Part 9

There are several other varieties mentioned by Forsyth as _seedlings_ of Dredge’s, which I have not met with, as Dredge’s Queen Charlotte, Dredge’s Russet, and Dredge’s Seedling. I have also in my collection, Dredge’s Emperor and Lord Nelson, both of which are grown in the West of England, but I have not yet had an opportunity of seeing the fruit. It is, however, a question whether these are really seedlings of Dredge’s or not; there are several varieties to which he affixed his name, which have been ascertained to be identical with others that existed before him, such as Dredge’s White Lily, which is synonymous with Devonshire Buckland, and Dredge’s Beauty of Wilts, which is the same as Harvey’s Pippin. Such instances tend to weaken our faith in the high encomium passed upon him, by Rogers, of Southampton, in the “Fruit Cultivator,” and induce us to class him with those who not only change the name of some varieties, and append their own to others under the pretence of their being new, and seedlings of their own, but dispose of them at greater prices than they could have procured, had they been sold under their correct names. We have but to glance over the Horticultural Society’s Catalogue, or the Index to this work, to find numerous instances confirmatory of this statement.

99. DUCHESS OF OLDENBURGH.--Hort.

IDENTIFICATION.--Hort. Soc. Cat. ed. 3, n. 221. Down. Fr. Amer. 82. Ron. Pyr. Mal. 12.

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

Fruit, large, about three inches and a quarter wide, and two inches and a half high; round, and sometimes prominently ribbed on the sides and round the eye. Skin, smooth, greenish-yellow on the shaded side, and streaked with broken patches of fine bright red, on the side next the sun, sometimes assuming a beautiful dark crimson cheek; it is covered all over with numerous russety dots, particularly round the eye, where they are large, dark, and rough. Eye, large and closed, with long broad segments, placed in a deep and angular basin. Stalk, long and slender, deeply inserted in a narrow and angular cavity. Flesh, yellowish-white, firm, crisp, and very juicy, with a pleasant, brisk, and refreshing flavor.

An excellent early dessert apple of the first quality; ripe in the middle of August, and continues in use till the end of September.

The tree is hardy, a free grower, and an excellent bearer.

This variety is of Russian origin.

100. DUKE OF BEAUFORT’S PIPPIN.--Hort.

IDENTIFICATION.--Hort. Soc. Cat. ed. 3, p. 14. Lind. Guide, 28.

Fruit, medium sized; conical, and angular on the sides. Skin, green, strewed with freckles of russet; and streaked with red on the side exposed to the sun. Eye, set in a deep and angular basin. Stalk, short, inserted in a deep cavity. Flesh, greenish-white, crisp, and tender, very juicy, and sub-acid.

A culinary apple of second-rate quality; in use from October to Christmas.

101. DUMELOW’S SEEDLING.--Hort.

IDENTIFICATION.--Hort. Trans. vol. iv. 529. Hort. Soc. Cat. ed. 3, n. 224. Lind. Guide, 44.

SYNONYMES.--Dumelow’s Crab, _acc. Hort. Trans._ Duke of Wellington, _Ron. Pyr. Mal._ 37. Normanton Wonder, _acc. Hort. Soc. Cat._ Winter Hawthornden, _acc. Riv. Cat._ Wellington’s, _Diel Kernobst._ v. B. 55. Wellington’s Reinette, _Ibid._

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

[Illustration]

Fruit, large; roundish and flattened. Skin, pale yellow, strewed with minute russety dots, and greenish embedded specks under the surface and with a tinge of pale red on the side next the sun, which is sometimes almost entirely covered with a bright red cheek. Eye, large and open, with broad, reflexed, acuminate segments, set in an irregular, uneven, and pretty deep basin. Stalk, half-an-inch long, deeply inserted in a narrow, and funnel-shaped cavity, which is lined with russet. Flesh, yellowish-white, firm, crisp, brisk, and very juicy, with a slight aromatic flavor.

One of the most valuable culinary apples; it is in use from November to March.

