KEIZER-TAFELAPPEL
eizer tafelappel (Beschrijving der vruchtsoorten [Description of fruit varieties], second series, N°. 113).
Kaiser Tafelapfel.
The origin is unknown to us; we received the variety in 1846 or 1847 from Messrs. james booth & SÖHNE in Hamburg. At the exhibition in Görlitz it was Mr. oberdieck's opinion, that the Kaiser Tafelapfel we sent in might be the same as the Striped Sommer-Parmäne (our Pippeling Pearmain); this, however, is impossible; this is easy to verify by feeling the skin of both apples: the Keizer tafelappel has a soft skin (geschmeidig [German]), the Pippeling Pearmain feels rough; besides, there are more differences, both between the trees and between the apples.
SHAPE: sometimes much broader towards the base and therefore more flat than in our illustration.
SIZE: third grade; on young trees considerably larger than reproduced.
EYE: closed; sepals are long and pointed, usually greyish, sometimes more greenish, woolly; attractive shallow and broad basin.
STALK: medium length, woody, greyish brown; medium sized cavity, russeting is rare.
The COLOUR: the red at the sun side is usually less striped than our illustration shows, but more evenly spread; the skin is very fine, smooth, sometimes with a bloom, seldom any russeting; small, greyish lenticels.
The FLESH is whitish, under the skin slightly red, very fine, tart, juicy, except when the variety has been grafted onto "Paradijs", which makes the apple become mealy rather soon; the core is medium sized and the pips brown and rather large.
TIME OF USE: September - November. Second grade for dessert.
The TREE is a moderate grower; summer twigs are slender, violet-brown, some lenticels; they grow a bit more wild than the twigs of the Pippeling Pearmain, which forms a regular pyramid; the twigs of the Pippeling Pearmain feel a bit rough and its leaves are much smaller, more pointed and longer. If one sees both trees next to each other the differences are clear enough. We recommend the Keizer tafelappel as a pyramid grafted onto a seedling, not onto "Paradijs."