Chapter 4

A remarkably beautiful apple, a native of New Jersey, and first described by Coxe. It begins to ripen about the 20th of August, and continues until the last of October. It has all the beauty of color of the pretty little Lady Apple, and is much cultivated and admired, both for the table and for cooking. It is also very highly esteemed for drying. This variety forms a handsome, rapid-growing tree, with a fine spreading head, and bears large crops. It is very valuable as a profitable market sort. Fruit of medium size, very regularly shaped, and a little narrow towards the eye. Skin smooth, with a delicate waxen appearance, pale lemon yellow in the shade, with a brilliant crimson cheek next the sun, the two colors often joining in brilliant red. Stalk short, planted in a rather wide, deep hollow. Basin moderately depressed. Calyx closed. Flesh white, tender, sprightly, pleasant subacid. Good.

Remarks on the Maiden's Blush by the members of the State Horticultural Society:

C. C. Cook: It is all right to raise for a local market and for family use. Hardy tree. I planted probably 100. I cannot determine where to place it on the list. Probably others have had more experience with it than I have.

E. J. Holman: The Maiden's Blush deserves a place in both the family and the commercial orchard. In its season it is unexcelled for market purposes, and is especially attractive. I should recommend it as a commercial apple.

H. L. Ferris: I would place it first as a summer apple for local market.

W. G. Gano: You certainly will not discard it.

W. J. Griffing: It is about the earliest apple that will bear shipping in summer, and very profitable.

F. W. Dixon: I find it rather a shy bearer, but the tree is long-lived and very hardy, and it deserves a place in the family orchard. I think there is no profit in them for a commercial orchard.

President Wellhouse: They are long-lived and very hardy; I would recommend them for family, but not for commercial orchard.

G. P. Whiteker: It comes at a time when there is much other fruit. I do not think it pays very well. Mine turn brown from some cause.

Phillip Lux: It is our very best apple in its season; while talking of the commercial orchard, there is a demand for apples at all seasons of the year, and if we discard this, we will have nothing at its season. I would say, place it in the commercial orchard for export.

W. J. Griffing: Do not know that it is profitable, but for quality the Maiden's Blush is worthy of a place among fruits.

G. W. Bailey: As a summer apple for family and commercial orchards, I would place it at the head of the list.

William Cutter: It is the best apple of its season for all purposes.

B. F. Smith: It is the best commercial apple for summer trade we have.

Secretary Barnes: At the late meeting of the Missouri Horticultural Society, the secretary stated that he thought there was good money in the Maiden's Blush. He said the trouble was, they were raised in too limited quantities. He said they should be raised in car lots for shipping to Northern cities; that they were quick growers and brought ready money, and at their season had little competition in the market. They come in when there are few apples obtainable, and he considers them profitable.

H. L. Ferris: In my experience it bears only every other year. Is that the experience of others?

President Wellhouse: The Maiden's Blush is the only summer apple that we have made pay.

J. W. Robison: We have not grown Maiden's Blush very largely here. It is one of our old apples in Illinois, and it is the earliest, most regular and profuse bearer, and the best keeper of its season to ship in hot weather. It was named for its beauty, and is the most attractive apple grown. They last well if kept moderately cool. They are shipped largely in barrels, the earlier ones in boxes, from central Illinois north. The tree is tender in unusually cold seasons. Farther south there is no danger. I find it is a good apple to sell in a small way to grocerymen.

GRIMES'S GOLDEN PIPPIN.

_Synonym_: Grimes's Golden.

This valuable apple originated many years since on the farm of Thomas Grimes, Brooke county, Virginia. In its native locality it is highly prized for the peculiar hardihood of the tree, withstanding uninjured the most severe winters, and never breaking in its limbs; also, for its uniform regular annual productiveness. Tree vigorous, hardy, upright, spreading, very productive; branches with peculiar knobs at the base of each, connecting it with the main limbs. Young wood dark, dull red brown, grayish. Fruit medium, roundish oblate, slightly conical. Skin uneven. Color rich golden yellow, sprinkled moderately with small gray and light dots. Stalk rather short and slender. Cavity rather deep, sometimes slightly russeted. Calyx closed, or partially open. Basin abrupt, uneven. Flesh yellow, compact, crisp, tender, juicy, rich, sprightly, spicy subacid; peculiar aroma. Core rather small. Very good to best. December to March.

