DOMINE.

Wells, | English Winter, | Striped E. J. Greening, Hogan, | Red Streak, of some, | Well Apple.

Origin, uncertain. Tree, strong, vigorous grower ; shoots, long, diverging ; early, good bearer, profitable, orchard sort. West ; succeeding finely in most soils. Fruit, medium to large, flat, greenish yellow, with stripes and splashes of bright red and large russet specks ; stem, long, slender, inclining to one side ; cavity, wide ; calyx, small ; basin, broad ; core, medium ; seeds, abundant, purplish brown ; flesh, white, tender, juicy ; "very good." November to April.

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

Domine.

Supposed to be a native of this country; origin unknown. Tree very thrifty, making long, stout, brown shoots, which branch from the ends, and form spurs along their sides, so that the tree has a straggling, open head, and bears its fruit crowded along the smaller branches. It is hardy, upright, vigorous and productive. Foliage large and long, with a peculiar curl or folding upwards, so as to show the underside of the leaves.

Fruit large, flat, regular, sometimes unequal; Surface yellowish-green, nearly covered with mixed red, and striped indistinctly with carmine, often vein-russeted; Dots scattered, yellow and gray, large.

Basin rather shallow, folded or plaited; Eye medium to small, closed.

Cavity wide, wavy, brown; Stem medium to long, slender at its insertion into the fruit, and easily separated from it, but holding firmly to the tree; hence care is needed in picking the fruit.

Core regular, somewhat open, scarcely meeting the eye;

Fig. 89.—DOMINE.

Axis often short; Seeds numerous, pointed, plump; Flesh light yellow, breaking, tender, juicy; flavor slightly sub-acid, rich; good, for table, kitchen, or market; Season December and January, keeping until spring in the North.

— John A. Warder, American Pomology: Apples (1867)

DOMINE. Wells. Striped R. I. Greening. English Beauty of Pa. Cheat. Cling Tight.

This Apple, extensively planted in the orchards on the Hudson and west, so much resembles the Rambo externally, that the two are often confounded together, and the outline of the latter fruit (see Rambo) may be taken as nearly a fac-simile of this. The Domine is, however, of a livelier color, and the flavor and season of the two fruits are very distinct, — the Rambo being rather a high-flavored early winter or autumn apple, while the Domine is a sprightly, juicy, long-keeping winter fruit.

Fruit of medium size, flat. Skin lively greenish yellow in the shade, with stripes and splashes of bright red in the sun, and pretty large russet specks. Stalk long and slender, planted in a wide cavity and inclining to one side. Calyx small, in a broad basin, moderately sunk. Flesh white, exceedingly tender and juicy, with a sprightly pleasant, though not high flavor. Young wood of a smooth, lively light brown, and the trees are very hardy, and the most rapid growers and prodigious early bearers that we know — the branches being literally weighed down by the rope-like clusters of fruit.

The Domine does not appear to be described by any foreign author. Coxe says that he received it from England, but the apple he describes and figures does not appear to be ours, and we have never met with it in any collection here. It is highly probable that this is a native fruit.

It is excellent from December till April.

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

Domine.* (Wells, of Ohio.) Rather large, roundish oblate; surface with narrow and distinct stripes of light red, on whitish yellow ground; dots or specks large, rough; stalk three-fourths of an inch long; cavity wide, deep, acute; basin deep, obtusely ribbed; flesh white, firm, mild sub-acid, spicy, fine flavored. Fig. 412. Shoots very long, vigorous, diverging, leaves drooping, coarsely serrate. Productive. Keeps through winter. Tender at the West. New York.

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

DOMINE.