The tree is one of the strongest, and most vigorous growers, very hardy, and an excellent bearer. The young shoots which are long and stout, are thickly covered with large greyish white dots, which readily distinguish this variety from almost every other.

This excellent apple was raised by a person of the name of Dumeller, (pronounced _Dumelow_), a farmer at Shakerstone, a village in Leicestershire, six miles from Ashby-de-la-Zouch, and is extensively cultivated in that, and the adjoining counties under the names of Dumelow’s Crab. It was first introduced to the neighbourhood of London, by Mr. Richard Williams, of the Turnham Green Nursery, who received it from Gopsal Hall, the seat of Earl Howe, and presented specimens of the fruit to the Horticultural Society in 1820. It was with him that the name of Wellington Apple originated, and by which only it is now known in the London markets.

102. DUNCAN.--Hort.

IDENTIFICATION.--Hort. Soc. Cat. ed. 3, p. 14?

Fruit, medium sized, two inches and three quarters broad, and two inches and a half high; conical, with ribs on the sides which terminate in irregular and unequal knobs round the eye. Skin, pale yellow in the shade; but deep orange finely veined with rich deep crimson next the sun. Eye, partially closed with short, broad segments, and set in a deep, irregular, and prominently angular basin. Stalk, very short, set in a round cavity. Flesh, yellowish-white, crisp, juicy, and pleasantly acid.

A handsome, showy, and very good culinary apple; in use from November to January.

103. DUTCH CODLIN.--Hort.

IDENTIFICATION.--Hort. Soc. Cat. ed. 3, n. 155. Lind. Guide, 29. Down. Fr Amer. 83.

SYNONYMES.--Chalmers’s Large, _acc. Hort. Soc. Cat._ White Codlin _of the Scotch Nurseries_. Glory of the West, _acc. Lind._

FIGURE.--Ron. Pyr. Mal. pl. xxxvii.

Fruit, very large, four inches wide, and three inches and a half high; roundish, inclining to oblong, irregularly and prominently ribbed. Skin, pale green at first, but changing to pale yellow, with a faint tinge of red next the sun. Eye, small, and deeply inserted in a narrow and angular basin. Stalk, short and thick, inserted in a deep cavity. Flesh, white, firm, somewhat sugary, and pleasantly sub-acid.

An excellent culinary apple of first-rate quality; in use during August and September.

The tree is healthy and vigorous, and a good bearer.

According to Lindley this variety is sometimes called _Glory of the West_, but that is quite a different apple, _see_ No. 141.

104. DUTCH MIGNONNE.--Hort.

IDENTIFICATION.--Hort. Trans. vol. iv., p. 70. Hort. Soc. Cat. ed. 3, n. 225. Lind. Guide, 44. Down. Fr. Amer. 107.

SYNONYMES.--Christ’s Golden Reinette, _Lipp. Taschenb._ p. 405. Reinette Dorée, _Mayer. Pom. Franc._ t. xxx. but not of Knoop or Duhamel. Grosze oder doppelte Casseler Reinette, _Diel Kernobst._ iv. 140. Paternoster Apfel, _Audibert. Cat._ Pomme de Laak, _acc. Pom. Mag._ Stettin Pippin, _acc. Hort. Soc. Cat._ Dutch Minion, _Ron. Pyr. Mal._ Holländische Goldreinette, _acc. Ditt. Handb._

FIGURE.--Pom. Mag. t. 84. Ron. Pyr. Mal. t. xxvi. f. 1.

[Illustration]

Fruit, medium sized; roundish, even and handsomely shaped, narrowing a little towards the apex, where it is sometimes slightly ribbed. Skin, dull greenish-yellow, marked all over with broken streaks of pale red and crimson, with traces of russet, and numerous russety dots, which are thickest round the eye. Eye, small and closed, with short and pointed segments, placed in a deep and narrow basin. Stalk, an inch long, inserted in a round and deep cavity, which, with a portion of the base, is lined with rough russet. Flesh, yellow, firm, crisp, very juicy, rich, sugary, and aromatic.

A very valuable and delicious dessert apple; in use from December to April.