Remarks on the Grimes's Golden Pippen by members of the State Horticultural Society:

C. C. Cook: I have not tried to ship any Grimes's Golden. I would place it about second on the list of summer [?] apples. With me it is a good, thrifty, hardy tree, but my orchard is young.

J. W. Robison: I have grown it extensively. It is one of the best fall apples and one of the beauties. It does not keep well. It rots badly after it is gathered and goes to market in rather bad shape. It is not planted as much now as in the past.

E. J. Holman: It stands in quality beside the Jonathan, and is a first-class dessert apple. It is a good bearer and ought to be in every family orchard, but I would not recommend it for the commercial orchard.

H. L. Ferris: Mine bore very heavily and were large and fine. Sold well locally; never shipped any; think they should come next to the Maiden's Blush in the commercial orchard.

W. G. Gano: The Grimes's Golden is the very best apple of its season. Should be in all family orchards, and have a small place in commercial orchards.

J. B. McAfee: Like Mr. Gano, I consider it the very best apple that grows, and one of the most profitable in my orchard. I find it short-lived. I take best care of them for use of my family until about the 1st of November.

F. W. Dixon: It is the best apple for family use, but drops badly. The tree is a good bearer but not long-lived.

G. P. Whiteker: I plant Grimes's Golden and Maiden's Blush for profit. The Grimes's Golden is handsome and brings a good price, especially at this time of the year--December.

Phillip Lux: I have had experience with it for years. In the family orchard we cannot do without it. We aim to keep it for our family as long as it lasts, say until February. In my opinion it is better than any pear that grows in our state. We should handle them with care, as we do pears. Put away carefully, in a cold, dry cellar, they retain their flavor and keep well. I think them worthy of a place in the commercial orchard.

J. F. Maxey: I like to eat them; most of us do. There is a place for them as a fancy apple.

William Cutter: I consider it the best-flavored apple grown for family use. Missouri and Arkansas have brought the big red apple into history, but now the big yellow apple is preferred by many consumers. I consider them extra fine.

B. F. Smith: I pack mine in boxes as well as barrels. I consider them fine.

G. Y. Johnson (Douglas county): I find the tree is not as hardy as I would like to have it. As far as the apple is concerned, it sells as well as any.

HUNTSMAN'S FAVORITE.

A seedling on the farm of John Huntsman, of Fayette, Mo. Tree vigorous, not a very early bearer, but is very productive annually when the tree has attained sufficient age; it is said to be a valuable and profitable fruit in the locality where it originated. Young shoots smooth, reddish brown; fruit large, oblate, slightly conic, often a little oblate; skin smooth, pale yellow, sometimes a shade of pale red or deep yellow in the sun, and a few scattering grayish dots; stalk short, small; cavity broad, deep, sometimes slight russet; calyx closed, or nearly so; basin large, deep, slightly corrugated; flesh pale yellow, a little coarse, crisp, tender, juicy, mild, rich subacid, slightly aromatic; very good; core rather small. December to March.

Remarks on the Huntsman's Favorite by members of the State Horticultural Society:

William Cutter: The Huntsman is long-lived and deserves a place in our list.

E. J. Holman: The Huntsman is of the York Imperial order, an old variety, not sufficiently known. In Kansas City, I saw them on sale at six dollars per barrel. The tree is a good bearer, and will be planted more than it has been; it never blights.

B. F. Smith: I agree with Mr. Holman.

W. G. Gano: It is a very desirable orchard tree; it is just wonderful how our old orchards hold out; its quality and size are good. It has one fault: if put in cold storage it bleaches out, as most yellow apples do. I cannot keep yellow apples in cold storage, and the Huntsman has disappointed me; but if taken out and sold when just right it is a success, and sells in Kansas City at six dollars per barrel.

MAMMOTH BLACK TWIG.

This apple originated with John Crawford, near Ray's Mills, Washington county, Arkansas. It is conceded to be a seedling of the Black Twig (said to be a misnomer for the Winesap). It has been exhibited as the "Arkansaw." Mr. Crawford says he brought to Arkansas and planted seeds of the Limber Twig and Black Twig over fifty-five years ago, and this apple sprang from one of those seeds. Really an enlarged and improved Winesap. Tree a fine, upright, spreading grower.

Remarks on the Mammoth Black Twig by members of the State Horticultural Society:

William Cutter: My trees set fruit for three years, but it all dropped off.

President Wellhouse: Mr. Munger says his were very small this year, but also that all his apples were small.

