THE APPLE. 31 



Surface. — The skin may l)c thick or thin, smooth or Tmevcn, lumpy 

 or pimpled, rough, polished, covered with bloom, unctuous or oilj', 

 sometimes russcted in Avholi' or in part. The amount of russet varies, 

 especially about the stem. The color usually consists of t«o, the 

 ground-color of green or yellow, with over-color of red. A\'hcn the 

 ground-color is not striped, the fruit is self-colored, although it may 

 be blushed or shaded. (_lcrman writers term it one-colored. The color 

 is a conspicuous featiu'c, but is modified by climate, season, soil, and 

 whether grown in shade or sunshine. Older trees usually yield better- 

 colored fruit. Only well-colored exposed specimens should be selected 

 for determination. 



Stripes are broad alternating lines of color. Streaks are long, 

 distinct, narrow stiipes. Splashes are short, abruptly brf)ken stripes 

 of all sizes. When viarhlcd the stripes are wide, faint, waving, or 

 irregular. Wlien washed or shaded the coloring is even, or changes 

 gradually, as in a ■\\-ater-color painting. When mottled the dots nearly 

 run together. When in jiart dotted, as in Utter, th(^ red ai)pears as 

 distinct dots. Blotehed red is of various abrupt shades irregularly 

 placed. When elouded the blotches are broader and more softly shaded. 



A bright color is sometimes dulled b}' being overlaid with a whitish 

 or grayish color which is sometnnes suffused, or by open russet net- 

 veining. In the latter case it gives a lironzed ajiiiearance. In a very 

 few varieties, especially Westfield, the russet about tlie basin resem- 

 bles a piece of bent drv leather, and hence is termed leedher-eroekitig. 

 Pin scratches are minute dark lines running from stem to (ye, esjie- 

 ciaily on Tolman and rarely on Keswick; according to ^'an Denian 

 they never exceed five and in the Northern climates are nnieh more 

 distinct than in the South or West. 



It is impossible to give the exact shade of red in an apple. It may 

 vary from light or pale red to black red. Crimson is a clear, l)eautiful, 

 dark red, with a slight admixture of blue. Carniine is a. beautiful 

 darker crimson bordering on jiurple. Fink is a clear, bright, light red; 

 ro.se is a delicate pink; orange red is when the red is mixed with yellow. 



Dots. — These are more numerous towards the eye. As a whole 

 they mav be obscure or distinct, many or few, large or minute, fl'hite, 

 whitish gray, green, yellow or russet, round, elongated, stellate (star- 

 shaped). When surrounded with light or green bases, they are called 

 areolar by some writers. The dots may be depressed, jtrominent, 

 even so much raised as to roughen the surface. 



