THE APPLE. ITS VAEIETIES. 171 



301. RIBSTON PIPPIN.— Fors. 



Identification. — Eors. Treat, ed. 7, 124. Hort. Soc Cat. ed. 3, n. 704. Lind. 



Guide, 80. Diel Kernobst. xi. 93. Down. Fr. Amer. 131. Hog. Er. Cult. 88. 

 Stnontmes. — Glory of York, Hort. Soc. Cat. ed. 1, 946. Formosa Pippin, Ibid. 



341. Travel's Pippin. /W. 1117. Diel Kernobst. yi. B. \0S. 



FiannES. — Pom. Mag. t. 141 . Ron. Pyr. Mai. pi. xxvii. f. 5. Pom. Lond. Brook. 

 Pom. Brit. pi. Ixxxviii. f. 6. 



Fruit, medium sized ; roundish, and irregular in its outline, caused by 

 several obtuse and unequal angles on its sides. Skin, greenish-yellow, 

 changing as it ripens to dull yellow, and marked with broken streaks of 

 pale red on the shaded side ; but dull red changing to clear faint crimson, 

 marked with streaks of deeper crimson, on the side next the sun, and 

 generally russety over the base. Eye, small and closed, set in an irregular 

 basin, which is generally netted with russet. Stalk, half-an-inch long, 

 slender, and generally inserted its whole length in a round cavity, which is 

 surrounded with russet. Flesh, yellow, firm, crisp, rich and sugary, 

 charged with a powerful aromatic flavor. 



An apple so well known, as to require neither description nor encomium. 

 It is in greatest perfection during November and December ; but with 

 good management will keep till March. 



The tree is in general hardy, a vigorous grower, and a good bearer, 

 provided it is grown in a dry soil ; but if otherwise it is almost sure to 

 canker. In all the southern and middle counties of England it succeeds 

 well as an open standard ; but in the north, and .in Scotland, it requires 

 the protection of a wall to bring it to perfection. Nicol calls it " a uni- 

 versal apple for these kingdoms ; it will thrive at John O'Groat's while 

 it deserves a place at Exeter or at Cork." 



There is no apple which has ever been introduced to this country, or 

 indigenous to it, which is more generally cultivated, more familiarly 

 known, or held in higher popular estimation, than the Ribston Pippin. It 

 has long been in existence in this country, but did not become generally 

 known till the end of the last century. It is not mentioned in any of the 

 editions of Miller's Dictionary, or by any other author of that period ; 

 neither was it grown in the Brompton Park nursery in 1770. In 1785 I 

 find it was grown to the extent of a quarter of a row, or about 25 plants ; 

 and as this supply seems to have sufficed for three years' demand, its 

 merits must have been but little known. In 1788, it extended to one 

 row, or about one hundred plants, and three years later to two rows ; 

 from 1791, it increased one row annually, till 1794, when it reached five 

 rows. From these facts we may pretty well learn the rise and progress of 

 its popularity. It is now in the same nursery cultivated to the extent of 

 about 25 rows, or 2500 plants annually. 



The original tree was first discovered growing in the garden at Ribston 

 Hall, near Knaresborough, but how, when, or by what means it came 

 there, has not been satisfactorily ascertained. One account states that 

 about the year 1688 some apple pips were brought from Rouen and sown 

 at Ribston Hall, near Knaresborough ; the trees then produced from them 

 were planted in the park, and one turned out to be the varietj' in question. 

 The original tree stood till 1810, when it was blown down by a violent 

 gale of wind. It was afterwards supported by stakes in a horizontal posi- 