The tree is hardy, a vigorous grower, and a very abundant bearer. It attains about the middle size when fully grown. The shoots are thickly set with fruit spurs. It is well adapted for dwarf or espalier training, and for these purposes succeeds well on the paradise stock.

105. EARLY HARVEST.--Hort.

IDENTIFICATION.--Hort. Soc. Cat. ed. 3, n. 228. Down. Fr. Amer. 72. Gard. Chron. 1845, p. 800.

SYNONYMES.--Early French Reinette, _Coxe. View_. 101. July Pippin, _Floy Lind._ Prince’s Harvest, _acc. Coxe_. Prince’s Early Harvest, _Prince Cat._ Large Early, _acc. Hort. Soc. Cat._ July Early Pippin, _Ibid._ Yellow Harvest, _Ibid._ Large White Juneating, _acc. Down._ Tart Bough, _Ibid._ Prince’s Yellow Harvest, _acc. Gard. Chron._ July Early Pippin, _Ibid._ Pomme d’Eté, of Canada, _Ibid._

Fruit, of medium size, two inches and three quarters wide, and two inches and a quarter high; round. Skin, smooth, pale yellowish-green at first, but changing to clear pale yellow as it ripens, and set with embedded white specks, particularly round the eye. Eye, small and closed, set in a round and shallow basin. Stalk, half an inch long, inserted in a rather shallow cavity. Flesh, white, tender, crisp, and juicy, with a quick and pleasantly sub-acid flavor, and as is justly remarked by Mr. Thompson, “closely approximates that of the Newtown Pippin, of perfect American growth.”

An estimable and refreshing early dessert apple, of the first quality; ripe in the end of July and the beginning of August.

The tree is a healthy, and free, though not a vigorous grower, and an abundant bearer. It is well adapted for dwarf or espalier training when grown on the paradise stock, and ought to find a place in every collection however small.

Though of American origin this variety succeeds to perfection in this country; a qualification which few of the American apples possess.

106. EARLY JULIEN.--Hort.

IDENTIFICATION.--Hort. Trans. vol. v. p. 267. Lind. Guide, 4. Rog. Fr. Cult. 32.

Fruit, of medium size, two inches and three quarters wide, and two inches and a quarter high; roundish, slightly flattened, and prominently ribbed from the eye downwards to the base. Skin, smooth, pale yellow, with an orange tinge next the sun, strewed all over with minute dots and a few whitish specks. Eye, closed with broad segments, and set in a deep, irregular, and angular basin. Stalk, short, not extending beyond the base, and inserted in a deep and angular cavity. Flesh, yellowish-white, crisp, very juicy, and with a brisk, pleasant, and refreshing flavor.

An excellent early culinary apple, of first-rate quality, ripe in the second week of August. It might with propriety be called the Summer Hawthornden, as it equals that esteemed old variety in all its properties.

The tree is healthy and hardy, but not a large grower. It is, however, a good bearer, though not so much so as the Hawthornden, and is well adapted for growing as a dwarf.

This variety is said to be of Scotch origin, but I cannot ascertain where, or when it was first discovered. It is not mentioned by Gibson, neither is it enumerated in the catalogue of Leslie and Anderson, of Edinburgh, or any of the Scotch nurserymen of the last century. It was first introduced to the south by the late Mr. Hugh Ronalds, of Brentford, who exhibited it at the London Horticultural Society.

107. EARLY NONPAREIL.--Lind.

IDENTIFICATION.--Lind. Plan. Or. 1796. Hort. Soc. Cat. ed. 3, n. 467. Lind. Guide, 88. Rog Fr. Cult. 67.

SYNONYMES.--Stagg’s Nonpareil, _acc. Hort. Soc. Cat._ New Nonpareil, _Ibid._ Summer Nonpareil, _Ron. Cat._ Hicks’s Fancy, _Ron. Pyr. Mal._ 4. Lacy’s Nonpareil, _acc. Rogers_.