G. W. Bailey: I have a few, planted eight years, but the fruit this year was very small.

E. J. Holman: Many Mammoth Black Twig trees have been extensively propagated by nurserymen. We should know more about them. This variety came before the public with a "hurrah," and people were told it was an apple with the quality of Winesap and the vigor of Ben Davis.

Mrs. A. Z. Moore (Missouri): My husband and I superintended sixty acres. We grew 500 bushels of them, all very fine. Of the tree I know little, but the apples were beautiful. They are of dark color and very handsome.

B. F. Smith: Two years ago I was down the Port Arthur road, and saw some, and they were fine-looking apples; but on testing it I thought many others were better, though in the general trade I think it will do well. We have a few trees and they are rapid growers, but I would not recommend them for flavor.

Mr. Adams: I can give you no particular information on this apple, but believe in the right location it is as fine as any grown. Location has much to do with its success.

Walter Wellhouse: I examined some Mammoth Black Twigs in Leavenworth, and they were of good size--as large as any Winesap I ever saw, and of good color.

L. D. Buck: It is a hardy grower. This year it is small.

PECK'S PLEASANT.

_Synonym_: Waltz Apple.

A first-rate fruit in all respects, belonging to the Newtown Pippin class. It has long been cultivated in Rhode Island (where, we think, it originated) and in the northern part of Connecticut, and deserves extensive dissemination. It considerably resembles the Yellow Newtown Pippin, with more tender flesh, and is scarcely inferior to it in flavor. The tree is a moderate, upright, spreading grower, but bears regularly and well, and the fruit commands a high price in the market. The apples on the lower branches of old trees are flat, while those on the upper branches are nearly conical. Young shoots reddish brown, slightly downy. Fruit above medium size, roundish, a little ribbed, and slightly flattened, with an indistinct furrow on one side. Skin smooth, and, when first gathered, green, with a little dark red; but when ripe a beautiful clear yellow, with bright blush on the sunny side and near the stalk, marked with scattered gray dots. The stalk is peculiarly fleshy and flattened, short, and sunk in a wide, rather wavy cavity. Calyx woolly, sunk in a narrow, abruptly and pretty deeply sunk basin. Flesh yellowish, fine grained, juicy, crisp and tender, with a delicious, high aromatic, sprightly subacid. Very good or best. November to March.

Remarks on Peck's Pleasant by members of the State Horticultural Society:

H. L. Ferris: We have a large number; while generally small, they can be made larger by cultivation and care. They are the longest keepers I know of, and carry well in shipping.

William Cutter: I was well acquainted with it in Illinois.

Secretary Barnes: About a year and a half ago, Governor Morrill said to me, "Why don't you get your people to grow Peck's Pleasant? It is the best apple grown."

E. J. Holman: I have several trees, planted in 1870. They have been light bearers. The apple is of high quality, and keeps until January. The color is not so good as Huntsman. They die early.

H. L. Ferris: I cannot agree to that. I never had one die.

C. C. Cook: It is a good apple for home use; not very profitable.

W. G. Gano: Good family apple; green; subacid; elegant in quality.

INGRAM.

A new variety, grown from seed of Rawle's Janet, by Martin Ingram, of Greene county, Missouri. Tree productive, and the fruit especially valued for its long keeping. Fruit medium, or below, roundish oblate, orange yellow, mostly overspread with broken stripes of rich, warm red, gray russet dots, and slight marblings. Stalk slender. Calyx small. Flesh yellowish white, moderately juicy, crisp, mild subacid. Core above medium. Seeds dark brown. February to June. (Hort.)

Remarks on the Ingram by members of the State Horticultural Society:

Mrs. A. Z. Moore: I speak of this as the "coming apple" in southern Missouri. They are not very large; beautiful in color; have a tendency to overbear and grow in clusters. Must be picked by hand; is free from common diseases.

J. F. Maxey: I am greatly interested in it. Very late last spring, while in Kansas City, I noticed a variety of apples that looked so fresh, with stems as green as if just picked, in shape and color like large Janets. They had come out of cold storage. I asked the name, and was told they were Ingram. I was told they were grown in the vicinity of Garden City, Kan. I wrote to Garden City, and received an answer from the grower, saying this apple was well worthy of growing.

Mrs. A. Z. Moore: I have seen it kept until the following August.