REFERENCES. 1. Cat. Hort. Soc. London, 1831. 2. Downing, 1845:107. 3. Kirkland, Horticulturist, 2:545. 1847. 4. Thomas, 1849:165, 173. 5. Humrickhouse, Mag. Hort., 15:27. 1849. fig. 6. Phoenix, Horticulturist, 4:470. 1850. 7. Emmons, Nat. Hist. N. Y., 3:68. 1851. fig. 8. Hooper, 1857:96. 9. Elliott, 1858:130, 161. 10. Am. Pom. Soc. Cat., 1862. 11. Warder, 1867:430. fig. 12. Downing, 1872:147. fig. 13. Barry, 1883:345. 14. Lyon, Mich. Hort. Soc. Rpt., 1890:290. 15. Bailey, An. Hort., 1892:237. 16. Rural N. Y., 54:744. 1895. 17. Ill. Sta. Bul., 45:319. 1896. 18. Richman, Utah Sta. Bul., 45:16. 1896. 19. Waugh, Vt. Sta. An. Rpt., 14:292. 1901. 20. Budd-Hansen, 1903:70. fig. 21. Beach and Clark, N. Y. Sta. Bul., 248:117. 1904.

SYNONYMS. Cheat (12). Cling Tight (12). DOMINI (6). DOMINIE (4, 10, 16, 17, 18, 19). English Beauty of Pa. (12). English Rambo of some (12). English Red Streak (12, 13, 21). English Winter Red Streak of some (9). Hogan (9, 12). Holland Pippin, incorrectly (19). Ramboulrette (3). Striped R. I. Greening (9, 12). Well Apple (9). WELLS (4, 7, 8, 9). Wells (12, 21). WILLIAMSON (7).

A striped apple of the Rambo class which much resembles Rambo in appearance. While it does not rank as high in quality it is a much better keeper, its season extending till March; commercial limit, February. When well grown it is large and of good color, but too often the fruit sets so abundantly that it does not average much above medium size. In western New York, although in some seasons it is very productive, it is not as reliable a bearer as are some of the kinds which outrank it in the commercial orchards, and often the color is not well developed. It has been more extensively planted along the Hudson than in any other part of the state, but it is not now grown so much there as it was formerly. It is chiefly valued for dessert, being generally considered inferior for culinary uses, except possibly for baking.

It is evidently not identical with the Domine described by Coxe.¹

Historical. Origin uncertain. Supposed to be a native of this country (11, 12). Elliott states that it probably came originally from Maryland (9).

TREE.

Tree is vigorous to moderately vigorous, “with long, stout, spreading branches which are very liable to be broken by the heavy crops of fruit” (14). Form upright spreading “with a straggling, open head and bearing its fruit crowded along the smaller branches” (11). Twigs above medium to long, moderately stout; internodes long. Bark smooth, clear reddish-brown, sometimes with a slight undertone of yellowish-green uniformly overlaid with a thin scarf-skin, rather pubescent. Lenticels rather inconspicuous, raised, moderately numerous, above medium, generally roundish. Buds above medium, roundish to acute, free or nearly so, quite pubescent. Leaves long, drooping and characteristically twisted.

FRUIT.

Fruit usually about medium in size, sometimes large or very large. Form usually oblate, sometimes inclined to oblong and distinctly flattened at the base, sides often somewhat unequal, ribbed. Stem medium to long, slender at the base. Cavity obtuse, wide, deep, often distinctly furrowed, usually with outspreading brown russet rays. Calyx below medium to large, closed or slightly open; lobes long, acute. Basin pubescent, rather shallow to moderately deep, wide or compressed, abrupt, usually distinctly furrowed.

Skin thick, tough, smooth, bright, whitish-yellow or green mottled and splashed with deep pinkish-red, striped with bright carmine and overlaid with thin whitish bloom. Dots pale or yellow, numerous toward the basin, but toward the cavity they are scattering, large, often irregular and with russet center.

Calyx tube funnel-shape with a wide limb and short truncate cylinder. Stamens median to marginal.

Core small, somewhat abaxile; cells usually symmetrical, closed or partly open; core lines nearly meeting or clasping. Carpels broadly elliptical, slightly emarginate. Seeds numerous, large, plump, moderately narrow, long, acute, dark.

