56 



ROME BEAUTY 



ST. LAWRENCE 



only, lacking in size and in keeping qualities, 

 The original tree was found near Burlington, 

 New Jersey, where it still stood in 1817. 



Tree moderately vigorous, spreading, irregular, very 

 hardy and very productive ; fruit small to medium, 

 round, uniform ; stem with a fleshy protuberance from 

 the neighboring part, resembling a Roman nose, whence 

 the name Roman Stem ; skin rough, yellow, clouded and 

 spotted ; flesh tender, mild, juicy, with an agreeable 

 flavor ; good ; early winter. 



ROME BEAUTY. Fig. 49. Rome. Rome 

 Beauty is a desirable commercial apple in all 

 apple regions except northern ones, where in 

 its early years at least, it is precariously hardy. 

 The best characters are those of the tree. The 

 trees, while of but medium size, are vigorous, 

 come in bearing early, load with fruit annually, 

 and in high winds the apples persist on the 

 long stems and flexible branches better than 

 those of almost any other variety. The trees 

 are susceptible to blight and the scab-fungus 

 unfortunate faults. The apples are large, 

 smooth, handsome, uniform in size and shape, 

 thick-skinned, and, therefore, ship and keep 

 well, but are of only mediocre quality. Gen- 



49. Rome Beauty. (X%) 



erally speaking, Rome Beauty does best in 

 southern latitudes or in the mild western 

 climates, yet it is grown to perfection in some 

 parts of New York and Michigan. It requires 

 rich soils, failing in which, the fruits are under- 

 sized and poorly colored. Rome Beauty origi- 

 nated with H. N. Gillet, Lawrence County, 

 Ohio, who brought it to the attention of fruit- 

 growers in 1848. 



Tree vigorous, small, at first upright but later spread- 

 ing and drooping, with slender, lateral branches. Leaves 

 long. Fruit medium to very large, uniform in size 

 and shape, round, round-conic, or oblong, regular or 

 faintly ribbed, usually symmetrical but sometimes with 

 sides unequal ; stem characteristically long, slender, 

 often oblique ; cavity large, characteristically obtuse 

 and smooth, shallow, wide, sometimes compressed or 

 lipped, often gently furrowed, green or red, never rus- 

 seted ; calyx small, closed or open ; lobes converging 

 above but separated toward the base ; basin small, shal- 

 low, narrow, abrupt, usually furrowed or wrinkled ; 

 skin thick, tough, smooth, yellow mottled with bright 

 red which in highly-colored specimens deepens to solid 

 red on the exposed cheek, striped with bright carmine ; 

 dots numerous, white or brown, small ; calyx-tube cone- 

 shape, often with fleshy pistil point projecting into the 

 base ; stamens marginal ; core medium to large, abaxile ; 

 cells sometimes unsymmetrical, open ; core-lines meeting ; 

 carpels round, narrowing toward base and apex, some- 



times obtusely emarginate, mucronate ; seeds numerous, 

 plump, acute, tufted, light and dark brown ; flesh 

 yellow, firm, fine-grained to coarse, crisp, juicy, aromatic, 

 mild subacid ; good ; November to May. 



ROXBURY RUSSET. Fig. 50. Boston 

 Russet. Rox. Roxbury. Russet. Roxbury is 

 the best known russet apple in America. The 

 apples are notable keepers and before the days 

 of cold storage were to be found under the 



50. Roxbury Russet. (X%) 



name "Russet," or "Rox," in all apple markets. 

 With the coming of cold storage, the demand 

 for the long-keeping, dull-colored russet apples 

 has fallen off, and the popularity of Roxbury 

 is now on the wane. The rough, tough-skinned, 

 yellowish-brown, russeted fruits are known by 

 all. The flesh, too, is distinct with its yellow- 

 green color, its tenderness, and its pleasing 

 sprightly flavor. The fruit is remarkable for 

 the amount of sugar contained, making this 

 about the best sort for cider. The variety does 

 best in rich intervale soils, and is most popular 

 in New England and westward into Michigan. 

 Roxbury is supposed to have originated in 

 Roxbury, Massachusetts, nearly 300 years ago, 

 and is, therefore, one of the oldest American 

 varieties. 



Tree medium to large, vigorous, round-spreading. 

 Fruit large, variable in size and shape, oblate or oblate- 

 conic, often broadly and obscurely angular and some- 

 times remarkably elliptical, sides unequal ; stem short, 

 thick or swollen, pubescent, often red on one side ; 

 cavity acute, deep, wide, sometimes lipped ; calyx large, 

 pubescent, closed or partly open ; lobes long, sometimes 

 short, obtuse ; basin variable, narrow, obtuse, furrowed 

 and often wrinkled ; skin tough, covered with yellowish- 

 brown russet, colored specimens developing a bronze 

 blush which rarely deepens to red ; dots russet or gray ; 

 calyx-tube large, wide, with fleshy pistil point project- 

 ing into the base, conical ; stamens basal ; core axile ; 

 cells symmetrical, closed, rarely partly open ; core-lines 

 meeting ; carpels flat, elongated and narrowing toward 

 the apex, sometimes emarginate, mucronate, tufted ; seeds 

 few, often abortive, long, plump, acute, tufted ; flesh 

 yellow, firm, coarse, tender, breaking, juicy, sprightly 

 subacid ; good to very good ; December to May. 



ST. LAWRENCE. Montreal. St. Law- 

 rence is an apple of the Fameuse type; the 

 fruits greatly resemble those of Fameuse, but 

 seldom equal them except in size, being usually 

 much larger. It thrives in New England and 

 parts of Canada and is especially prized along 

 the St. Lawrence River. Its origin is not 

 known, but it is probably a seedling of Fa- 

 meuse grown in lower Canada early in the 

 nineteenth century. 



