustration]

Fruit, below medium size; oblong-ovate. Skin, very much covered with brown russet; except on the shaded side, where there is a little yellowish-green visible, and on the side next the sun, where it is orange, with a flame of deep bright crimson, breaking through the russet. Eye, open, with erect, rigid segments, and set in a wide, shallow, saucer-like, and plaited basin. Stalk, half-an-inch long, slender, and extending beyond the base. Flesh, yellow, firm, very rich, juicy, and sugary, with a fine aromatic, and perfumed flavor.

A beautiful and handsome little apple of first-rate excellence. It is in use from November to February.

312. RUSHOCK PEARMAIN.--M.

IDENTIFICATION AND FIGURE.--Maund. Fruit, 70

Fruit, rather below medium size, two inches and a half wide, and the same in height; conical, even and handsomely formed. Skin, of a fine deep yellow color, almost entirely covered with cinnamon-colored russet, with a brownish tinge on the side next the sun. Eye, large and open, with broad, flat segments, which generally fall off as the fruit ripens. Stalk, a quarter of an inch long, stout, and inserted in a pretty deep cavity. Flesh, yellowish, firm, crisp, and juicy, with a brisk, sub-acid, and sugary flavor.

An excellent dessert apple of first-rate quality; it is in use from Christmas to April. It is frequently met with in the Birmingham markets. This variety was, according to Mr. Maund, raised by a blacksmith of the name of Charles Taylor, at Rushock in Worcestershire, about the year 1821, and is sometimes known by the name of _Charles’s Pearmain_.

313. RYMER.--Hort.

IDENTIFICATION.--Hort. Trans. vol. iii. p. 329. Hort. Soc. Cat. ed. 3, n. 358. Lind. Guide, 33.

SYNONYMES.--Caldwell, _Hort. Soc. Cat._ ed i. 124. Green Cossings, _Ibid._ 411. Newbold’s Duke of York, _Ibid._ 286. Cordwall

FIGURE.--Ron. Pyr. Mal. pl. xli. f. 2.

Fruit, large, three inches and a quarter wide, and two inches and three quarters high; roundish, and flattened, with five obscure ribs, on the sides, extending into the basin of the eye. Skin, smooth, thinly strewed with redish-brown dots, and a few faint streaks of pale red on the shaded side; and of a beautiful deep red, covered with yellowish-grey dots, on the side next the sun. Eye, open, with broad reflexed segments, set in a round and moderately deep basin. Stalk, short, inserted in a round and deep cavity, lined with rough russet, which extends in ramifications over the base. Flesh, yellowish, tender, and pleasantly sub-acid.

A good culinary apple, in use from October to Christmas.

314. SACK AND SUGAR.--Hort.

IDENTIFICATION.--Hort. Soc. Cat. ed. 3, n. 761. Rog. Fr. Cult. 41.

FIGURE.--Ron. Pyr. Mal. pl. i. f. 1.

Fruit, below medium size, two inches and a quarter wide, and an inch and three quarters high; roundish, inclining to oval, with prominent ridges round the eye. Skin, pale yellow. Eye, large, and open with erect segments, and rather deeply placed in a round, wide, and angular basin. Flesh, white, soft, tender, very juicy, sugary, and pleasantly flavored.

A good early apple, either for culinary purposes or the dessert; ripe in the end of July and beginning of August, and continuing during September.

The tree is a free and vigorous grower, and an immense bearer, so much so, as to be injurious to the crop of the following year.

This apple was raised nearly half a century ago, by Mr. Morris, a market gardener, at Brentford, and is sometimes met with under the name of _Morris’s Sack and Sugar_.

315. SAINT JULIEN.--Calvel.

IDENTIFICATION.--Cal. Traité, iii. 27. Hort. Soc. Cat. ed. 3, n. 764. Pom. Mag. iii. 165.

SYNONYMES.--Seigneur d’Orsay, _acc. Hort. Soc. Cat._ Concombre des Chartreux. Heilige Julians apfel.