G. P. Whiteker: I got twenty barrels of them from Mr. Rose in Kansas City. I brought them here [Topeka] and retailed most of them, and got six dollars per barrel for them. I do not think we found two bad apples to the barrel. Most people thought them Janets. I believe it a profitable tree to plant.

B. F. Smith: In collecting apples in Douglas county for the World's Fair, we could not tell them from the Janet, except in size. It is beautifully streaked, and the grower called it a variety of the Janet.

LOWELL.

_Synonyms_: Queen Anne, Tallow Apple, Michigan Golden, Golden Pippin of some, Greasy Pippin, and Orange.

Origin unknown. Tree hardy, vigorous, spreading, productive. Young wood reddish brown. Fruit large, roundish, oval or conic, bright waxen yellow, oily. Stalk of medium length. Cavity deep, uneven. Basin deep, abrupt, and furrowed. Calyx closed. Flesh yellowish white, with a brisk, rich, rather acid flavor. Good to very good. September, October.

Remarks on the Lowell by members of the State Horticultural Society:

J. B. McAfee: I have realized more from my Lowells than from any other apple in my orchard. They are early and prolific. The Lowell has been the best-paying and the easiest-selling apple in our market [Topeka].

Phillip Lux: I planted mine in 1870. They blight badly and the fruit is often knotty. Have made no money from them.

J. W. Robison: I grew it in Illinois. I planted it here in 1879 and 1880, and it paid there and here. It is a large, green, smooth apple, and follows the Maiden's Blush closely. The tree did not blight with me there or here. It is best cooked. It does not get mellow or soft. It is an old variety and is falling out.

E. J. Holman: This apple is all right in such a market as Topeka in its season. It is not good to ship. Another apple we know little of is the Orange Pippin. There is two or three dollars in it where there is one dollar in the Maiden's Blush. It can be shipped to Liverpool and back in good condition. No other will compare with it in productiveness. It ought to be on our list.

CELESTIA.

Originated with L. S. Mote, Miami county, Ohio. A new variety, of good promise as an amateur sort. Fruit large, form roundish, conical, slightly ribbed. Color pale yellow, moderately sprinkled with gray or brown dots, and sometimes large dots of red. Stalk rather short and slender. Cavity deep, uneven. Calyx closed. Segments long, slender, partially recurved. Basin rather small, furrowed. Flesh yellowish, crisp, tender, juicy, very pleasant, rich, mild subacid. Core rather large. Very good. October.

MINKLER.

_Synonym_: Brandywine.

This is an old variety which was first exhibited before the Illinois Horticultural Society, and, because it could not be identified, received, for the time being, the name of its exhibitor. At some future time it will probably be found identical with some variety long since named and described. Tree an irregular grower; good bearer and keeper. Fruit medium, roundish oblate, slightly conic, pale greenish yellow, striped and splashed with two shades of red. Flesh yellowish, compact, moderately juicy, mild, pleasant subacid. Good. Core small. January to March.

KING OF TOMPKINS COUNTY.

_Synonyms_: King, Tom's Red, Tommy Red.

Origin uncertain; said to have originated with Thomas Thacher, Warren county, New Jersey. A valuable market apple. Tree very vigorous, spreading, abundant bearer annually. Young shoots very dark reddish brown, quite downy, especially toward the ends. Fruit large, globular, inclining to conic, sometimes oblate, angular. Color yellowish, mostly shaded with red, striped and splashed with crimson. Stalk rather stout and short, inserted in a large, somewhat irregular cavity. Calyx small and closed, set in a medium, slightly corrugated basin. Flesh yellowish, rather coarse, juicy, tender, with an exceedingly agreeable, rich, vinous flavor, delightfully aromatic. Very good to best. December to March.

SUMMER QUEEN.

_Synonyms_: Sharpe's Early, Lancaster Queen, and Polecat.

This variety forms a large tree with somewhat pendent boughs, and is a profitable sort for orchards and marketing over a large territory. The fruit is large and broad at the crown, tapering toward the eye. The stalk is rather long, and is planted in a pretty deep cavity, sometimes partially closed. Calyx but little sunk, in a narrow plaited basin. Skin fine deep yellow in its ground, though well striped and clouded with red. Flesh aromatic, yellow, rich, and of good flavor. August and September.

LAWVER.