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

[Illustration]

Fruit, medium sized; somewhat oblato-ovate. Skin, dull yellow, covered with thin brownish grey russet, and marked with large russety dots. Eye, open, placed in a small, round, and rather shallow basin. Stalk, half-an-inch long, inserted in a narrow, deep, and russety cavity. Flesh, yellowish-white, tender, crisp, juicy, and sugary, with a brisk and rich aromatic flavor, resembling the old Nonpareil.

A delicious apple for the dessert, and of the first quality; it is in use during October and November, after which it becomes dry and meally.

The tree is a free and upright grower, perfectly hardy, an early and abundant bearer; even in the nursery quarters it produces freely when only two years from the graft. It is well adapted for dwarf and espalier training, when grown on the paradise stock.

This esteemed variety was raised about the year 1780, by a nurseryman of the name of Stagg, at Caister, near Yarmouth, in Norfolk. The name of Hicks’s Fancy was given to it by Kirke, formerly a nurseryman at Brompton, near London, from the circumstance of a person of the name of Hicks, giving it the preference to the other varieties which were fruited in the nursery. An instance of the absurd system by which the names of fruits have been multiplied.

108. EARLY SPICE.--Hort.

IDENTIFICATION.--Hort. Soc. Cat. ed. 3, n. 786.

Fruit, of medium size, two inches and three quarters wide, and two inches and a quarter high; roundish, and somewhat angular. Skin, smooth, of an uniform pale yellow or straw color, and thinly strewed with greenish dots. Eye, small and open, with long, reflexed segments, and set in a small basin. Stalk, three quarters of an inch long, deeply inserted in a rather angular cavity, which is thickly lined with russet. Flesh, white, tender, marrowy and very juicy; with a pleasant, refreshing and sub-acid flavor.

An excellent early culinary apple, which is well suited for baking, and is also good as an eating apple. It is ripe in the first week of August, but soon becomes woolly after being gathered.

109. EARLY WAX.--Hort.

IDENTIFICATION.--Hort. Soc. Cat. ed. 2, p. 14.

SYNONYME.--Wax Apple, _Ron. Pyr. Mal._ 3.

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

Fruit, below medium size, two inches wide, and two inches and a half high; oblong, and somewhat ribbed, particularly at the base. Skin, thick and membranous, of an uniform waxen yellow color. Eye, partially open, with long reflexed segments, and set in a moderately deep basin. Stalk, long and slender, inserted in a deep and angular cavity, from which issue prominent ribs. Flesh, yellowish-white, tender and soft, with a sweet and abundant juice.

A dessert apple of ordinary merit, valuable only for its earliness, as it ripens in the first week of August, but does not keep any time.

110. ELFORD PIPPIN.--M.

IDENTIFICATION AND FIGURE.--Maund. Fruit, pl. 45.

Fruit, of medium size, two inches and three quarters wide, and the same in height; roundish, inclining to ovate, and ribbed round the eye. Skin, yellowish-green, with markings of russet on the shaded side, but covered with red, which is striped with darker red on the side next the sun. Eye, large, and somewhat closed, with broad flat segments like those of Trumpington, placed in a rather deep and somewhat undulating basin. Stalk, short, inserted in a rather shallow cavity, which is lined with delicate yellowish-brown russet. Flesh, yellowish, crisp, and tender, with a fine, brisk, sugary, and vinous flavor.

An excellent dessert apple of first-rate quality, in use from October to Christmas. The tree is a healthy and vigorous grower, and a good bearer.

The Elford Pippin is supposed to have been raised at Elford, near Lichfield, where it is a very popular variety, and to which locality it is at present chiefly confined.

111. EMPEROR ALEXANDER.--Hort.

IDENTIFICATION.--Hort. Trans. vol. ii., p. 407. Lind. Guide, 14.

SYNONYMES.--Alexander, _Hort. Soc. Cat._ ed. 1, 6, and ed. 3, n. 7. Phœnix Apple, _Brook. Pom. Brit._ Aporta, _acc. Hort. Soc. Cat._ Russian Emperor, _Ibid._ Kaiser Alexander von Russland, _Diel Kernobst._ 2 B. 65. Aporta Nalivia, _acc. Diel Kernobst._

FIGURES.--Hort. Trans. vol. ii. t. 28. Ron. Pyr. Mal. pl. xxxv. f. 2.