Fruit, large, three inches and a quarter wide, and two inches and three quarters high; roundish, narrowing towards the eye, and angular on its sides. Skin, yellowish-green, covered with large patches of ashy colored russet, and in dry warm seasons, sometimes tinged with red. Eye, open, set in a rather shallow and plaited basin. Stalk, an inch long, slender, inserted in a shallow cavity. Flesh, yellowish-white, firm, juicy, sugary, and richly flavored.

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

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

316. SAM YOUNG.--Hort.

IDENTIFICATION.--Hort. Trans. vol. iii. p. 324. Hort. Soc. Cat. ed. 3, n. 768. Lind. Guide, 97. Down. Fr. Amer. 134.

SYNONYME.--Irish Russet, _Hort. Soc. Cat._ ed. i. 985.

FIGURE.--Pom. Mag. t. 130

Fruit, small, an inch and three quarters high, and about two inches and a half wide; roundish-oblate. Skin, light greenish-yellow, almost entirely covered with grey russet, and strewed with minute russety dots on the yellow part, but tinged with brownish-red on the side next the sun. Eye, large and open, set in a wide, shallow, and plaited basin. Stalk, short, not deeply inserted. Flesh, yellow, tinged with green, firm, crisp, tender, juicy, sugary, and highly flavored.

A delicious little dessert apple, of the first quality; in use from November to February.

This variety is of Irish origin, and was first introduced to public notice by Mr. Robertson, the nurseryman of Kilkenny.

317. SCARLET CROFTON.--Hort.

IDENTIFICATION.--Hort. Trans. vol. iii. p. 453. Hort. Soc. Cat. ed. 3, n. 192.

SYNONYME.--Red Crofton, _acc. Hort. Soc. Cat._

Fruit, medium sized; oblate, slightly angular on the sides. Skin, covered with yellowish russet, except on the side next the sun, where it is bright red, with a mixture of russet. Eye, set in a wide and shallow basin. Stalk, short, inserted in a moderately deep cavity. Flesh, firm, crisp, juicy, sugary, and richly flavored.

A most delicious dessert apple, of first-rate quality; in use from October to December, and does not become meally.

The Scarlet Crofton is of Irish origin.

318. SCARLET LEADINGTON.--Hort.

IDENTIFICATION.--Hort. Soc. Cat. ed. 3, n. 404.

Fruit, above medium size; oval, angular, broadest at the base and narrowing towards the eye, where it is distinctly four-sided. Skin, striped with yellow, and bright red or scarlet streaks, and thickly covered with russety specks. Eye, large and closed, with long broad segments, and set in a shallow basin. Stalk, short, inserted in a wide and shallow cavity, which is lined with russet. Flesh, yellowish, streaked and veined with pink or lilac-red veins, firm, crisp, juicy, and sugary, with a brisk and pleasant flavor.

An apple much esteemed in Scotland, as a first-rate variety, both for the dessert and culinary purposes; but it does not rank so high in the south; it is in use from November to February.

319. SCARLET NONPAREIL.--Hort.

IDENTIFICATION.--Hort. Soc. Cat. ed. 3, n. 482. Lind. Guide, 98. Fors. Treat. 118. Down. Fr. Amer. 120. Rog. Fr. Cult. 69.

SYNONYME.--New Scarlet Nonpariel, _acc. Hort. Soc. Cat._

FIGURES.--Pom. Mag. t. 87. Ron. Pyr. Mal. pl. xxxiv. f. 1.

[Illustration]

Fruit, medium sized; globular, narrowing towards the apex, regularly and handsomely shaped. Skin, yellowish on the shaded side; but covered with red, which is streaked with deeper red, on the side next the sun; and covered with patches of russet and large russety specks. Eye, open, set in a shallow and even basin. Stalk, an inch or more in length, inserted in a small round cavity, which is lined with scales of silvery grey russet. Flesh, yellowish-white, firm, juicy, rich, and sugary.

A very excellent dessert apple, of first-rate quality; it is in use from January to March.

The tree is hardy, a good grower, though slender in its habit; and an excellent bearer.

