The Best Apples
We are all interested in the apple, the best of all fruits for general use. Much has been discovered recently about its little ways, especially with regard to congenial neighbours, for most apples; as most pears, bear better if fertilised from other varieties in their close neighbourhood. In regard to Cox's Orange, it is usual to associate the trees with James Grieve, or Worcester Pearmain or Egremont's Russet (an admirable apple). A number of correspondents ask for further detail about " triploids " and "diploids," words which have reference to the number of chromosomes ; but the rough and ready and apparent facts are enough for most of us. The triploids—not nearly so numerous as the diploids— contain some of the very best of our apples and are, as a rule, very lusty growers. They include Bramley's Seedling—by far the most popular cooker—Blenheim Orange, one of the best of the bunch, in whatever state eaten, Warner's King, Baldwin (very popular in America), and Ribston Pippin, parent of Cox's Orange. The one charge made against the triploids is that they are bad pollinators, whether for themselves or their companions. So it comes to be a rough rule in planting to give any triploid two diploid neighbours, since the triploid is apt to be more or less useless to its neighbours and the diploids as well as the triploids bear the better for a good neighbour. An apple that begins to be reckoned among the very select is Ellison's Orange, a seedling from Cox. Its flavour is quite its own, strangely aromatic, tasting like its smelL Very much the same may be said of another newish seedling from Cox, Laxton's Superb.
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