[Illustration]

Fruit, of the largest size; ovate. Skin, smooth, greenish-yellow, with a few streaks of red on the shaded side; and orange covered with streaks and patches of bright crimson on the side exposed to the sun, the whole strewed with numerous russety dots. Eye, large, and half open, with broad, erect, and acuminate segments, set in deep, even, and slightly ribbed basin. Stalk, an inch or more in length, inserted in a deep, round, and even cavity, which is lined with russet. Flesh, yellowish-white, tender, crisp, juicy, and sugary, with a pleasant and slightly aromatic flavor.

A beautiful and valuable apple, both as regards its size and quality. It is more adapted for culinary than dessert use, but is also desirable for the latter were it only on account of its noble appearance at the table. It is in use from September to December.

The tree is a strong and vigorous grower, producing long stout shoots, is perfectly hardy and a good bearer.

This apple was introduced to this country by Mr. Lee, nurseryman of Hammersmith, in 1817, and was exhibited by him at the London Horticultural Society; the specimen produced being five inches and a half in diameter, four inches deep, sixteen inches in circumference, and weighed nineteen ounces. It is generally supposed that this was its first appearance in England; but there can be little doubt that it is the _Phœnix Apple_ figured by Brookshaw, whose account of it in 1808, is as follows:--“It was much grown fifty years back in the neighbourhood of Twickenham, but was rather lost. The late Mr. Ash, nurseryman at Strawberry Hill, near Twickenham, preserved it from his father, who had an old tree of it. This specimen came from that tree. This apple was seen in Russia by an English nobleman, who thought it so excellent an apple, that he was induced to send some trees of it to England, and what will appear extraordinary to English gardeners, they were taken up in the summer with their leaves on, when they could not be less than twelve years old by their appearance, and when they arrived, after being six months before they came to hand, they were planted and produced fruit, and are now fine trees. The apple has a bloom on it like a red plum when on the tree, and is a very excellent beautiful apple, ripens in October, and will keep through December. It is to be had at the late Mr. Ash’s nursery, at Strawberry Hill, near Twickenham, under the name of Phœnix Apple, from its being lost and revived.”

112. ENGLISH CODLIN.--Hort.

IDENTIFICATION.--Hort. Soc. Cat. ed. 1, n. 176. Lind. Guide, 29. Rog. Fr. Cult. 63.

SYNONYMES.--Quodling _Aust. Treat._ 66. Codling. _Raii Hist._ ii. 1447. Old English Codlin, _Hort. Soc. Cat._ ed. 3, n. 163. Common Codlin, _Aber. Bot. Arr._ ii. 312.

FIGURE.--Lang. Pom. t. lxxiv. f. 3.

Fruit, above medium size; conical, irregular in its shape. Skin, pale yellow with a faint blush on the side exposed to the sun. Eye, closed, set in a moderately deep basin. Stalk, short, stout, and rather deeply inserted. Flesh, white, tender, and agreeably acid.

A culinary apple of first-rate quality; ripe in August and continues in use till October.

The trees are excellent bearers, but in most orchards they are generally found unhealthy, cankered, and full of the woolly aphis, a state produced, according to Mr. Lindley, by their being raised from suckers, and truncheons stuck into the ground. In the “Guide to the Orchard,” he says, “Healthy, robust, and substantial trees are only to be obtained by grafting on stocks of the real Sour Hedge Crab; they then grow freely, erect, and form very handsome heads, yielding fruit as superior to those of our old orchards, as the old, and at present deteriorated Codlin is to the Crab itself.” This circumstance was noticed by Worlidge nearly two hundred years ago--“You may graft them on stocks as you do other fruit, which will accelerate and augment their bearing; but you may save that labor and trouble, if you plant the Cions, Slips, or Cuttings of them in the spring-time, a little before their budding; by which means they will prosper very well, and soon become Trees; but these are more subject to the canker than those that are grafted.”

