The late President of the London Horticultural Society, T. A. Knight, Esq., considered that the Golden Pippin, and all the old varieties of English apples, were in the last stage of decay, and that a few years would witness their total extinction. This belief he founded upon the degenerate state of these varieties in the Herefordshire orchards, and also upon his theory that no variety of apple will continue to exist more than 200 years. But that illustrious man never fell into a greater error. It would be needless to enter into any further discussion upon a subject concerning which so much has already been said and written, as there is sufficient evidence to confute that theory. The Pearmain, which is the oldest English apple on record, shows no symptoms of decay, neither does the Catshead, London Pippin, Winter Quoining, or any other variety; those only having been allowed to disappear from our orchards, which were not worth perpetuating, and their places supplied by others infinitely superior.
It is now considerably upwards of half a century since this doctrine was first promulgated, and though the old, exhausted, and diseased trees of the Herefordshire orchards, of which Mr. Knight spoke, together with their diseased progeny—now that they have performed their part, and fulfilled the end of their existence—may ere this have passed away, we have the Golden Pippin still, in all the luxuriance of early youth, where it is found in a soil congenial to its growth; and exhibiting as little symptoms of decay as any of the varieties which Mr. Knight raised to supply the vacancy he expected it to create.
In the Brompton Park Nursery, where the same Golden Pippin has been cultivated for nearly two centuries, and continued from year to year by grafts taken from young trees in the nursery quarters, I never saw the least disposition to disease, canker, or decay of any kind; but, on the contrary, a free, vigorous, and healthy growth.
But this alarm of Mr. Knight for the safety of the Golden Pippin, and his fear of its extinction, were based upon no new doctrine, for we find Mortimer a hundred years before, equally lamenting the Kentish Pippin. After speaking of manures, &c., for the regeneration of fruit trees, he says, “I shall be glad if this account may put any upon the trial of raising that excellent fruit the Kentish Pippin, which else, I fear, will be lost. For I find in several orchards, both in Kent, Essex, and Hertfordshire, old trees of that sort, but I can find no young ones to prosper. A friend of mine tried a great many experiments in Hertfordshire, about raising them, and could never get them to thrive, though he had old trees in the same orchard that grew and bore very well. I likewise tried several experiments myself, and have had young trees thrive so well, as to make many shoots of a yard long in a year, but these young shoots were always blasted the next year, or cankered; which makes me think that the ancients had some particular way of raising them, that we have lost the knowledge of.” Although this was written a hundred and fifty years ago, we have the Kentish Pippin still, which though not so much cultivated, or so well known now as then, is nevertheless where it does exist as vigorous and healthy as ever it was.
149. GOLDEN REINETTE.—Hort.
- Identification.—[Hort. Soc. Cat.] ed. 3, n. 661. [Lind. Guide], 50. [Down. Fr. Amer.] 129. [Rog. Fr. Cult.] 101.
- Synonymes.—Aurore, [Hort. Soc. Cat.] ed. 1, 26. Dundee, Ibid. 289. Megginch Favorite, Ibid. 600. Princesse Noble, Ibid. 814. Reinette d’Aix, Ibid. 860. Reinette Gielen, Ibid. 888. Yellow German Reinette, acc. [Hort. Soc. Cat.] ed. 3. Elizabeth, Ibid. Englise Pippin, Ibid. Wygers, Ibid. Court-pendu dorée, [Hort. Soc. Cat.] ed. 1, 206. Kirke’s Golden Reinette, [Rog. Fr. Cult.] 102. Golden Renet. [Raii Hist.] ii. 1448. Golden Rennet, [Lang. Pom.] 134, t. lxxvi. f. 6. [Fors. Treat.] 103. Pomme Madame, [Knoop Pom.] 65, t. xi. Wyker Pipping, Ibid. 132.
- Figures.—[Pom. Mag.] t. 69. [Ron. Pyr. Mal.] pl. xii. f. 6.
Fruit, medium sized; roundish, and a little flattened. Skin, a fine deep yellow, which towards the sun is tinged with red, streaked with deeper and livelier red, and dotted all over with russety dots. Eye, large and open, with short dry segments, and set in a wide and even basin. Stalk, half-an-inch long, deeply inserted in a round and even cavity. Flesh, yellow, crisp, brisk, juicy, rich, and sugary.
A fine old dessert apple of first-rate quality; it is in use from November to April.
The tree is healthy, vigorous, and an abundant bearer. It requires a light and warm soil, and is well adapted for dwarf training when worked on the paradise stock. Large quantities of this fruit are grown in the counties round London for the supply of the different markets, where they always command a high price.