BEDFORDSHIRE FOUNDLING.

Foreign. Large, roundish, green; flesh, yellowish, acid. November, December.

— F.R. Elliott, The Western Fruit Book (1865)

3. BEDFORDSHIRE FOUNDLING. [Syn: Cambridge Pippin.]

The details of the origin of this apple are unknown. Its name gives the locality of its production; and the extent of its cultivation and age of many of the trees, lead to the inference that it is as old as the century. It is well figured by Ronalds, Pl. xxvii.

Description.—Fruit: large, three inches and a quarter wide, and three inches and a half high; roundish ovate, inclining to oblong, with irregular and prominent angles on the sides, which extend to the apex and form ridges round the eye. Skin: dark green at first, changing as it attains maturity to a pale greenish yellow on the shaded side, but tinged with orange on the side next the sun, and strewed with a few fawn-coloured dots. Eye: open, set in a deep, narrow angular basin. Stalk: short, inserted in a deep cavity. Flesh: yellowish, tender, pleasantly subacid, and with a somewhat sugary flavour.

An excellent apple of first rate quality; in season from November to March. The tree is vigorous in growth and bears freely. It is a general favourite, and is grown extensively not only in the United Kingdom, but on the Continent, where it takes an honoured place at all Fruit Exhibitions.

— Woolhope Naturalists Field Club, The Herefordshire Pomona (1885)

Bedfordshire Foundling. Cambridge Pippin. A large green English Apple, excellent for kitchen use. Fruit large, roundish, obscurely ribbed, deep green, paler at maturity. Flesh yellowish, tender, juicy, with a pleasant, acid flavor. Good. October to February.

— A.J. Downing, The Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900)

Bedfordshire Foundling. Large, roundish, green; pleasant, acid—cooking. Autumn and winter. English.

— John J. Thomas, The American Fruit Culturist (1903)

SHIRLEY.

REFERENCES. 1. N. Y. Sta. An. Rpt., 11:223. 1892. 2. Bailey, An. Hort., 1892:249. 3. Ragan, U. S. B. P. I. Bul., 56:282. 1905.

This is a bright-colored apple of the Ben Davis type. As grown at this Station it appears to be less valuable than Ben Davis being decidedly inferior to that variety in size and no better in quality. It is in season about with Ben Davis.

Historical. This variety has been propagated by some nurserymen in Texas. In 1892 it was received for testing here from T. V. Munson, Denison, Texas. So far as we know it has not been disseminated among New York fruit growers.

TREE.

Tree moderately vigorous; branches long, slender, curved. Form upright spreading varying to roundish, open. Twigs short, straight, slender, with large terminal buds; internodes short to below medium. Bark clear reddish-brown, lightly streaked with scarf-skin, slightly pubescent. Lenticels scattering, small to very small, round or elongated, not raised. Buds deeply set in bark, small, broad, obtuse, appressed, slightly pubescent.

FRUIT.

Fruit medium to rather small. Form roundish inclined to conic, sometimes oblate, usually symmetrical. Stem medium to rather long and slender. Cavity rather large, obtuse to acute, deep, wide, usually symmetrical, sometimes indistinctly furrowed, the lower part often russeted but the russet seldom extending beyond the cavity. Calyx small to medium, somewhat open or sometimes closed. Basin small to medium, abrupt, moderately shallow to moderately deep, rather narrow to moderately wide, usually smooth and symmetrical. Skin thick, tough, smooth, waxy, glossy, yellow blushed and mottled with bright deep red, marked rather indistinctly with narrow stripes and splashes of purplish-carmine and overspread with a thin bloom which gives it a slightly dull appearance but when polished the fruit has a bright red color. Dots inconspicuous, small, pale, sometimes brown. Prevailing effect deep red. Calyx tube large, deep, urn-shape varying to elongated cone-shape or funnel-form. Stamens median to marginal. Core distant, medium or above, abaxile, with hollow cylinder in the axis; cells symmetrical, closed; core lines decidedly clasping. Carpels broadly roundish or approaching roundish obcordate, somewhat emarginate, usually smooth. Seeds somewhat variable, usually large, long, wide, obtuse, somewhat tufted, rather dark brown. Flesh whitish or tinged with green, firm, not tender, crisp, moderately fine, juicy, sprightly, mild subacid, fair to good. Season December to May.

— S.A. Beach, The Apples of New York, Vol. 1 (1905)

BEDFORDSHIRE FOUNDLING.

Ronalds, p. 28. F., Trouvé dans le comté de Bedfordshire ; G., Fundling aus Bedfordshire. (Cambridge Pippin.)

Culinary, January to March, 3½ by 2¾, large, square oval, slightly irregular. Colour, pale yellow-green, faint red flush. Flesh, tender, yellow, sub-acid. Eye, half open in a shallow wrinkled basin. Stem, rather long and thin in a wide and deep cavity, lined with faint russet. Growth, spreading, vigorous ; moderately fertile. Leaf very large, dark, long oval, upward folded and twisted, sharply bi-serrate. Origin, uncertain. Probably arose about 1800, in Bedfordshire. An excellent cooker of the Blenheim style, but apt to canker.

— E.A. Bunyard, A Handbook of Hardy Fruits (1920)