BORSDORFFER.

Borsdorff, King George the Third, | Queens.

Foreign. Medium, roundish oval, pale yellow, with red check; flesh, yellowish white, crisp, sub-acid. November, December.

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

5. BORSDORFFER.

[Syn.: Borstorff Hâtive; Queens Apple; Red Borsdorffer; Borsdorff; Postophe d'Hiver; Pomme de prochain; Reinette d'Allemagne; Blanche de Leipsic; Reinette de Misnie; Grand Bohemian Borsdorffer; Garret Pippin; King; King George; King George the Third]

This apple, above all others, is the most highly esteemed in Germany. Diel calls it the "Pride of the Germans." It is believed to have originated either at a village of Misnia, called Borsdorf, or at a place of the same name near Leipsic. According to Forsyth, it was such a favourite with Queen Charlotte, that she had a considerable quantity of them imported from Germany for her own private use.

It is one of the earliest recorded varieties of the Continental authors. It is mentioned by Cordus in 1561, as being cultivated in Misnia. He also informs us it is highly esteemed for its sweet and generous flavour, and for the pleasant perfume which it exhales. Wittichius, in his "Methodus Simplicium," attributes to it the power of dispelling epidemic fevers and madness! It does not seem to have been known in this country before the close of the last century. It was first grown in the Brompton Park Nursery in 1785.

Description.—Fruit; below the medium size, roundish oblate, rather narrower at the apex than the base, handsomely and regularly formed, without ribs or other inequalities. Skin; shining, pale waxen yellow in the shade, and bright red next the sun; it is strewed with dots which are yellowish on the sunny side and brownish in the shade, and marked with veins and slight traces of delicate, yellowish gray russet. Eye; large and open, with long reflexed segments, placed in a rather deep, round, and pretty even basin. Stalk; short and slender, inserted in a narrow, even, and shallow cavity, which is lined with thin russet. Flesh; white with a yellowish tinge, crisp, and delicate, brisk, juicy, and sugary; and with a rich, vinous, and aromatic flavour.

The Borsdorffer is a dessert apple of the first quality; in season from November to January.

The tree is a free grower and very hardy, not subject to canker and attains the largest size. The bloom is also very hardy, and withstands the night frosts of spring better than most other varieties. It is very prolific. If grafted on the paradise stock it may be grown as an open dwarf, or an espalier. This variety in Herefordshire has not got beyond the garden of the amateur.

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

BORSDORFFER.

Bursdorff. King George the Third. Queen's. Reinette Bâtarde. Edler Winter Borsdorffer. Bursdorffer. Garret Pippin. King. Le Grand Bohemian Borsdorffer. Reinette de Misnie.

A small celebrated German Apple.

Fruit roundish oval, narrowing at the eye. Skin pale yellow, with a full red cheek, sprinkled with a little russet. Flesh yellowish white very firm and crisp, with a rich, brisk, perfumed flavor. November to February.

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

Borsdorf—Origin, Germany; trees received from Russia—Fruit medium or above, roundish, truncated, unequal; surface light green, sparsely striped and splashed red, with mixed red on sunny side; dots minute, white; cavity acuminate, usually with shallow green furrows extending out from the stem; stem short, thick; basin narrow, shallow, regular, usually with faint wrinkles; calyx closed. Core wide open; seeds numerous, 13 to 19; flesh white, juicy, fine grained, tender, mild, pleasant subacid, good to very good. Use table. Winter.

— N.E. Hansen, A Study of Northwestern Apples (1902)

Borsdorff. Small, roundish-oval, yellow with a red cheek; flesh firm, crisp, rich, brisk, perfumed. Early winter. German.

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

BORSDORF.

REFERENCES, 1. Ronalds, 1831:26. 2. Cat. Hort. Soc. London, 1831. 3. Kenrick, 1833:72. 4. Downing, 1845:99. 5. Thomas, 1849:178. 6. Emmons, Nat. Hist. N. Y., 3:72. 1851. 7. Elliott, 1858:167. 8. Berghuis, 1868: col. pl. No. 73. 9. Downing, 1872:103. 10. Leroy, 1873:150. 11. Montreal Hort. Soc., 7:156. 1881. 12. Hogg, 1884:26. 13. Hoskins, U. S. Pom. Rpt., 1886:279. 14. Hoskins, Garden and Forest, 3:516. 1890. 15. Budd, Ia. Sta. Bul., 19:541. 1892. 16. Bailey, An. Hort., 1892:235. 17. Bredsted, 1893:301. 18. Ill. Sta. Bul., 45:315. 1896. 19. Munson, Me. Sta. An. Rpt., 12:73. 1896. 20. Can. Hort., 20:412. 1897. 21. Eneroth-Smirnoff, 1901:173. 22. Munson, Me. Sta. An. Rpt., 18:83, 86. 1902 (also Bul. 82). 23. Powell and Fulton, U. S. B. P. I. Bul., 48:38. 1903. 24. Beach and Clark, N. Y. Sta. Bul., 248:113. 1904.

