Originated by Peter M. Gideon, near St. Paul, Minn., from seed gathered in Maine about 1860. So far the tree has proved hardy, vigorous, and healthy. Fruit medium, oblate or roundish oblate; whitish yellow ground, shaded with deep, rich crimson in the sun, obscure broken stripes and mottlings in the shade, sometimes entirely covered with crimson, many light dots. Stalk short to medium, slender. Cavity green, russet. Calyx partially closed. Basin deep, abrupt, uneven. Flesh white, fine grained, stained with red, tender, juicy, lively, vinous subacid. Very good. Core small. Season, December to February.
RED JUNE.
_Synonyms_: Knight"s Red June, Blush June, Georgia June, and Wilson"s June.
Origin somewhat uncertain, supposed to be Carolina. Tree very vigorous, upright, an early and abundant bearer, much esteemed at the South and Southwest as their best early apple; ripe a few days after Early Harvest; not equal to it in flavor, but more profitable as an orchard fruit. Fruit medium or below, oval, irregular, inclined to conic. Skin smooth, nearly the whole surface shaded with deep red, and almost of a purplish hue on the sunny side, and covered with a light bloom. Stalk variable in length, inserted in a small, narrow cavity. Calyx closed.
Segments long, reflexed. Basin narrow, plaited. Flesh very white, tender, juicy, with a brisk subacid flavor. Core rather large. Very good.
NOTE.--Carolina Striped June (Carolina June). This is generally confounded with the above, and is scarcely distinguishable, except that, as it ripens, it becomes striped. One is doubtless a seedling from the other.
BALDWIN.
_Synonyms_: Woodp.e.c.k.e.r, p.e.c.k.e.r, Steel"s Red Winter, Red Baldwin, and b.u.t.ters.
The Baldwin stands at the head of all New England apples, and is unquestionably a first-rate fruit in all respects. It is a native of Ma.s.sachusetts, and is more largely cultivated for the Boston market than any other sort. Tree vigorous, upright, spreading, productive. Young shoots dull reddish brown. Fruit large, roundish, and narrowing a little to the eye. Color yellow in the shade, but nearly covered and striped with crimson, red, and orange in the sun, dotted with a few russet dots, and with radiating streaks of russet about the stalk. Calyx closed, and set in a rather narrow plaited basin. Stalk half to three-fourths of an inch long, rather slender for so large a fruit, planted in an even, moderately deep cavity. Flesh yellowish white, crisp, with that agreeable mingling of the saccharine and acid which const.i.tutes a rich, high flavor. Very good. The tree is a vigorous, upright grower, and bears most abundantly. Ripe from November to March, but with us it is perfection in January.
GOLDEN SWEET.
_Synonyms_: Orange Sweeting and Early Golden Sweet.
A celebrated Connecticut fruit. Tree very vigorous, spreading, forming a tree of moderate size, hardy and very productive. Young shoots reddish brown. Fruit above the medium size, roundish, scarcely flattened, fair, and well formed; when fully ripe, pale yellow or straw color. Stalk about an inch long, slender at its junction with the fruit. Calyx closed, and set in a basin of moderate depth. Flesh tender, sweet, rich, and excellent. Good to very good. August and September. A valuable sort for cooking, market, or stock feeding.
COOPER"S EARLY (WHITE).
Grown in Illinois and other Western states, where it is regarded by many as productive and profitable. Fruit medium, roundish, little flattened, pale yellow with faint blush, tinge of green at the stem. Flesh white, crisp, sprightly. September and October. (Elliott).
NORTHERN SPY.
This beautiful American fruit is one of the most delicious, fragrant and sprightly of all late dessert apples. It ripens in January, keeps until June, and always commands the highest market price. The tree is of rapid, upright growth, and bears moderate crops. It originated on the farm of Herman Chapin, of East Bloomfield, near Rochester, N. Y. The trees require high culture, and open heads to let in the sun; otherwise the fruit is wanting in flavor, and apt to be imperfect and knotty.