The Scarlet Nonpareil, was first discovered growing in the garden of a publican, at Esher, in Surrey, and was first cultivated by Grimwood, of the Kensington nursery.

320. SCARLET PEARMAIN.--Hitt.

IDENTIFICATION.--Hitt Treat. 296. Fors. Treat. 93. Hort. Soc. Cat. ed. 3, n. 558. Lind. Guide, 33. Down. Fr. Amer. 96. Rog. Fr. Cult. 72.

SYNONYMES.--Bell’s Scarlet Pearmain, _Ron. Pyr. Mal._ 15. Bell’s Scarlet, _Hort. Soc. Cat._ ed. i. 767. Oxford Peach Apple, _Ibid._ 741. Englische Scharlachrothe Parmäne. _Diel Kernobst._ x. 111.

FIGURES.--Pom. Mag. t. 62. Ron. Pyr. Mal. pl. viii. f. 2.

Fruit, medium sized, two inches and a half wide, and two inches and a quarter high; conical, regularly and handsomely shaped. Skin, smooth, tender and shining, of a rich, deep, bright crimson, on the side next the sun; but of a paler color, intermixed with a tinge of yellow, on the shaded side; and the whole surface sprinkled with russety dots. Eye, half open, with long broad segments, set in a round, even, and rather deep basin. Stalk, from three quarters to an inch long, deeply inserted in a round, even, and funnel-shaped cavity, which is generally russety at the insertion of the stalk. Flesh, yellowish, with a tinge of red under the skin; tender, juicy, sugary, and vinous.

A beautiful, and handsome dessert apple, of first-rate quality; in use from October to January.

The tree is a free and vigorous grower, attaining about the middle size; and is an excellent bearer. It succeeds well on the paradise stock, on which it forms a good dwarf or espalier tree. The variety called Hood’s Seedling, seems to me to be identical with the Scarlet Pearmain.

321. SCARLET TIFFING.--H.

Fruit, above medium size, three inches wide, and two inches and a quarter high; roundish, inclining to oblate, and irregularly angular. Skin, pale yellow, tinged with green on the shaded side, and round the eye; but deep scarlet where exposed to the sun, extending in general over the greater portion of the fruit. Eye, small and closed, set in an irregular, ribbed, and warted basin. Stalk, fleshy, about half an inch long, inserted in a shallow cavity. Flesh, pure white, very tender, crisp, juicy, and pleasantly acid.

A valuable and excellent culinary apple, much grown in the orchard districts about Lancaster. It is in use during November and December.

322. SCOTCH BRIDGET--H.

Fruit, medium sized, two inches and three quarters wide, and two inches and a quarter high; roundish, broadest at the base, and narrowing towards the apex, where it is rather knobbed, caused by the terminations of the angles on the sides. Skin, smooth, greenish-yellow, on the shaded side, and almost entirely covered with bright deep red on the side next the sun. Eye, closed, set in an angular and warted basin. Stalk, three quarters of an inch long, straight, thick, and stout, inserted in a very narrow and shallow cavity. Flesh, white, tender, soft, juicy, and briskly flavored.

An excellent culinary apple, much grown in the neighbourhood of Lancaster; in use from October to January.

323. SCREVETON GOLDEN PIPPIN.--Hort.

IDENTIFICATION.--Hort. Trans. iv. 218. Hort. Soc. Cat. ed. 3, n. 288.

Fruit, larger than the old Golden Pippin, and little, if at all, inferior to it in flavor. Skin, yellowish, considerably marked with russet. Flesh, yellow, and more tender than the old Golden Pippin.

A dessert apple of first-rate quality; raised in the garden of Sir John Thoroton, Bart., at Screveton, in Nottinghamshire, about the year 1808. It is in use from December to April.

324. SEEK-NO-FARTHER.--Ronalds.

IDENTIFICATION & FIGURE.--Ron. Pyr. Mal. 45, pl. xxiii. f. 3.

