Cider Lady's Finger
Apple
CIDER LADY'S FINGER
Origin / History
The origin of this variety does not seem to be known, but from the age of the trees it was probably produced at the end of the last [18th], or the beginning of the present [19th] century. The tree is rising in favour and is much grown in the orchards of the valley of the river Frome, becoming widely distributed through Herefordshire.
Tree
Hardy, grows well, and bears profusely.
Fruit
Size and Form Medium sized, two and a half inches long by one inch and a half wide. Oblong, even but not always regular in its outline, with a waist near the top.
Skin Quite smooth. Dull orange, or yellow on the shaded side, with a few broken stripes of red. Washed with thin red which is streaked with darker and brighter red on the side next the sun. Surface strewed with russet specks.
Stalk Very slender, short, inserted in a shallow cavity or merely in a slight depression, surrounded with russet.
Cavity Shallow, or merely a slight depression.
Eye (Calyx) Small and prominently set. Open, with very short divergent segments, and surrounded with a few prominent plaits or little knobs. Tube funnel-shaped. Stamens marginal.
Flesh and Flavor Flesh yellowish, rather dry. Juice of a fine rich colour, with a sweet subacid and astringent flavour.
Core Cells of the core open.
Season
Ripens a little too early for the best class of cider.
Uses
Valuable addition to the orchard. Easy to manage and makes a very good cider. The cider is rich, strong, and brisk, often good enough to bottle—but too often apt to lose much of its richness in the hot weather of early autumn, from the difficulty of arresting the fermentation.
Other
With's Chemical Analysis (Season 1878)
| Measurement | Value |
|---|---|
| Density of fresh juice | 1·041 |
| Density after 24 hours | 1·045 |
Compositional Analysis (per 100 parts by weight of juice)
| Component | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Sugar | 13·242% |
| Tannin, Mucilage, Salts, &c. | 1·412% |
| Water | 85·346% |
Book Sources
Described in 1 period pomological work
View original book sources (1)
— Woolhope Naturalists Field Club, The Herefordshire Pomona (1885)PLATE XXIX.
- CIDER LADY'S FINGER.
The origin of this variety does not seem to be known, but from the age of the trees it was probably produced at the end of the last, or the beginning of the present century.
Description.—Fruit : medium sized, two and a half inches long by one inch and a half wide, oblong, even but not always regular in its outline, with a waist near the top. Skin : quite smooth, dull orange, or yellow on the shaded side, with a few broken stripes of red ; washed with thin red which is streaked with darker and brighter red, on the side next the sun ; the surface strewed with russet specks. Eye : small and prominently set ; open, with very short divergent segments, and surrounded with a few prominent plaits or little knobs ; tube, funnel shaped ; stamens, marginal. Stalk : very slender, short, inserted in a shallow cavity or merely in a slight depression, surrounded with russet. Flesh : yellowish, rather dry ; juice of a fine rich colour, with a sweet subacid and astringent flavour. Cells of the core, open.
Mr. With's analysis of the Cider Lady's Finger (season 1878), is as follows :—
Density of fresh juice ... ... ... ... 1·041 Ditto after 24 hours ... ... ... ... 1·045
One hundred parts by weight of the juice contain :—
Sugar ... ... ... ... ... 13·242 Tannin, Mucilage, Salts, &c. ... ... ... 1·412 Water ... ... ... ... ... 85·346
This Apple is a valuable addition to the orchard. It ripens a little too early for the best class of cider ; but it is easy to manage and makes a very good cider. It is rich, strong, and brisk, often good enough to bottle—but too often it is apt to lose much of its richness in the hot weather of early autumn, from the difficulty of arresting the fermentation. This analysis fully bears out the esteem in which it is held.
The tree is hardy, grows well and bears profusely. It is rising in favour, and deservedly so. It is much grown in the orchards of the valley of the river Frome, and is becoming widely distributed through Herefordshire.