STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 129 



GOLDEN RUSSET. 



Synonyyns — English Golden Russet, English Golden, Russet 

 Golden. This is an old English apple described by Ronalds and 

 Lindley as Golden Russet, and as that is its commonly accepted 

 name in this country we have followed it. It is one of the popular 

 apples, succeeding in nearly all sections and especially in rich 

 western soils. The tree is thrifty, vigorous, spreading, rather 

 irregular, forming a bushy head. Young shoots slender, dull red- 

 dish brown, slightly downy, with numerous small white dots. An 

 early bearer. 



Fruit medium or below, roundish, or roundish oblate ; skin, 

 rough ; color, yellow, mostly covered with dull russet and having a 

 bronzed cheek in the sun ; stalk, short, small ; cavity, medium or 

 rather deep ; calyx, closed ; ligments, rather long, often a little 

 recurved ; basin, broad, rather large, slightly corrugated ; flesh, 

 whitish yellow, fine grained, rather compact, sprightly, mild, sub- 

 acid. Good to very good. December to March. — Downing's "Fruits 

 and Fruit Trees of America." 



Fruit below the middle size, pretty regular in its outline, without 

 angles, generally about two inches deep, and two inches and a 

 quarter in diameter. Eye rather small, close, moderately depressed, 

 surrounded by irregular plaits, part of which are more prominent 

 than the rest ; stalk very short, deeply inserted in an uneven nar- 

 row cavity, not protruding so far as the base ; skin thick, of a pale 

 copper color, yellowish russet, very thick and rough on the 

 shaded side with a few patches, occasionally, of bright red on the 

 sunny side and varicose at the base. Flesh pale yellow, very 

 fine and crisp ; juice not plentiful but saccharine, of an aromatic 

 and slightly musky flavor. 



A dessert apple from December till April. 



The Golden Russet has been known in our gardens ever since 

 the time of Ray, who makes it synonymous with the Aromatic Rus- 

 set. The trees are very hardy, living within bleak situations ; they 

 grow to a good size and are rather remarkable in having a profu- 

 sion of slender pendulous branches. — "Guide to the Orchard and 

 Fruit Garden" (1846) by George Lindley. 



The origin of this apple is unknown ; it appears to have been 

 first cultivated in Essex county, Mass. The fruit is of medium 

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