Tree upright, very thrifty, very productive; shoots dark, foliage large, light green, and thus the variety may easily be distinguished in the orchard. Not very hardy; whole nurseries and orchards were destroyed, in 1856, throughout the Northwest.
Fruit medium to small, when crowded upon the limbs as they generally are upon old trees, regular, oblate, or roundish-oblate, but sometimes unequal when overgrown; large specimens are flattened at the ends so as to appear truncate; Surface striped and splashed scarlet on greenish-yellow, in some the stripes coalesce so as to make the skin red, the ground color being covered; Dots numerous, small, prominent, rich bloom.
Basin wide, abrupt, regular or plaited, sometimes quite shallow; Eye small, closed.
Cavity wide, regular, always green; Stem medium.
Core regular, closed, meeting and clasping the eye; seeds numerous, large, angular; Flesh greenish-white, tender, breaking, granular, juicy; Flavor sub-acid, aromatic, vinous; Quality almost first rate for table, excellent for the kitchen; Season October to December, and if gathered early in the North, until spring.
Red Astrachan.
Fig. 109.—RED ASTRACHAN.
This Russian fruit has been perfectly adopted by our countrymen, and has proved itself a great favorite, particularly in the North, by its hardiness and productiveness, beauty and good qualities.
Tree vigorous, upright, productive, hardy; Shoots reddish brown, foliage large, rich green.