This is one of our oldest English apples, and still deserving of more general cultivation than is at present given to it. Formerly it constituted one of the principal dishes in English cookery, in the shape of “Codlings and Cream.” Ray says, “Crudum vix editur ob duritiem et aciditatem, sed coctum vel cum cremore lactis, vel cum aqua rosacea et saccharo comestum inter laudatissima fercula habetur.” The name is derived from _coddle_, to parboil.

113. ESOPUS SPITZENBURGH.--Coxe.

IDENTIFICATION.--Coxe. View. 127. Down. Fr. Amer. 138.

SYNONYMES.--Æsopus Spitzenberg, _Hort. Soc. Cat._ ed. 3, 790. Æsopus Spitzenburg, _Ken. Amer. Or._ 40. True Spitzenburgh, _acc. Down._

FIGURE.--Down. Fr. Amer. 138.

Fruit, large, three inches and a quarter wide, and three inches high; ovate, and regularly formed. Skin, almost entirely covered with clear bright red, and marked with fawn-colored russety dots, except on a portion of the shaded side, where it is yellow tinged and streaked with red. Eye, small and closed, set in a moderately deep and undulating basin. Stalk, slender, about an inch long, inserted in a wide, round, and deep cavity. Flesh, yellow, crisp, juicy, richly, and briskly flavored.

A most excellent dessert apple; in use from November to February.

This is a native of the United States, and is there considered one of the best dessert apples. Along with the Newtown Pippin it ranks as one of the most productive and profitable orchard fruits, but like many, and indeed almost all the best American varieties, it does not attain to that degree of perfection in this country that it does in its native soil. The tree is tender and subject to canker, and the fruit lacks that high flavor, and peculiar richness which characterizes the imported specimens. It was raised at Esopus, on the Hudson, where it is still grown to a large extent.

114. ESSEX PIPPIN.--Hort.

IDENTIFICATION.--Hort. Soc. Cat. ed. 3, n. 239.

Fruit, small; round and flattened, somewhat oblate. Skin, smooth, green at first, but becoming of a yellowish-green as it ripens, and with a faint tinge of thin red where exposed to the sun. Eye, open, with long, reflexed, acuminate segments, placed in a shallow basin. Stalk, three quarters of an inch long, slender, inserted in a round and even cavity. Flesh, yellowish, firm, and crisp, with a brisk, sugary, and rich flavor.

A dessert apple of first-rate quality, nearly allied to the Golden Pippin; it is in use from October to February.

115. FAIR MAID OF TAUNTON.--Hort.

IDENTIFICATION.--Hort. Soc. Cat. ed. 3, p. 15

Fruit, small, two inches and a quarter wide, and an inch and three quarters high; ovato-oblate, and rather irregularly formed. Skin, smooth and shining, thick and membranous, of a pale straw color, and with a faint of red on the side exposed to the sun; thickly strewed all over with small russety dots. Eye, somewhat closed, with broad, flat segments, which are reflexed at the tips, and set in a shallow and plaited basin. Stalk, very short, inserted in a wide cavity, which is lined with rough brown russet. Flesh, yellowish-white, tender, very juicy, sweet, and though not richly yet pleasantly flavored.

A dessert apple, but not of the first quality; in use from November to February.

116. FAIR’S NONPAREIL.--Hort.

IDENTIFICATION.--Hort. Soc. Cat. ed. 3, n. 469.

Fruit, small, two inches and a quarter broad, and two inches high; ovate, even, and regularly shaped. Skin, tender, of a bright green color at first, but changing as it attains maturity, to a fine clear yellow without any tinge of red. Eye, closed, set in a shallow, and finely plaited basin. Stalk, inserted in a pretty deep cavity, which has sometimes a fleshy protuberance on one side of it. Flesh, fine, firm, crisp, and juicy, with a rich, refreshing, sugary, and vinous flavor.

A dessert apple of first-rate quality, in use from November to February.

117. FAMAGUSTA.--Hort.

IDENTIFICATION.--Hort Soc. Cat. ed. 3, p. 15.