Chisel Jersey facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Malus domestica 'Chisel Jersey' |
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|---|---|
| Cultivar | 'Chisel Jersey' |
| Origin |  England, 19th century |
The Chisel Jersey is a special kind of apple known as a cider apple. It first grew in a place called Somerset in England. This apple is mostly used to make cider, which is a popular drink.
Contents
What's in a Name?
Why "Jersey"?
In Somerset, people often call bittersweet cider apples "Jersey" or "Jaysey." This is like how in other parts of England, like Herefordshire and Gloucestershire, they use names like "Norman" or "French" for similar apples. These names help people know what kind of apple they are getting.
What Does "Chisel" Mean?
The word "Chisel" might come from an old local word, chesil, which means a small stone or pebble. This name could describe the apple's look: it's often small, a bit rough-skinned (called russetted), and quite hard.
A Look Back: History of the Chisel Jersey
Where Did It Start?
The 'Chisel Jersey' apple is believed to have first appeared in the 1800s. It came from a town called Martock in Somerset. For about 100 years, this apple was mostly grown only in that local area.
Growing More Widely
In the middle of the 1900s, farmers started planting 'Chisel Jersey' trees more widely. They grew them in big apple farms, called orchards, across Somerset and Dorset. Even though many old orchards have been removed, you can still find 'Chisel Jersey' trees today.
A Famous Relative?
People in the Martock area thought that 'Chisel Jersey' was one of the parent apples of another very important cider apple called 'Dabinett'. Scientists at the Long Ashton Research Station later studied this and found evidence that supported this idea.
Apple Features: What Makes It Special?
Taste and Look
The 'Chisel Jersey' is a "bittersweet" apple. This means it has a lot of special plant chemicals called tannins, which give it a slightly bitter taste. It also has a good amount of sugar, but not much of the sour malic acid found in eating apples.
The apples themselves are small and green. They often have red stripes on their skin. They ripen late in the year, usually in autumn. A cool thing about them is that their stem often grows a bit to the side, which is why some people call it 'Sidestalk Jersey'.
Tree Health and Pollination
Sometimes, if the tree gets a virus, the apples can be very small, cracked, and have a lot of rough, russetted skin. The 'Chisel Jersey' apple looks a bit like its supposed child, 'Dabinett', but 'Dabinett' is not as bitter.
The 'Chisel Jersey' tree is known as "diploid," which means it has a normal set of chromosomes. Even though it can't pollinate itself, it's great at helping other apple trees pollinate. This makes it a good tree to have in an orchard.
See also
In Spanish: Chisel Jersey (manzana) para niños
