THE APPLE. 



423 



not inferior to the Newtown pippin. Tree 

 healthy, luxuriant, and a good bearer. 



Swaar. — Colour greenish yellow, turning to 

 dead gold when ripe, with many distinct brown 

 spots, and slightly marbled with russet on the 

 sunny side ; form roundish ; size large ; quality 

 first-rate. In use from December till March. 

 A truly noble American fruit. According to 

 Downing, " produced by the Dutch settlers on 

 the Hudson," and named Swaar, meaning heavy, 

 on account of its unusual weight ; requires a 

 deep rich sandy loam to bring it to perfection. 

 It is one of the finest-flavoured apples in Ame- 

 rica. Does not succeed in damp or cold soils. 



Sweeting, ladies'. — Colour red in the sun, pale 

 yellow in the shade ; form roundish ovate ; size 

 large ; quality first-rate. In use from December 

 till May. Mr Downing considers this the finest 

 winter sweet apple for the dessert yet known or 

 cultivated in America. Its handsome appear- 

 ance, sprightly flavour, and the long time it 

 remains in perfection, render it universally ad- 

 mired. No garden should be without it. Tree 

 healthy, and bears abundantly. 



KITCHEN APPLES. 



Alfreston. — Colour greyish yellow ; form round- 

 ish ; large. In use from November till April ; 

 quality first-rate. This excellent apple is of 

 English origin, and often called Lord Gwyders 

 Newtown pippin, Oldacre's neir, Shepherd's pippin, 

 Baltimore and Newtown pippin. Such names 

 must, therefore, be regarded as mere synonyms. 

 One of the largest and best culinary apples ; 

 tree hardy; strong grower, and abundant bearer. 



Astrakan white.— Colour pale yellow; form 

 conical ; medium size. In use during August 

 and September; quality first-rate; of Russian ori- 

 gin. An excellent apple, and with the following 

 well adapted even to the climate of Scotland : — 



Astrakan red. — Differing merely in colour from 

 the last, and possessing all its merits. Colour 

 bright red. These two excellent apples, al- 

 though arranged under the head of kitchen fruit, 

 are, from their beauty, delicacy in flavour, and 

 early ripening, amongst the very best sorts 

 grown for the dessert. We have placed them 

 under the head of kitchen apples, because they 

 are for culinary purposes exceedingly valuable, 

 and being very great bearers, although of short 

 duration, will be found a valuable addition in 

 most gardens to our summer fruits. Neither 

 are cultivated so extensively as they ought to be. 



Bains. — Colour striped ; form oblate ; medium 

 size ; adapted to both table and culinary use ; 

 quality second-rate, nearly approaching the Rib- 

 ston pippin. 



Beaufin, Norfolk. — Colour very dark red ; form 

 oblate ; medium size ; quality first-rate for culinary 

 purposes ; grown very extensively in Norfolk for 

 the purpose of drying, in which state they are 

 much prized during winter ; keep in their 

 natural state in fine condition from January till 

 June. We have rarely seen this fine fruit grow- 

 ing in Scotland, and from the state of our own 

 trees at Dalkeith, think them rather tender for 

 our northern climate. In the southern counties 

 of England it is a remarkably abundant bearer. 

 Like most other good apples, it is known in 



various parts under various names — viz., Bead's 

 baker, Catshead, Catshead beaufin. 



Beauty of Kent. — Colour deep yellow, slightly 

 tinged with green, slightly marked with red on 

 the sunny side, almost entirely covered with 

 deep red on the side next the sun ; form round- 

 ish ovate ; size large ; in use from October till 

 February. When well grown, this is perhaps the 

 most magnificent apple in cultivation. Tree 

 strong, and a vigorous grower, and excellent 

 bearer, subject, however, to canker when 

 wrought on the paradise stock, and when planted 

 in moist and heavy soils ; of Kentish origin, 

 not probably of older date than the beginning 

 of the present century. Synonym — Kentish 

 pippin. 



Bedfordshire foundling. — Colour yellow; form 

 roundish oblate ; large size ; quality first-rate ; in 

 use from November till March. This very hand- 

 some and excellent apple is of Bedfordshire ori- 

 gin, and in many English nursery catalogues is 

 called the Cambridge pippin ; hardy, and a good 

 bearer. 



Belle bonne. — Colour pale greenish yellow, 

 marked with reddish streaks on the sunny side ; 

 form ovato-conical ; size above medium. In use 

 from October till January. Tree very hardy; 

 strong and vigorous grower, and abundant 

 bearer quality most valuable for culinary pur- 

 poses. This very old English variety was known 

 to Parkinson in 1629, and also to Ray and 

 Worledge, although, according to Hogg, " not 

 noticed by any subsequent author, or enume- 

 rated in any of the nursery catalogues of the 

 last century, until discovered by Mr G. Lindley 

 growing in a garden at Gatton, near Norwich." 



Bess Pool. — Colour yellow, slightly shaded 

 with red on the shaded side ; almost entirely 

 washed and striped with clear red on the side 

 exposed to the sun ; form conical ; size above 

 medium. In use from November till March. 

 Quality excellent either for dessert or for culinary 

 purposes. Tree hardy, and a vigorous grower, 

 and abundant bearer. This variety has the 

 valuable property of flowering late in spring, 

 and hence often escaping our late spring frosts. 



Bland's jubilee. — Colour dull yellow, tinged 

 with green, changing to yellow as it ripens, and 

 marked all over the surface with large russety 

 dots ; form round, slightly ribbed ; size large. 

 In use from October till January. Quality ex- 

 cellent either for culinary purposes or the des- 

 sert. Synonym — Jubilee pippin, from the cir- 

 cumstance of the seed from which it sprang 

 being sown on the day of the jubilee of George 

 III., in 1809. The first fruit was produced in 

 1818. Mr Hogg remarks: " It is a variety which 

 is not met with in general cultivation, but 

 deserves to be more extensively known." The 

 only notice we have met with of this excellent 

 apple is in vol. v. p. 400 of the Horticultural 

 Society's Transactions, and in Hogg's " British 

 Pomology." 



Brabant bellefleur. — Colour greenish yellow, 

 changing to lemon as it attains ripeness, slightly 

 striped with red on the side next the sun ; form 

 roundish ovate, inclining to oblong or conical; 

 size large. In use from November to April. 

 Quality of the finest for culinary purposes. 



