A very handsome and most desirable apple, being of first-rate quality, either as a dessert or culinary fruit; it is in use from the end of October to the beginning of January.
This variety seems to be comparatively little known; but it is well deserving the notice either of the fruit gardener, or the orchardist; to the latter particularly so, as its size, fine appearance, and handsome shape make it attractive at market; and its solid and weighty flesh give it an advantage over many apples of its size.
170. HAUTE BONTÉ.—Duh.
- Identification.—[Duh. Arb. Fruit.] i. 315. [Quint. Inst.] i. 203. [Hort. Soc. Cat.] ed. 3, n. 323.
- Synonymes.—Reinette grise, haute bonté, [Bon Jard.] 1843, 514. Blandilalie, in Poitou, acc. Quint.
- Figures.—[Nois. Jard. Fr.] ed. 2, pl. 106. [Duh. Arb. Fruit.] i. pl. xii. f. 1.
Fruit, medium sized; roundish, somewhat ribbed on the sides, and flattened at both ends; broadest at the base, and narrowing towards the apex, which is terminated by prominent ridges. Skin, smooth and shining, green at first, but changing to yellow as it ripens, and with a faint tinge of red on the side exposed to the sun. Eye, half open, with long acuminate segments, set in a deep and angular basin. Stalk, half-an-inch long, inserted in a deep and irregular cavity. Flesh, greenish-white, tender, juicy, sugary, rich, brisk, and aromatic.
An excellent dessert apple of first-rate quality when grown to perfection; it is in use from January to May.
This is a variety of the Reinette Grise, and a very old French apple.