1S70. ] 
THE TAIRY APPLE. 
49 
THE FAIEY APPLE. 
WITH AN ILLUSTRATION. 
iOTWITHSTANDINQ the efforts which the late Mr. Thomas Andrew Knight 
f made to cross existing varieties of the cultivated Apple with the Siberian 
Crab, they all failed to produce a result which has been of any real 
benefit. Mr. Knight’s object in thus crossing these individuals was, as he 
states, “ to obtain such fruits as vegetate very early in spring by introducing the 
farina of the Siberian Crab into the blossom of a rich and early Apple ; and by 
transferring in the same manner the farina of the Apple to the blossom of the 
Siberian Crab.” At the time Mr. Knight wrote this, the trees so produced had 
not yet borne fruit, but he observes, the leaf and habit of many of the plants 
that I have thus obtained possess much of the character of the Apple, whilst 
they vegetate as early in the spring as the apple of Siberia, and appear to 
possess an equal power of bearing cold.” But what was the result of these carefully 
performed experiments ? From this crossing we got the Siberian Bitter-Sweet, 
which, Mr. Knight himself says, ‘‘is wholly worthless, except for the press,” 
that is, for cider-making. Then the Siberian Harvey has a juice so “ intensely 
sweet,” that it, too, can only be used, mixed with other apples, for cider. Both 
of these were raised from the fruit of the Siberian Crab, fertilized with the 
Golden Harvey, one of our best dessert apples. Another called Foxley was also 
raised from the Siberian Crab, but the male parent was the famed Golden 
Pippin. Yet the Foxley is a worthless little apple, not so large as some goose¬ 
berries, and fit only for cider. 
It is interesting to watch these struggles between philosophy and nature. 
Philosophy says, “I will,” and nature replies, “You won’t.” But when left to 
herself. Nature fashions an object without the philosopher’s aid, excelling in merit 
all that he had dreamed of. Here we have such an instance in the little Fairy 
Apple, of which our illustration is a faithful representation. This, too, was 
raised from the fruit of the Siberian Crab, but without any human aid. What is 
its parentage and how it was produced no one knows ; but there it is, a haphazard 
foundling, destined and worthy to take its place among the worthiest of its kind. 
Whether for its beauty or its excellence as a dessert fruit, the Fairy Apple 
cannot fail to become popular and valuable. In colour, size, and form it 
rivals the Pomme d’Api or Lady Apple, so much vaunted, and which makes the 
fruiterers’ windows and our desserts gay during the dreary months of winter. For 
this purpose, the Fairy will command the attention of all growers of dessert fruit 
in large estabhshments, and for commercial purposes ; for not only does it com¬ 
mend itself by its great beauty, but its flavour is similar and not inferior to that 
of the Old Golden Pippin, its flesh being of a fine deep yellow, with a rich and 
briskly-flavoured juice. 
The fruit is produced in clusters of from three to five, much in the same way 
3eD series.—III. D 
