232 Measuring, dclmeating, and describing Fruits, &;c. 



The fruit like a crab, but larger ; colour, when ripe, yel- 

 low green with a pink side, but losing most of the colour, 

 and passing into golden yellow, in the fruit-room ; flesh white, 

 firm, and good ; flavour very acrid and crab-like, until 

 matured by the winter ; ripe in ^November, and keeps till 

 May ; skin very thin, fine, and delicate ; stalk shortish, dark, 

 and slender, deeply seated in a regular base ; apex deep and 

 open ; calyx nearly all retained ; seeds large and turgid ; cell 

 containing the seeds capacious ; used for kitchen purposes. 



I am inclined to think it would be a good thing to have a 

 glossary of terms for describing fruits and fruit trees. As a 

 proof of the utility of such descriptions, I may state, that they 

 might often enable us to know a bad sort of fruit before 

 waiting for years till the tree came into bearing, and then we 

 might easily regraft it, or cut it down as a cumberer of the 

 ground. The following attempt at such a glossary may pro- 

 bably lead to something better : 



Tree. — Upright, drooping, lateral, compact, straggling. 



Wood. — Strong, long, slender, tomentose, smooth, rugose, long-jointed, 



short-jointed, spotted, plain. 

 Leaves. — Dark green, light green, yellow green, coarse, smooth, shining, 



large, small, serrated, notched, flaccid, spreading, cordate, ovate, cucu- 



late, auricled, (with other shapes and circumstances as in botanical 



description,) with or without glands, persisting or dropping early, 



changing to yellow, red, or purple, or not changing, &c. &c. 

 Petioles. — Long, short, medium, slender, thick, smooth, tomentose, 



coloured, uncoloured. 

 Buds. — Short, long, turgid, lean. 

 Petals. — Long, short, medium, coloured, pale, white. 

 Scape. — Long, short, medium, slender, thick, smooth, tomentose, coloured, 



uncoloured. 

 Stamens. ■ — Strong, slender, long, short. 

 Pistillum. — Strong, slender, long, short, erect, inclined. 

 Blooming. — When in leaf, before leafing, when the buds are opening into 



foliage. 

 Standard. — Large, small, middle-sized. 

 Wall, — Requires much room, little room. 

 Bush. — Well suited for, not suited for, &c. 

 Soil. — Strong, free, dry, moist, on limestone, on freestone, on clay, on 



loam, &c. 

 Climate. — Exposed, sheltered, north midland, south midland, &c. 

 Setter and Bearer. — Free, shy, abundant, moderate. 

 Shape. — Round, oval, conical, oblong, compressed, flat, turbinate. 

 Colour. — Pink, brick red, light red, dark red, &c. &c. &c. 

 Flesh, — Melting, breaking, dry, juicj', solid, firm, crisp, mealy, spongy, 



choaky. 

 Flavour. • — Insipid, perfumed, sharp, brisk, sweet, acid, musky, pungent, 



aromatic, watery, delicate, harsh. 

 Pipe. — July, August, &c. 

 Use: — Dessert, kitchen, tarts, cider, &c. 



Keeping. — Till November, retaining or losing its flavour, &c. &c. 

 Skin. — Thick, thin, tough, transparent, russety, coloured, striped, blotched. 

 Sialic, — Short, long, medium, thick, thin, slender. 