Origin uncertain. Introduced by George S. Parks, of Parkville, Mo., and said to have been found in an old Indian orchard in Kansas. Tree vigorous, spreading, an early and annual bearer; a beautiful fruit and a long keeper. Fruit large, roundish oblate. Color dark, bright red, covered with small dots. Stalk medium. Cavity deep, regular. Calyx small, closed. Basin medium, furrowed. Flesh white, firm, crisp, sprightly, aromatic, mild subacid. January to May. (_Prairie Farmer._)

STARK.

Origin unknown; grown in some parts of Ohio, and valued as a long keeper and profitable market fruit. Tree vigorous, upright, spreading. Young shoots dark brownish red. Fruit large, roundish, inclining to conic, sometimes a little elongated, and sometimes slightly oblique. Skin greenish yellow, shaded, splashed and striped with light and dark red over nearly the whole surface, and thickly sprinkled with light and brown dots, a portion of them aureole dots. Stalk short, rather stout, inserted in a medium cavity. Calyx closed. Basin rather large, slightly corrugated. Flesh yellowish, a little coarse, moderately juicy, mild subacid. Good. Core small. January to May.

WHITE WINTER PEARMAIN.

_Synonym_: Campbellite.

Origin unknown; by some thought to be an old Eastern variety; highly esteemed at the West. Tree spreading, hardy, and thrifty, a regular and good bearer. Young shoots very short jointed, dull reddish brown, slightly grayish or downy at the ends. Fruit medium or above, roundish oblong conic, somewhat oblique. Stalk short, in a deep cavity. Calyx nearly closed. Segments long. Basin uneven. Skin pale yellow, with a slight blush or warm cheek, thickly sprinkled with minute brown dots. Flesh yellowish, tender, crisp, juicy, very pleasant subacid. Very good. January to April.

SMOKEHOUSE.

_Synonyms_: Millcreek Vandevere, Red Vandevere, English Vandevere.

Origin, Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, near Millcreek, grown on the farm of ---- Gibbons, near his smokehouse; hence its name. An old variety, and popular in Pennsylvania. It somewhat resembles the old Pennsylvania Vandevere, and is supposed to be a seedling of it. Tree moderately vigorous, with a spreading head, a good bearer. Young wood dark, dull reddish brown. Fruit rather above medium, roundish oblate, skin yellow, shaded and splashed with crimson, and thickly sprinkled with large gray and brown dots. Stalk rather long, curved, inserted in a broad cavity. Calyx closed, set in a wide basin of moderate depth, slightly corrugated. Flesh yellowish, somewhat firm, juicy, crisp, rather rich subacid. Good. September to February. Valued for culinary uses.

AUTUMN PEARMAIN.

_Synonym_: Winter Pearmain.

A slow-growing tree, but attains a large size. Branches slender, spreading. Fruit of medium size, roundish, narrowing gradually toward the eye. Color brownish yellow, mixed with green on the shaded side, but next the sun reddish, blended with yellow, streaked with deeper red, and sprinkled with numerous small brown specks. Stalk short, obliquely planted under a fleshy lip. Calyx small, set in a broad shallow basin, which is sometimes scarcely at all sunk, and obscurely plaited. Flesh pale yellow, crisp, firm, a little dry, but rich and high flavored. Core rather small. Quality very good. October to March.

CHENANGO (STRAWBERRY).

_Synonyms_: Frank, Buckley, Sherwood's Favorite, Strawberry, Jackson Apple, and Smyrna.

Originated in the town of Lebanon, Madison county, New York. It is an apple pleasant to the taste and much esteemed as a table fruit wherever grown. Tree is vigorous, spreading. Young wood light reddish brown, downy. Fruit medium, oblong conic or oblong truncated conic, indistinctly ribbed. Color whitish, shaded, splashed and mottled with light and dark crimson over most of the surface; light dots. Stalk rather short, small. Cavity acute, somewhat uneven. Calyx closed, or partially open. Segments erect. Basin rather large, abrupt, slightly corrugated. Flesh white, tender, juicy, peculiar mild subacid. Core rather large. Very good. September and October.

HAAS.

_Synonyms_: Horse Apple, Summer Horse, Yellow Hoss, and Trippe's Horse.

Origin supposed to be North Carolina. Tree vigorous, an annual, early and abundant bearer, valuable for drying and culinary purposes. Young wood light reddish brown. Fruit large, roundish, yellow, sometimes tinged with red, and small patches of russet. Flesh yellow, rather firm and coarse, tender, pleasant subacid. Good. Last of July and first of August.

HAAS.

_Synonym_: Ludwig.