[Illustration]

Fruit, medium sized; conical, or pearmain-shaped. Skin, yellowish-green, streaked with broken patches of crimson, on the shaded side; and strewed with grey russety dots; but covered with light red, which is marked with crimson streaks, and covered with patches of fine delicate russet, and numerous large, square, and stelloid russety specks like scales, on the side exposed to the sun. Eye, small and closed, with broad, flat, segments, the edges of which fit neatly to each other, set in a rather deep and plaited basin. Stalk, about half-an-inch long, stout, and inserted in a deep, round, and regular cavity. Flesh, greenish-yellow, crisp, juicy, rich, sugary, and vinous, charged with a pleasant aromatic flavor.

An excellent dessert apple of first-rate quality. It is in use from November to January.

This is the true old _Seek-no-farther_.

325. SELWOOD’S REINETTE.--Rog.

IDENTIFICATION.--Rog. Fr. Cult. 103.

Fruit, large, three inches wide, and about two inches and a half high; round and flattened, angular on the sides, and with five prominent plaits round the eye, which is small, open, and not at all depressed, but rather elevated on the surface. Skin, pale green, almost entirely covered with red, which is marked with broken stripes of darker red, those on the shaded side being paler, and not so numerous as on the side exposed to the sun. Stalk, about half-an-inch long, very stout, and inserted the whole of its length in a russety cavity. Flesh, greenish-white, tender, brisk, and pleasantly flavored.

A culinary apple, of good, but not first-rate, quality. It is in use from December to March.

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

This is certainly a different variety from the Selwood’s Reinette of the Horticultural Society’s Catalogue, which is described as being small, pearmain-shaped, greenish-yellow, and a dessert apple. It is however, identical with the Selwood’s Reinette of Rogers, who, as we are informed, in his “Fruit Cultivator,” received it upwards of sixty years ago from Messrs. Hewitt and Co., of Brompton. The tree now in my possession, I procured as a graft from the private garden of the late Mr. Lee, of Hammersmith; and as it has proved to be the same as Rogers’s variety, I am induced to think that it is correct, while that of the Horticultural Society is wrong. It was raised by a person of the name of Selwood, of Lancaster.

326. SHAKESPERE.--M.

IDENTIFICATION & FIGURE.--Maund Fruit. pl. 71.

Fruit, medium sized, two inches and three quarters wide, and two inches and a half high; roundish, narrowing a little towards the eye. Skin, dark green on the shaded side, and brownish-red on the side next the sun, which is marked with a few broken stripes of darker red; the whole strewed with russety dots. Eye, small, and partially open, set in a narrow and irregular basin, which is ridged round the margin. Stalk, short and slender, inserted in a rather deep cavity. Flesh, greenish-yellow, firm, crisp, and juicy, with a brisk vinous flavor.

An excellent dessert apple, of first-rate quality. In use from Christmas to April.

This variety was raised by Thomas Hunt, Esq., of Stratford-on-Avon, from the seed of Hunt’s Duke of Gloucester, and named in honor of the poet Shakespere.

327. SHEEP’S NOSE.--Hort.

SYNONYMES.--Bullock’s Pippin, _Coxe View_, 125. Long Tom, _Ibid._

Fruit, large, about three inches and a half long, and about three inches wide; conical, narrowing gradually to the crown, which is considerably higher on one side than the other; generally with ten ribs on the sides. Skin, smooth, yellow, and strewed with a few russety dots. Eye, small, set in a deep, plaited basin. Stalk, short, inserted in a deep round, and russety cavity. Flesh, yellowish-white, tender, very juicy, and sweet.

A very good variety for culinary purposes; but chiefly used as a cider apple in Somersetshire, where it is much grown for that purpose.

328. SHEPHERD’S FAME.--Hort.

Fruit, large, three inches and a quarter wide, and two inches and a half high; obtuse-ovate, broad and flattened at the base, narrowing towards the eye, with five prominent ribs on the sides, and in every respect, very much resembling a small specimen of Emperor Alexander. Skin, smooth, pale straw-yellow, marked with faint broken patches of crimson, on the shaded side; but streaked with yellow and bright crimson, on the side next the sun. Eye, open, with short, stunted segments, placed in a deep, angular, and plaited basin. Stalk, short, imbedded in a round, funnel-shaped cavity. Flesh, yellowish, soft, and tender, transparent, sweet, and briskly flavored, but rather dry.