Flesh whitish or tinged with light yellow, very firm, breaking, somewhat coarse, tender, juicy, mild subacid with a peculiar aromatic flavor, good to very good.

Season November to March.

¹Fruit Trees, 1817:115.

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

Domine. — Origin, New York; closely resembles Rambo externally, but the latter is a choice early winter or autumn variety while Domine is a sprightly, juicy, long-keeping, winter fruit. Tree upright, vigorous, very productive and an early bearer.

Fruit rather large, regular, oblate, surface greenish yellow in shade, mostly covered with splashed and striped bright red in sun, overlaid with whitish; dots distinct, many, very large, some scattered irregular russet specks with light bases; cavity regular, very wide and deep, with large stellate russet patch; stem medium, rather slender, curved; basin wide, medium deep, slightly ribbed; calyx closed; segments connivent. Core open, barely clasping; axis short; cells ovate, entire; tube conical; stamens marginal; seeds many, long-pointed, plump; flesh whitish, very tender, juicy, pleasant, rich sprightly subacid, very good. December to April.

— J.L. Budd & N.E. Hansen, American Horticultural Manual, Part II: Systematic Pomology (1914)

Dominie is a medium-sized, roundish oblate fruit with green and red skin. Quality is very good. Use is both kitchen and market. Season is winter. Reported by 2 stations in the Northern Division, 14 stations in the Central Division, and 1 station in the Southern Division; the asterisk on each division figure indicates the variety is reported in more than one division.

— Granville Lowther (ed.), Encyclopedia of Practical Horticulture (1914)

DOMINO. Culinary, September to October, medium, 2½ by 2¼, oblong, rounded, irregular. Colour, pale yellowish green with occasional faint flush. Flesh, yellowish-white, crisp, acid. Eye, closed in a moderately deep broad ribbed basin. Stem, short in a narrow fairly deep cavity. Growth, upright, compact and twiggy; very fertile. Leaf, pale, long oval, shallow serrate, flat, twisted, falls early. Origin, unrecorded; much grown around London; probably from the Midland Counties. A useful fruit of the Codlin type.

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

DOMINE. English Red Streak. Domine is one of the choicely good apples rapidly passing from cultivation, but still to be found in many old orchards. The apple is commonplace in color and size, but the quality is good, its juiciness and sprightliness making it one of the most refreshing of fruits, while, at the same time, it is rich in flavor. The tree, unfortunately, is not very productive, and its branches break easily when heavy crops do set. The origin of Domine is uncertain, but it has been grown in America at least since 1820, its culture being confined for the most part to the Middle Atlantic states.

Tree vigorous, upright-spreading, with long, spreading branches. Leaves long, drooping and characteristically twisted. Fruit medium, sometimes large, oblate, sometimes oblong and distinctly flattened at the base, sides often unequal, ribbed; stem medium to long, slender; cavity obtuse, wide, deep, often furrowed, usually with outspreading brown-russet rays; calyx closed or open; lobes long, acute; basin pubescent, shallow to deep, wide or compressed, abrupt, usually furrowed; skin thick, tough, smooth, bright, yellow or green mottled and splashed with deep pinkish-red, striped with bright carmine and overlaid with thin bloom; dots pale, numerous toward the basin, toward the cavity scattering, large, irregular and with russet center; calyx-tube funnel-shape with a wide limb and short truncate cylinder; stamens median; core small, abaxile; cells symmetrical, closed or partly open; core-lines meeting or clasping; carpels broadly elliptical, emarginate; seeds numerous, large, plump, narrow, long, acute, dark; flesh yellow, firm, breaking, coarse, tender, juicy, mild subacid with a peculiar aromatic flavor; good to very good; November to March.

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

DOMINIE. (Large and handsome; good flavour, good keeping; valuable for market, in many places a good regular stowing productive variety for sale, in many places a good grower). Jan. & Apl.

— James Veitch & Sons, Veitch's Fruit Trees (1911) (1911)