ORCHARDS. 155 



extra large size, render it one of the most popular fruits in 

 market. The tree is thrifty, and makes a compact head; 

 bears regular crops, and the fruit is always fair and hand- 

 some. Fruit very large, roundish, skin slightly uneven, yel- 

 lowish green, delicately striped, and splashed with red, which 

 on the sunny side quite covers the surface. Flesh not very 

 fine grained, juicy, sprightly, with a pleasant sub-acid flavor. 



WINTER APPLES. 



Wine Sap. Fruit medium size, roundish, deep red, skin 

 smooth, with few streaks, a. little yellow on shady side, flesh 

 yellow, crisp, firm, high flavor, rich. We adopt the language 

 of an eminent Virginia nurseryman,* and say: "We can 

 scarcely find words sufiiciently strong to express the high 

 opinion we have of this fruit, possessing, as it does, a combi- 

 nation of so many excellent qualities. For cider, it has but few 

 equals; for the table, it stands among the best; for keeping, 

 it is justly esteemed; and for bearing it scarcely has a rival."t 



Albemarle Pippin. " Large, roundish, irregular, smooth, 

 yellowish green; flesh yellow, firm, juicy, aromatic and rich. 

 The great Winter apple of the Piedmont section, but inclined 

 to speck in Tide-water Virginia — does well in some portions 

 of the Valley of Virginia; January to April." Described as 

 above by the President of the Virginia Nursery and Wine 

 Corupany, Richmond. Mr. Davis says: "We consider the 

 Albemarle Pippin, Newtown Pippin, and Brooks' Pippin as 

 identical. No apple stands higher in the market than this, 

 or brings as high a price. It succeeds finely in the red soil 

 of the mountains and rich valleys of the Piedmont region, and 

 in most parts of the Valley of Virginia. It requires a deep, 

 rich, w^arm soil to bring it to its highest perfection. (Suc- 

 ceeds admirably in Jefi'erson and Berkley counties, Va.) Most 



* Franklin Davis, Esq., of the Richmond, Va., Nursery. 



fMr. C. T. Botts, of the Southern Planter, said, in 1845, ''Take it 

 altogether, we believe it is the finest apple that grows in America — and 

 if we were setting out an orchard of a thousand trees, eight hundred of 

 them should be Wine Saps." 