SYNONYMS. BORSDORF (6). BORSDORFER (3, 8, 14, 21). BORSDORFER (12). Borsdorff (7). BORSDORFF (5). BORSDORFFER (2). BORSDORFFER (1, 6, 7, 18). Borsdorffer (5). EDELBORSDORFER (8). King George the Third (7). KING GEORGE THE THIRD (1). Queen's (7).

A German variety, which is valued in many parts of Europe as a dessert fruit of first quality. The tree is very hardy and very productive. Although it was introduced into this country many years ago, it has not won recognition either in the home orchards or in commercial orchards. It is not recommended for planting in New York state because it is less desirable here than other wellknown varieties.

Historical. Hogg states (12) that, "It is believed to have originated either at a village of Misnia, called Borsdorf or at a place of the same name near Leipsic. According to Forsyth it was such a favorite with Queen Charlotte that she had a considerable quantity of them annually imported from Germany for her own private use. It is one of the earliest recorded varieties of the continental authors, but does not seem to have been known in this country before the close of the last century. It was first grown in the Brompton Park Nursery in 1785. It is mentioned by Cordus, in 1561, as being cultivated in Misnia, which circumstance has no doubt given rise to the synonym 'Reinette de Misnie.' "

TREE. Tree moderately vigorous; branches long, rather slender, with numerous small laterals. Form roundish, dense. Twigs short, straight, slender; internodes short. Bark dull reddish-brown, quite pubescent. Lenticels inconspicuous, scattering, very small, oblong. Buds small, narrow, acute, free, quite pubescent. Leaves medium in size, rather broad.

FRUIT. Fruit below medium to small. Form oblate, somewhat ribbed, sides slightly unequal, pretty uniform in size and shape. Stem long to very long, slender, often inclined obliquely. Cavity moderately shallow to rather deep, wide, obtuse, often a little furrowed and somewhat russeted. Calyx rather large, usually partly open. Basin usually rather shallow, wide, and obtuse, somewhat ridged and slightly wrinkled. Skin yellow, partly washed with rather dull light scarlet and often marked with streaks of russet and inconspicuous capillary netted russet lines. Dots scattering, often large and irregular, gray or russet. Calyx tube short, wide, cone-shape or urn-shape, with a fleshy projection of the pistil into its base. Stamens marginal to median. Core medium to rather small, axile, closed or nearly so; core lines meeting. Carpels broad, narrowing sharply towards the apex, nearly truncate at base, slightly emarginate. Seeds numerous, medium to small, plump, acute, compactly filling the cells. Flesh whitish, tinged slightly with yellow, rather coarse, moderately crisp, rather tender, moderately juicy, mild subacid, becoming nearly sweet, aromatic. Season November to February.

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

BORSDORFER. Her. Pom., 3. F., Borsdorfer ; G., Edelborsdorfer. (King George III., Queen Charlotte's Apple, etc., etc.) Dessert, December to February, small, 2 by 1¾, round-square, regular. Colour, milky yellow with dull red flush, slight russet veins. Flesh, firm, juicy, pale yellow, poor flavour. Eye, usually open in a shallow wide basin. Stem, slender, in a moderately deep cavity, slightly russeted. Growth, compact ; fertile. Leaf, rather small, oval, held out flat, curved serrate. Origin, German, where it has been cultivated since the sixteenth century. Imported into England for Queen Charlotte, wife of George III. Recorded by Cordus in 1561. A worthless fruit in this country, except in very warm seasons.

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

BORSDORF. Borsdorfer. Borsdorf is considered a first-class dessert apple in Europe, but in America falls far short of this rank. The tree, however, is very hardy and productive, and because of these characters the variety may well be planted in northern regions. It was introduced into America from Germany, probably about 1830. It is a very old sort, and some believe it to be the apple mentioned by Cordus in 1561. Tree moderately vigorous, round, dense; branches long, slender, with numerous small laterals. Leaves broad. Fruit medium to small, oblate, somewhat ribbed, sides unequal, uniform in size and shape; stem long, slender, often inclined obliquely; cavity shallow to deep, wide, obtuse, often furrowed and russeted; calyx large, partly open; basin shallow, wide and obtuse, ridged and wrinkled; skin yellow, partly washed with dull light scarlet and often marked with streaks of russet and inconspicuous capillary-netted russet lines; dots scattering, large and irregular, gray or russet; calyx-tube short, wide, cone-shape, with a fleshy projection of the pistil into its base; stamens marginal; core small, axile, closed; core-lines meeting; carpels broad, narrowing sharply towards the apex, truncate at base, emarginate; seeds numerous, small, plump, acute, compactly filling the cells; flesh yellow, coarse, crisp, tender, juicy, mild, subacid, aromatic; fair to good; November to February.

— U.P. Hedrick, Cyclopedia of Hardy Fruits (1922)

Planted Spring 1894. Tree a vigorous grower. Fruit above medium size, oblong, conical. Skin yellow, with faint streaks of red. Flesh white, crisp, moderately juicy, sprightly, quality good. Season September.

— Central Experimental Farm, Central Experimental Farm, Agassiz BC — Catalogue of Fruit Trees under Test (Bulletin No. 3, 1900) (1900)