1. They have a fine grained, delicate, crisp, firm flesh.
2. They are mostly the ideal of a handsomely shaped apple; in them the convexity or bulge of the middle of the apple towards the eye is the same as that towards the stalk, or not much different.
3. They are all gray dotted, or have russety patches, or completely covered with russet.
4. They have rarely an unctuous skin.
5. They have all the rich, aromatic, sugary, and brisk flavor, which is called the Reinette flavor.
6. They decay very readily, and must, of all apples, hang longest on the tree.
7. The really sweet and at the same time aromatic apples belong to the Reinettes, only as regards their shape, their character, and their fine and firm flesh.
8. Apples with fine, firm, crisp flesh, which cannot of themselves form a distinct class; for instance, the Pippins belong to this class.
ORDER I.—SELF-COLORED REINETTES.
1. Having a uniform green ground color, which changes to the most beautiful golden yellow.