LITMIR.BIZ

      Fruit, small; oblate. Skin, thick, smooth, and shining, yellowish green in the shade, changing to pale yellow as it attains maturity; and deep glossy red, approaching to crimson, on the side next the sun. Eye, small, set in a rather deep and plaited basin. Stalk, short, and deeply inserted. Flesh, white, crisp, tender, sweet, very juicy, and slightly perfumed.

      A beautiful little dessert apple in use from October to April.

      It should be eaten with the skin on, as it is there that the perfume is contained. The skin is very sensitive of shade, and any device may be formed upon it, by causing pieces of paper, in the form of the design required, to adhere on the side exposed to the sun, before it has attained its deep red color.

      The tree is of a pyramidal habit of growth, healthy, and an abundant bearer. It succeeds well in almost any situation, provided the soil is rich, loamy, and not too light or dry; and may be grown with equal success either on the doucin, or crab stock. When worked on the French paradise it is well adapted for pot culture. The fruit is firmly attached to the spurs and forcibly resists the effects of high winds.

It has been asserted, that this apple was brought from Peloponessus to Rome, by Appius Claudius. Whether this be true or not, there can be no doubt it is of great antiquity, as all the oldest authors regard it as the production of an age prior to their own. Dalechamp and Harduin are of opinion that it is the Petisia of Pliny; but J. Baptista Porta considers it to be the Appiana of that author, who thus describes it, “Odor est his cotoneorum magnitudo quæ Claudianis, color rubens.”[I] From this description it is evident that two varieties are referred to, the Appiana and Claudiana. Such being the case, J. Baptista Porta says, “duo sunt apud nos mala, magnitudine, et colore paria, et preciosa, quorum unum odorem servat cotoneorum, alterum minimè. Quod odore caret, vulgo dictum Melo rosa. Id roseo colore perfusum est, mira teneritudine et sapore, minimè fugax, pomum magnitudine media, ut facile cum ceteris de principatu certet, nec indignum Claudii nomine. Hoc Claudianum dicerem.”[J] This Melo Rosa may possibly be the Pomme Rose or Gros Api; and if so, we may infer that the Api is the Appiana, and the Gros Api the Claudiana of Pliny. This, however, may be mere conjecture, but as the authority referred to, was a native of Naples, and may be supposed to know something of the traditionary associations of the Roman fruits, I have deemed it advisable to record his opinion on the subject. According to Merlet, the Api was first discovered

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