196 THE FKUIT MANUAL. 



EIVERS'S NONESUCH. Fruit, two inches and a quarter wide, 

 and not quite so much high ; ovate, inclining to conical, even in its 

 outline, and with ridges round the apex. Skin, yellow on the shaded 

 side, and almost entirely covered with red, which has broken dark crimson 

 streaks on the side next the sun, the whole strewed with russet dots. 

 Eye, closed, with convergent segments, which are reflexed at the tips, 

 set in a narrow and furrowed basin. Stamens, basal; tube, deep 

 conical, and narrow. Stalk, half an inch long, slender, deeply inserted 

 in a rather deep cavity. Flesh, yellowish, crisp, juicy, sweet, and with 

 a rich, brisk, perfumed flavour. Cells, closed, roundish obovate ; axile. 



An excellent dessert apple ; in use from November till January. 



This was selected by the late Mr, Rivers, of Sawbridgeworth, from a quarter of 

 seedling apple stocks. Along with one or two others it attracted his attention by 

 the dwarf and peculiar habit of growth, and their tendency to throw out a mass of 

 roots near the surface of the soil. He tried them all as dwarfing stocks for apple 

 trees, and this, which he called the Nonesuch, proved the best of the three for the 

 purpose. It is now produced every year by thousands, from stools and cuttings ; 

 but it was not till I discovered the quality of the fruit, in 1875, that it was known 

 to possess any merit. It is really a fine dessert apple. 



Robin. See Winter Greening. 



ROBIN HOOD. Fruit, large, three inches and an eighth wide, and 

 three and a half high ; oblong-conical, and so much resembling the 

 Gloucestershire Costard that I am inclined to think it is the same 

 sort. I met with this in a private garden at Great Malvern in 1871. 



ROBINSON'S PIPPIN. Fruit, small ; roundish, narrowing towards 

 the apex, where it is quite flat, and rather undulating. Skin, very 

 much covered with brown russet, except on the shaded side, where it 

 is greenish yellow, but sometimes tinged with brownish red where ex- 

 posed to the sun, and strewed all over with minute russety dots. Eye, 

 open, with flat pointed segments, set in a wide shallow basin. Stamens, 

 median; tube, funnel-shaped. Stalk, half an inch long, stout, and 

 inserted in a slight depression. Flesh, greenish, tender, crisp, sweet, 

 and very juicy, with a fine, brisk, and slightly perfumed flavour, much 

 resembling that of the Golden Pippin and Nonpareil. Cells, closed, 

 obovate ; axile. 



A very excellent dessert apple of first-rate quality ; it is in use from 

 December to February. The fruit is produced in clusters of sometimes 

 eight and ten, at the ends of the branches. 



The tree is of small size and slender growth, and not a free bearer. 

 It is well adapted for dwarf and espalier training when grafted on the 

 doucin or paradise stock, in which case it also bears better than on the 

 crab stock. 



According to Mr. Lindley, this variety was grown for many years in the old 

 kitchen garden at Kew ; and Rogers thinks it first originated in the Turnham 

 Green Nursery, which was during a portion of the last century occupied by a 

 person of the name of Robinson. The truth is, it was raised by a publican of the 

 name of Robinson, who kept the Packhorse Inn at Turnham Green, and who also 

 raised the Packhorse Pippin. 



