LORD WOLSELEY APPLE.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 3486, 7 June 1884, Page 3

LORD WOLSELEY APPLE.

The il Weekly Press” says:—“We have had an opportunity of testing the merits of this now celebrated apple, and bear willing testimony to its very Ligh quality, both as a desert and culinary apple, the latter especially. But its excellence for these purposes is not the cole recommendation in its favor. It was raised by Mr Sisson, of Papanui fifteen years ago, and neither the original tree or those worked from it have shown the slightest symptoms of being liable to the American blight, although they have been very severely tested by being grown among blighted varieties. Experiments hpve also been made by grafting it on to very badly blighted stocks, but his Lordship grows on unscathed by blight or scale. It is also valuable on account of its early and abundant fruitfulness, as the fruit now being exhibited by Messrs Duncan and Son, gathered from the three-year-old trees they are will testify. Another point in its favor is that the tree is of vigorous growth, and well furnished with foliage, points greatly in favor of late and long-keeping fruits. We believe the correct pomological description pf the tree and fruit to be as follows Habit vigorous, American blight-proof, 4ind JiW O 8: ® by scale, abundant and tegnlit bearer. Fruit —Pale green when gathered, yellowish green when lipo, second size, first quality for ..culinary use, second as a dessert apple ; <flesh yellowish white, firm, brisk, ■slightly acid, with an agreeable aroma, jt was raised by Mr Sisson, of Papanui, in 18G9, from a pip of •<the Irish Peach apple, fertilised by pollen from the Norfolk Stone Pippin, ■rfhe tree possesses the blight-resisting

properties of the Irish Peachy and the fruit has all the valuable qualities of the mule parent, but is a much longer keeper, so much so that tho raiser is willing to stake a considerabla sum as a challenge to any one producing a better keeper of its class. We understand the reason why this valuable addition to our orchards has not sooner been offered to the public is that Mr Sisson having so much confidence in it has been conserving his plants to enable him to plant an orchard of forty cores. Now, however, that the stock is in tho hands of Messrs Duncan and Son, we feel sure that their energetic manager, Mr W, Hislop, will, in a few seasons, be able to supply all the orchnrdists of New Zealand, but those desirous of obtaining trees with a view to profit the first season would do well to secure them at once.