American Pomology Part 43

This large market fruit is found chiefly in regions settled by immigrants from the South, and it may prove to be the same as some other southern apple. Specimens first received from my friend J.B.

Orange, in Southern Illinois, afterwards from several other points.

Tree vigorous, large, branches upright, shoots purple, warty, buds long, pointed.

Fruit large, regular, oblate; Surface not smooth, dull red, shaded and striped, covering the yellow ground; Dots small, prominent, with some roughness.

Basin regular, wide, not deep; Eye small, closed.

Cavity wide, regular, green and brown; Stem medium to short.

Core closed, or nearly so, meeting and partially clasping the eye; Axis short; Seeds numerous, plump, angular; Flesh yellow, breaking, granular, juicy; Flavor sub-acid, aromatic; Quality only good; Useful for kitchen and drying; Season December and January; keeps well.

=Press Ewing.=

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 105.--PRESS EWING.]

This Kentucky apple was sent me by J.S. Downer, from whom trees were also procured which have already borne fruit.

Tree vigorous, healthy, and early productive.

Fruit resembles Smokehouse, medium, roundish-oblate, regular; Surface smooth, bright red, mixed, striped, and splashed, on greenish yellow; Dots numerous, brown and yellow.

Basin wide, wavy, regular, rather deep; Eye medium, open; calyx reflexed.

Cavity wide, wavy, brown; Stem long, slender.

Core medium, closed, meeting the eye; Axis short; Seeds numerous, angular, pointed; Flesh yellow, fine-grained, tender, melting, juicy; Flavor rich sub-acid; Quality nearly first rate; Use for table in December and January.

=Powers.=

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 106.--POWERS.]

This beautiful table apple was first brought to public notice by Geo.

Powers, of Perrysburgh, Ohio. He exhibited specimens at the Toledo meeting of the Ohio Pomological Society in January, 1864, but the fruit was over ripe; at the State Fair at Dayton, Ohio, October 16th, it was shown in perfection of beauty and excellence, and was then examined by the Society, who commended it highly, and being satisfied that it was an original seedling, its local name, _Miller's Apple_, was then changed to _Powers_, in honor of the pomologist who had brought it into notice.

The tree appears to have been an accidental seedling, which sprang up in the town of Perrysburgh, where it grew almost without care until it fruited a few years ago, and attracted the attention of Mr. Powers.

The fruit is large and fair, round, somewhat flattened, and sometimes rather conic, generally regular, but large specimens are slightly angular; the surface is very smooth, a greenish waxen yellow, more or less shaded with mixed light red, upon which are laid numerous stripes and broken splashes of rich, dark carmine; Dots minute, scattered, gray.

Basin abrupt, regular, or folded; Eye small, closed.

Cavity deep, regular, sometimes brown; Stem medium or short.

Core medium or wide, regular, closed, meeting the eye; Seeds numerous, plump, sometimes imperfect; Flesh white, very tender, juicy; Flavor mild sub-acid, quite aromatic, very agreeable; Use especially for the table, as a highly ornamental dessert fruit, for which its extreme delicacy adapts it, while the same quality unfits it for general market purposes; Quality very good; in its season of ripening, in its beautifully white and tender flesh, and in its perfumed flavor, this fruit resembles the _Fameuse_, from which it may have been produced.

=Prolific Beauty.=

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 107.--PROLIFIC BEAUTY.]

This showy fruit is one of the original Putnam list of Washington County, Ohio; it is somewhat singular that so few choice sorts are traceable to the seeds of these first good orchards of the West. Rome Beauty is almost the only one of great notoriety that is referable to this source.

Fruit large, sometimes quite large, oblate, somewhat conic, regular; Surface smooth, yellowish-green, partially covered with stripes of red; Dots minute, gray.

Basin medium, wide, regular; Eye small, closed.

Cavity wide, wavy, green; Stem medium.

Core large, regular, open, clasping; Seeds numerous, plump; Flesh whitish-yellow, tender, juicy; Flavor acid; quality scarcely good; Use kitchen, market; Season September to December.

=Rambo.=

ROMANITE OF NEW JERSEY--BREAD-AND-CHEESE, ETC.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 108.--RAMBO.]

This standard Eastern Pennsylvania variety is universally popular, and through the Western States it marks the progress of emigration from the Keystone State, though its admirers are not confined to that cla.s.s of our population. It is a fall and early winter fruit, and some pomologists on the southern borders of its culture object to it that it will not keep long, and that it soon becomes dry and mealy when put away. When grown further north it is smaller, but more solid, and remains juicy until spring. It should be gathered early, even before it is well colored, and kept cool to make it retain its flavor and juiciness.

Tree upright, very thrifty, very productive; shoots dark, foliage large, light green, and thus the variety may easily be distinguished in the orchard. Not very hardy; whole nurseries and orchards were destroyed, in 1856, throughout the Northwest.

Fruit medium to small, when crowded upon the limbs as they generally are upon old trees, regular, oblate, or roundish-oblate, but sometimes unequal when overgrown; large specimens are flattened at the ends so as to appear truncate; Surface striped and splashed scarlet on greenish-yellow, in some the stripes coalesce so as to make the skin red, the ground color being covered; Dots numerous, small, prominent, rich bloom.

Basin wide, abrupt, regular or plaited, sometimes quite shallow; Eye small, closed.

Cavity wide, regular, always green; Stem medium.

Core regular, closed, meeting and clasping the eye; seeds numerous, large, angular; Flesh greenish-white, tender, breaking, granular, juicy; Flavor sub-acid, aromatic, vinous; Quality almost first rate for table, excellent for the kitchen; Season October to December, and if gathered early in the North, until spring.

=Red Astrachan.=

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 109.--RED ASTRACHAN.]

This Russian fruit has been perfectly adopted by our countrymen, and has proved itself a great favorite, particularly in the North, by its hardiness and productiveness, beauty and good qualities.

Tree vigorous, upright, productive, hardy; Shoots reddish brown, foliage large, rich green.

Fruit medium to large, regular, oblate; Surface smooth, mottled, marbled and striped crimson on greenish-yellow; Dots minute, heavy bloom.

Basin medium, regular; Eye small, closed.

Cavity shallow, regular; Stem long, yellow.

Core regular, closed; Seeds angular, small, dark; Flesh yellow, breaking, juicy; Flavor quite acid, not rich; Quality first rate for market and cooking, poor for table; Season July.