Pomme Grise

Pomme Grise.

Supposed to be of French or Canadian origin. Tree sufficiently vigorous, productive ; shoots slender. Fruit small, roundish-oblate, regular ; Surface even but hardly smooth, yellow, overspread with fine russet, rarely blushed. Basin wide, regular, sometimes abrupt ; Eye very small, closed. Cavity wide, regular ; Stem short or medium. Core full heart-shaped, regular, closed, scarcely meeting the eye ; Seeds plump, angular ; Flesh firm, yellow,

Fig. 119.—POMME GRISE.

breaking, fine grained, juicy ; Flavor sub-acid, rich, aromatic, delicious ; Quality best, for dessert ; Season, January to March ; One of the very best of the Russets.

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

POMME GRISE. Pomme de Cuix. Grise. Gray Apple. Leather Apple of Turio. A small gray Apple, from Canada, probably of Swiss or French origin, and undoubtedly one of the finest dessert Apples for a northern climate. It is not a strong grower, but is a good early bearer, and has an excellent flavor. Young wood reddish brown. Fruit below medium size, oblate roundish. Skin greenish gray or cinnamon russet, with a little red towards the sun. Calyx small, set in a round basin. Flesh tender, rich, and high-flavored. Very good to best. December to February. There is an Apple under name of Pomme Gris d'Or which is claimed as of more upright growth. The fruit more oblong and quite distinct. We have been unable to so decide.

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

POMME GRISE.

REFERENCES.

1. Forsyth, 1803:53. 2. Ronalds, 1831:32. 3. Manning, Mag. Hort., 7:51. 1841. 4. Cat. Hort. Soc. London, 1842. 5. Downing, 1845:124. 6. Thomas, 1849:184. 7. Cole, 1849:129. 8. Hovey, Mag. Hort., 17:17. 1851. fig. 9. Emmons, Nat. Hist. N. Y., 3:94. 1851. fig., col. pl. No. 77. 10. Elliott, 1854:99. 11. Hooper, 1857:70. 12. Downing, 1857:180. 13. Am. Pom. Soc. Cat., 1862. 14. Warder, 1867:469. fig. 15. (?)Leroy, 1873:684. figs. 16. Barry, 1883:352. 17. Hogg, 1884:179. 18. Lyon, Mich. Hort. Soc. Rpt., 1890:296. 19. Bailey, An. Hort., 1892:246. 20. Dempsey, Ont. Fr. Stas. An. Rpt., 2:34. 1895. 21. Budd-Hansen, 1903:152. fig. 22. Beach and Clark, N. Y. Sta. Bul., 248:138. 1904.

SYNONYMS. (Bec de Lievre, 15)? (Belle Fille, 15)? (De Cuir, 15)? French Russet (22). Gray Apple (5, 6, 10, 12, 21). Grise (5, 8, 10, 12). Leather Apple of Turic (12). (Leder, 15)? (De Maroquin, 15)? (De Peau, 15)? Pomme de Cuir (12). POMME GREE (1). POMME GRIS (3, 9, 13, 18, 19, 20, 21). (Prager Reinette Franche de Grandville, 15)? (Reinette de Darnetal, 15)? (REINETTE GRISE, 15)? (Reinette Grise de Darnetal, 15)? (Reinette Grise Double, 15)? (Reinette Grise extra, 15)? (Reinette Grise Francaise, 15)? (Reinette Grise de Grandville, 15)? (Reinette Grise d'Hiver, 15)? (Reinette toute Grise, 15)?

A little russet apple valued only because of its excellent dessert quality. Its keeping quality varies much in different seasons. In cold storage its season extends from December to February or March, and in ordinary storage, from the middle of October to January or possibly February. After midwinter it is apt to deteriorate in quality, although it may remain apparently in good condition till March or April. It has the reputation of developing particularly fine flavor when grown in the St. Lawrence valley. In New York it is seldom produced profitably in large quantities for the general market, not being attractive enough in size and color to command remunerative prices, but it is sometimes grown successfully to a limited extent for local or special trade. It is recommended for home use because of its juiciness and fine dessert quality. The tree is hardy, healthy and moderately long-lived. In favorable locations it is a pretty good bearer, the fruit hangs well to the tree and is fairly uniform in size and appearance.

The Swazie is an apple of the Pomme Grise type. It is described on a subsequent page.

Historical. The Pomme Grise or fruit of this type has long been known in cultivation among the French in the vicinity of Montreal and in other portions of the St. Lawrence valley. According to Forsyth (17) it was introduced into England from Canada. Possibly it is identical with the Reinette Grise of Leroy (15) but we have not had the opportunity of determining this point definitely. If it is in fact the Reinette Grise it has been cultivated in Europe for more than 250 years.

TREE.

Tree moderately vigorous. Form dense, roundish or spreading. Twigs short, straight, rather slender with large terminal buds; internodes short to medium. Bark clear reddish-brown mingled with olive-green lightly streaked with gray scarf-skin, pubescent. Lenticels clear in color, quite numerous, medium to small, generally elongated, slightly raised. Buds rather prominent, medium in size, broad, plump, obtuse to acute, free, pubescent.

FRUIT.

Fruit below medium to small, fairly uniform in size and shape. Form oblate varying to roundish, sometimes inclined to conic, slightly ribbed, pretty symmetrical. Stem usually slender, much pubescent, often bracted and streaked with reddish-brown. Cavity pretty large, obtuse, deep, usually rather wide, often compressed or gently furrowed. Calyx small to medium, usually closed; lobes long, narrow, acuminate, pubescent. Basin variable, pubescent, often somewhat saucer-shaped, narrow to rather wide, moderately shallow, obtuse to moderately abrupt, furrowed.

Skin moderately thick, rather tough, deep yellow or greenish partly or entirely covered with russet. In highly colored specimens the cheek is often partly smooth and yellowish-brown mottled and striped with bright dark red. Dots gray or whitish, scattering and usually inconspicuous.

Calyx tube cone-shape. Stamens basal or nearly so.

Core medium in size, slightly abaxile; cells symmetrical, usually closed or partly so; core lines clasping. Carpels roundish, narrowing toward the apex, slightly emarginate, mucronate, smooth or slightly tufted. Seeds medium in size, plump, irregular, moderately obtuse, slightly tufted.

Flesh yellowish, firm, crisp, moderately fine-grained, juicy, rich, subacid, aromatic, very good to best.

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

Pomme Grise. S. rob. gy. B. b. A. N.Div. 16*. C.Div. 16*.

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

POMME GRISE. Grise. | Gray Apple.

A delicious little apple from Canada, that is especially adapted to Northern and Southwestern sections, and only to gardens. It is a good bearer, of slender growth, forming a tree of small size. Fruit, below medium; form, roundish, somewhat flattened; color, yellow, gray, or russet, with a little red towards the eye; stem, slender; cavity, deep; calyx, small; basin, round: flesh, yellow, tender, sprightly; core, medium; seeds, abundant. December to February.

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