Pip Fruits: Apples 73 



all who know it ask for it. No plantation of fruit should be without it. 

 Its season is the beginning of September for first gathering and mid- 

 September for clearing. 



Cox's Orange Pippin. Here is the monarch of all English Apples. 

 It is recorded of the late Mr. Thos. Rivers, that once at a fruit show he 

 was asked by a distinguished statesman to name the twelve best Apples. 

 " Well," said Mr. Rivers, " for the first three I should plant-Cox's Orange. 

 "And for the next three?" "Well, for the next three I should plant 

 three more Cox's Orange." "And for the next three?" "I should plant 

 three more Cox's Orange." "And for the last three?" A little hesitation, 

 then, " Why, I should plant another three Cox's." 



It is doubtful whether there is any other fruit, not excepting the 

 lordly Pineapple, that can compare in deliciousness of flavour with a 

 well - grown, properly ripened English Cox's Orange. But, alas ! the 

 range of soils in which it will dispense its favours freely is very limited, 

 and the commonest cooker that will crop is more valuable to the market 

 grower than the Cox's Orange that will not. It is of no use planting 

 it in strong loamy soils, even on the Paradise. In such it will grow 

 vigorously, but of apples there will be a crop about once in ten years, 

 and then the apples will have rough skins and be wanting in colour. 

 On the other hand, it will crop freely in gravel soils where hardly any 

 other fruit tree will live, and in such or any warm soil will bring fruit 

 of splendid colour. From some hot gravelly soil in Essex, in 1909, Cox's 

 Orange Pippins were sold at 3s. Qd. per dozen off" bush trees on the Para- 

 dise, only planted two years, and there was a heavy crop of them. This 

 apple pays for keeping a few weeks after gathering. The fruit should 

 be looked over twice or thrice a week, and those that ripen should be 

 picked out for packing, and also any that show signs of " speck ". The 

 time for gathering is Michaelmas. (See the plate.) 



King 1 of the Pippins. This is a favourite old apple. It should be 

 gathered about Michaelmas, and may be fit to send to market a little 

 before Cox's Orange. It will not pay for the sorting and selecting that 

 is done in the case of the Cox's. It will crop heavily, and, if kept a 

 little, will come to colour even in cold soils, although it is liable to 

 canker. It is a sure bearer on the Paradise. Mr. Bunyard says in 

 Kent it is the practice to prune this sort heavily and feed liberally, and 

 that for this treatment it pays. 



James Grieve. This is a Scotch Apple of quite recent introduction, 

 and well worth the market grower's attention. On the Paradise the 

 tree is healthy and vio-orous, showing; no inclination to canker. It came 



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into bearing the first year after planting, and so far has not missed in 

 the experimental plantation from which the photograph was taken 

 (see Plate). That Mr. Bunyard describes it as an early Cox's Orange 

 is sufficient certificate of quality. On strong land the fruit is apt to 

 come rather large for the table, but this is a fault that may be remedied 

 as the tree gathers age. Its season for ripening is late September. 



