American Pomology Part 23

3. They are either of a flat, conical, cylindrical, or tapering form.

4. They have not a balsamic, but mostly a sweetish or sourish flavor.

5. They have a granulous, loose, and coa.r.s.e-grained flesh.

+ORDER III.--GUELDERLINGE.+

1. They are not balsamic, like Order I., but of an aromatic flavor.

2. They have a fine flesh, almost like that of the Reinettes.

3. They are either of a conical or flat shape.

4. They are most prominently ribbed around the eye.

CLa.s.s II--ROSENaePFEL--ROSE APPLES.

1. They are covered with blue bloom when on the tree.

2. They have not unproportionally large, but often only regular cells.

3. They emit a pleasant odor when briskly rubbed.

4. The skin does not feel unctuous.

5. They are handsomely and regularly ribbed around the eye, and often also over the fruit.

6. They have a tender, loose, spongy, and mostly fine grained flesh.

7. They have a fine rose, fennel, or anise flavor.

8. They are mostly of short duration, and are often only summer or autumn apples.

9. They are mostly striped like a turnip.

+ORDER I.--FRUIT TAPERING OR OBLONG.+

+ORDER II.--FRUIT ROUND OR FLAT.+

CLa.s.s III.--RAMBOURS.

1. They are all large apples, and comprise the largest sorts.

2. They have mostly, or almost always, two unequal halves--namely, one side lower than the other.

3. They are constantly furnished with ribs around the eye which are broad, rising irregularly, one above the other, and extending over the fruit so as to render it irregular in its shape; they are also compressed, and have one side higher than the other.

4. They are constantly broader than high, and only sometimes elongated.

5. They have all a loose, coa.r.s.e grained and often very pleasant flesh.

+ORDER I.--WITH WIDE CELLS.+

+ORDER II.--WITH NARROW CELLS.+

CLa.s.s IV.--REINETTES.

1. They have a fine grained, delicate, crisp, firm flesh.

2. They are mostly the ideal of a handsomely shaped apple; in them the convexity or bulge of the middle of the apple towards the eye is the same as that towards the stalk, or not much different.

3. They are all gray dotted, or have russety patches, or completely covered with russet.

4. They have rarely an unctuous skin.

5. They have all the rich, aromatic, sugary, and brisk flavor, which is called the Reinette flavor.

6. They decay very readily, and must, of all apples, hang longest on the tree.

7. The really sweet and at the same time aromatic apples belong to the Reinettes, only as regards their shape, their character, and their fine and firm flesh.

8. Apples with fine, firm, crisp flesh, which cannot of themselves form a distinct cla.s.s; for instance, the Pippins belong to this cla.s.s.

+ORDER I.--SELF-COLORED REINETTES.+

1. Having a uniform green ground color, which changes to the most beautiful golden yellow.

2. Having no lively colors or marks of russet on the side next the sun, except those that are very much exposed, and which a.s.sume a slight tinge of red.

3. Having no covering of russet, but only slight traces of russety stripes.

+ORDER II.--RED REINETTES.+

Having all the properties of the self-colored Reinettes, but of a pure red on the side next the sun, without any mixture of russet.

+ORDER III.--GRAY REINETTES.+

1. The ground color is green, changing to dingy dull yellow.

2. The coating of russet, or the russety patches, spread over the greater part of the fruit, are very conspicuous.

3. The side next the sun is often dull brownish or ochreous red.

+ORDER IV.--GOLDEN REINETTES.+

1. On the side next the sun they are washed or striped with beautiful crimson.