An apple of very ordinary quality, in use from October to March.

329. SIBERIAN BITTER SWEET.--Knight.

IDENTIFICATION.--Pom. Heref. t. 23. Lind. Guide, 111. Down. Fr. Amer. 146.

Fruit, small, and nearly globular. Eye, small, with short connivent segments of the calyx. Stalk, short. Skin, of a bright gold color, tinged with faint and deeper red on the sunny side. The fruit grows a good deal in clusters, on slender wing branches.

Specific gravity of the juice, 1091.

This remarkable apple was raised by Mr. Knight from the seed of the Yellow Siberian Crab, impregnated with the pollen of the Golden Harvey. I cannot do better than transcribe from the Transactions of the London Horticultural Society, Mr. Knight’s own account of this apple. “The fruit contains much saccharine matter, with scarcely any perceptible acid; and it in consequence affords a cider, which is perfectly free from the harshness which in that liquid offends the palate of many, and the constitution of more; and I believe that there is not any county in England in which it might not be made to afford, at a moderate price, a very wholesome and very palatable cider. This fruit differs from all others of its species with which I am acquainted, in being always sweet, and without acidity, even when it is more than half grown.

“When the juice is pressed from ripe, and somewhat mellow fruit, it contains a very large portion of saccharine matter; and if a part of the water it contains be made to evaporate in a moderately low temperature, it affords a large quantity of a jelly of intense sweetness, which to my palate is extremely agreeable; and which may be employed for purposes similiar to those to which the inspissated juice of the grape is applied in France. The jelly of the apple prepared in the manner above described, is, I believe, capable of being kept unchanged during a very long period in any climate; the mucilage being preserved by the antiseptic powers of the saccharine matter, and that being incapable of acquiring, as sugar does, a state of crystallization. If the juice be properly filtered, the jelly will be perfectly transparent.”

The tree is a strong and vigorous grower; a most abundant bearer, and a perfect dreadnought to the woolly aphis.

330. SIBERIAN HARVEY.--Knight.

IDENTIFICATION.--Pom. Heref. t. 23. Lind. Guide, 111. Hort. Soc. Cat. ed. 3, n. 777.

Fruit, produced in clusters, small; nearly globular. Eye, small, with short connivent segments of the calyx. Stalk, short. Skin, of a bright gold color, tinged with faint and deeper red on the sunny side. Juice very sweet. Ripe in October.

Specific gravity of the juice, 1091.

A cider apple raised by T. A. Knight, Esq., and, along with the Foxley, considered by him superior to any other varieties in cultivation. It was produced from a seed of the Yellow Siberian Crab, fertilized with the pollen of the Golden Harvey, the juice of this variety is most intensely sweet, and is probably, very nearly what that of the Golden Harvey would be in a southern climate, the original tree produced its blossoms in the year 1807, when it first obtained the annual premium of the Herefordshire Agricultural Society.

331. SIELY’S MIGNONNE.--Lind.

IDENTIFICATION.--Lind. Guide, 98.

SYNONYME.--Pride of the Ditches, _acc. Lind. Guide_.

Fruit, rather small, about one inch and three quarters deep, and the same in diameter; almost globular, but occasionally flattened on one side. Eye, small, with a closed calyx, placed somewhat deeply in a rather irregularly formed narrow basin, surrounded by a few small plaits. Stalk, half-an-inch long, slender, about one half within the base, in a narrow cavity, and occasionally pressed towards one side by a protuberance on the opposite one. Skin, when clear, of a bright yellow, but mostly covered with a grey netted russet, rendering the skin scabrous. Flesh, greenish-yellow, firm, crisp, and tender. Juice, saccharine, highly aromatic, and of a most excellent flavor.

A dessert apple, in use from November to February.