Ménagère

Menagere.

We received this fruit from Mr. Manning, who, we believe, had it from Germany ; it is only fit for cooking.

Fruit very large, regularly formed, but very much flattened, pale yellow, with sometimes a little red in the sun. Flesh tolerably juicy, Good. September to January.

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

MÉNAGÈRE.

References. 1. Manning, 1838:56. 2. Manning, Mag. Hort., 7:46. 1841. 3. Downing, 1845:117. 4. Thomas, 1849:157. 5. Elliott, 1854:174. 6. Hooper, 1857:597. 7. Warder, 1867:726. 8. Downing, 1869:273. 9. Leroy, 1873:435. 10. Barry, 1883:340. 11. Hogg, 1884:146. 12. Bunyard, Jour. Roy. Hort. Soc., 1898:356. 13. Van Deman, Rural N. Y., 58:278. 1899. 14. Beach and Clark, N. Y. Sta. Bul., 248:132. 1904. 15. Ragan, U. S. B. P. I. Bul., 56:196. 1905.

Synonyms. Capp Mammoth (13). Combermere Apple (11). Dame de Menage (9). Femme de Menage (9). Flanders Pippin (11). Gros Rambour d'Hiver (9). Haus Mutterchen (9). Livre (9). Menage (15). Menagere (9). Menagerie (5, 15). Mere de Menage (8, 11, 12). Mere de Menage (9, 15). Pfund (9). Teller (9).

A very large apple suitable only for exhibition purposes. It is undesirable either for dessert or culinary use, being coarse-grained and only fair in quality. The tree is slow about coming into bearing, usually bears some fruit every year but is unproductive and the fruit drops badly.

Historical. This is an old German variety which is known in England under the name Mere de Menage (9, 11, 12). The name Menagere is recognized by certain English and French pomologists only as a synonym, but the variety has been described by so many American writers under this name that it is now best to recognize it as the American name, particularly since German, French and English pomologists are not agreed upon any one name for the variety. It is but little grown in this country.

Tree. Tree a moderate grower. Form upright. Twigs very short to below medium in length, very slender to medium in thickness, sometimes somewhat bowed and geniculate; internodes long or in the more slender limbs very long. Bark dull brownish-red with an undertone of olive-green in some specimens, uniformly overlaid with a thick scarf-skin, slightly pubescent. Lenticels inconspicuous, only moderately numerous, medium, the larger ones roundish elliptical, the smaller, narrow. Buds medium in size, moderately projecting, rather fleshy, acute, not pubescent, slightly adhering to bark or free.

Fruit. Fruit large to very large. Form oblate to oblate conic, pretty regular or somewhat ribbed; sides often unequal. Stem very short. Cavity acute, shallow to rather deep, moderately broad and marked with outspreading patches and flecks of russet. Calyx medium, closed or partly open; lobes long and reflexed. Basin somewhat abrupt, rather narrow, moderately deep, often irregular. Skin pale yellow with faint blush on the exposed side. Dots scattering, light brown. Calyx tube rather narrow, funnel-form, extending to the core. Stamens basal. Core small, axile; cells symmetrical, closed; core lines clasping the funnel cylinder. Flesh white, coarse-grained, moderately juicy, subacid, fair in flavor and quality. Season October to January; under favorable conditions some portion of the fruit may be kept till spring.

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

Menagere. Menagerie. Foreign. Large, flat, pale yellow. September to January.

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

Menagere. Very large, flat, pale yellow—cooking. German.

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