Young shoots dark, reddish brown. The tree blooms late, often escaping vernal frosts. Fruit large, roundish, oblate, conical. Skin thin, smooth, in the shade greenish or pale yellow, in the sun covered with light and dark stripes of purplish red, marked with a few pale dots, and a thin white bloom. Stalk three-fourths of an inch long, rather slender, planted in a very wide, deep cavity, sometimes marked with russet. Calyx small, closed. Basin narrow, abrupt, furrowed. Flesh white, fine grained, tender, slightly subacid, with a peculiarly fresh and delicious flavor. Core large and open. Very good to best. December to June.
d.u.c.h.eSS OF OLDENBURG.
_Synonyms_: Smith"s Beauty of Newark, Russian, Borovitsky, and New Brunswick.
This handsome Russian apple proves one of the most hardy and profitable varieties in cultivation, especially in our northwestern sections. The tree is vigorous, forming a roundish, upright, spreading head, requiring little or no pruning, and producing abundantly a fruit of fair, even and regular size, that, although not of the first quality, always commands a ready sale, as it is valuable for market and cooking, and pa.s.sably good for dessert. Young shoots smooth, reddish. Fruit medium size, regularly formed, roundish oblate. Skin smooth, finely washed and streaked with red on a golden or yellow ground. Calyx pretty large and nearly closed, set in a wide, even hollow. There is a faint blue bloom on this fruit.
The flesh is juicy, sprightly subacid. Ripens early in September.
EARLY HARVEST.
_Synonyms_: Prince"s Harvest, July Pippin, Yellow Harvest, Large White Juneating, Tart Bough, Early French Reinette, and Sinclair"s Yellow.
An American apple; and taking into account its beauty, its excellent qualities for the dessert and cooking, and its productiveness, we think it the finest early apple yet known. It begins to ripen about the first of July, and continues in use all that month. The smallest collection of apples should comprise this and the Red Astrachan. Trees moderately vigorous, upright, spreading. Young shoots reddish brown. Fruit medium size. Form roundish, often roundish oblate, medium size. Skin very smooth, with a few faint white dots, bright straw color when fully ripe.
Stalk half to three-fourths of an inch long, rather slender, inserted in a hollow of moderate depth. Calyx set in a shallow basin. Flesh very white, tender and juicy, crisp, with a rich, sprightly subacid flavor.
Very good to best. Core small.
TWENTY OUNCE.
_Synonyms_: Morgan"s Favorite, Eighteen Ounce Apple, Aurora, Coleman, Cayuga Red Streak, Lima, and Wine of Connecticut.
A very large and showy apple. It is a good, sprightly fruit, though not very high flavored, but its remarkably handsome appearance and large size render it one of the most popular fruits in the market. The tree is thrifty, and makes a compact, neat head; bears regular crops, and the fruit is always fair and handsome. Young wood rich, brownish red. Fruit very large, roundish, slightly uneven, greenish yellow, boldly splashed and marbled with stripes of purplish red. Stalk short, set in a wide, deep cavity. Calyx small. Basin moderately deep. Flesh coa.r.s.e grained, sprightly, brisk subacid. Good to very good. October to January.
SWEET BOUGH.
_Synonyms_: Large Yellow Bough, Early Sweet Bough, August Sweet, Sweet Harvest, Bough, and Washington.
A native apple, ripening in harvest time, and one of the first quality, only second as a dessert fruit to the Early Harvest. It is not so much esteemed for the kitchen as the latter, as it is too sweet for pies and sauce, but it is generally much admired for the table, and is worthy of a place in every collection. Fruit above the middle size, and oblong ovate in form. Skin smooth, pale greenish yellow. Stalk rather long, and the eye narrow and deep. Flesh white, very tender and crisp when fully ripe, and with a rich, sweet, sprightly flavor. Ripens from the middle of July to the 10th of August. