March news 2016
CUTLER GRIEVE
I have just been sent an email from Scotland suggesting that I have spelt Cutler Grieve wrongly and it should be Culter Grieve. This is how it is spelt locally in the area around a village called Culter - look online, it is a beautiful area. I double checked in all my reference books and there is definitely an apple called Cutler Grieve which agrees with my description although the painting I did does not show the red colour that finally develops. This is because the painting was done and photos taken at the end of September and was a little early for the colour to have developed. (I tended to have apples available then to paint and photo as Apple Day here on the IOW was late September) But is there another apple with this name? an apple distinct from the one I have on this website?
The earliest reference I have to Cutler Grieve is in H V Taylor's book The Apples of England which was printed in 1936, only 12 years after the apple was introduced in 1924. The description tallies with the description in Martin Crawford's Directory of Apples and Joan Morgan's New Book of Apples so I feel this is the apple I sampled and recorded. Deacons tell me they had the scion wood from Bob Bucket of Brighstone on the Isle of Wight (see entry under IOW Apple people and places on this website). So is the apple in Scotland a different apple? PLEASE EMAIL AND TELL ME IF YOU HAVE ANY INFORMATION. I WOULD REALLY LIKE TO KNOW and so would Peter in Scotland who sent me the original query.
For interest here is the description in 1936 from H.V. Taylor in The Apples of England
'One of Mr James Grieve's seedlings, and introduced by Mr James Storrie, who sent trees to the National Fruit Trials in 1924. Is now listed by a number of nursery firms. Skin golden-yellow, carrying a bright scarlet flush in which are seen streaks and stripes of a deeper colour; medium size (2 1/2ins x 2ins), perfectly round, slightly conical. A very handsome apple, though the skin is apt to be greasy. The brilliant colour is the chief asset. Eye closed in a shallow basin, the sided of which are much puckered. Stem thin and long in a russetted cavity, deep but narrow. Flesh white, hard texture and juicy; flavour not too pleasing. Season November to December.'
More February news 2016
Apologies - Have you have been trying to contact us through the website and thought I was ignoring your emails?! At present the link doesn't seem to be working. Now I have realised we are putting it right and hopefully normal service will be resumed as soon as possible. I think it may have had some connection to my recent and not altogether happy computer update. I do answer all the emails and it has taken me a few weeks to realise I wasn't getting any post from the website. Will let you know when it is working again
After trying to find out this morning why the 'contact us' works most of the time and then misses a few emails we decided to change to a gmail account. If you would like to contact us please use -
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. - see also under Contact us
I have just been checking the PTES site - People's Trust for Endangered Species - a lot of very interesting information about orchards and the wildlife to be found in them - well worth a look. We first became involved with this some years ago taking part in the Orchard Survey on the Isle of Wight which was very interesting indeed and led us to several heritage apples and new places. Steve Oram from the PTES was also very helpful sending us samples of Frogmore Prolific from Brogdale so we could check them against some unidentified apples we found in an old orchard, duly checked, Frogmore Prolific features on this websiteThe PTES site is well worth a browse, espiecially on such a grey, cold afternoon like today.
A slight change of subject, we have been bird watching through the window and I have been trying to take a picture of our resident garden pigeon in action on the Siberian Crab tree. When I succeed I will put the picture on the website but all I have taken so far is the tree with a disappearing pigeon in the corner. We watched one afternoon as he stuffed 14 crab apples one after the other without stopping, he seems determined to strip the tree before the blackbirds can get a look in. Where does he put them? We can watch but as soon as I lift the camera he is gone. Two blue tits have moved in to the nest box in the James Grieve tree. Mrs Blue tit is busy moving bits of grass etc. in but he (I assume it is he) is determined to scare off the rival he can see in the car wing mirror and spends all day jumping up and down. When I covered the mirror with a cloth he decided that his rival was hiding inside the car and transferred his attentions to the car windows. We have moved the car which is inconvenient but I couldn't bear to watch him any longer and felt he would starve to death if he didn't eat something.
BRIGHSTONE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY - SPRING SHOW - Saturday 19th March - 2.00pm -4.00pm
