107. Forsyth, in his Treatise on Fruit-trees, describes no fewer than 196 varieties, exclusive of many, of which he gives the names only, without descriptions. In this plate only a few of the finer apples can be noticed ; such as are commonly cultivated in gardens, as wall or espalier trees, or as half and dwarf standards. The other standard apples used for baking, or in the manu facture of cider, will be treated of under the article ORCHARDS.
The Golden pippin is a well known excellent fruit, ripening late in autumn ; when fully matured it keeps long, and forms, during winter, one of the choicest des sert apples ; it is generally small, but beautiful, and the juice is sweet and high flavoured. The tree requires a light but good soil ; if the subsoil be wet, it is extremely apt to canker. It is rather of low growth ; against a wall, however, it grows freely, and produces abundance of line fruit. The golden pippin is highly praised by French horticultural writers, under the name of Reinette d'An gleterre. Miller notices the general falling off of this fruit, and the subject has been enlarged upon by Knight : the fact cannot be denied : the former ascribes it to the practice of grafting on free-stocks instead of crab-stocks; the latter, we believe with more reason, to the natural de cay of the variety through old age. The Balgone pippin, so named from the seat of Sir James Static in East Lothian, much resembles the golden pippin, and to all its excellencies adds the advantage of larger size. The tree grows luxuriantly against walls, and appears at present to be in health and vigour. It deserves the attention of the horticulturists of South Britain.
The Nonpareil is one of the best apples known, and the chief of the russet tribe: it is rather a flat-shaped fruit, with a sharp, pleasant, high-flavoured juice. It is scarcely ripe till the end of No., tuber; but if well ripened, it keeps till May, or later. The tree grows to a large size ; and in a good soil, such as a hazelly loam, it bears pretty freely. It is very generally trained against a wall ; and in the northern parts of the island, it requires not only a wall, but a good aspect. The Scarlet nonpareil ripens more freely than the former ; and the fruit becomes larger, and more smooth and plump, being at the same time highly charged with the flavour peculiar to the nonpareil : it is in season in January and February.
The Ribston pippin is an excellent apple ; when well ripened, it adds to the dessert ; for kitchen use it is unri valled. The tree grows freely in almost every situation, and is a good bearer. The fruit is of a greenish-yellow colour, with red or brown streaks on the side next the sun. It keeps very long, remaining quite firm till April or May. Mr Nicol is justly in raptures with it : " It may be called a universal apple for these kingdoms ; it will thrive and even ripen at John•o-Groat's, and it deserves a place at Exeter or at Cork." It was long supposed to have been raised at Ribston Hall in Yorkshire ; but it is now ascer tained to be a Normandy pippin, introduced early in the 18th century.
The Oslin pippin is sometimes called the Original, and sometimes the Arbroath pippin ; by 'Forsyth it is named Orzelon. This is a very good apple, excelled in flavour only by the nonpareil, over which it has the advantage of ripening in a worse climate. It does not keep : indeed it should be eaten from the tree, and it is kilown to be fit for use by its acquiring a fine yellow colour. It is particularly described by Dr Duncan, senior, in the first volume of the Scottish Horticultural Memoirs. The tree grows freely by cuttings, provided each cutting include a knot or bur. The Doctor mentions, that of fifty branches detached early in the spring, more than one half blossomed and produced ripe fruit the same year ; they continued fruitful for the next two years, and promised to form permanent fruit bearing trees. The Oslin has been for time immemorial cultivated at St Andrews and Arbroath, where there were formerly magnifiCent establishments for monks, by whom it was probably introduced from France.
The Hawthorndean, or White Apple of Hawthorndean, derives its name from the romantic seat, in Mid Lothian, of the poet and historian Drummond, at which he was vi sited by the celebrated Ben Jonson. It is a summer apple, but does not keep long ; it is juicy and good, excellent for kitchen use. The tree is a free grower, and bears quickly and plentifully ; it is however but short-lived, generally shewing symptoms of decay when twelve or fifteen years old : it is well calculated, therefore, for a temporary tree in any situation, and for this put pose it is much employed.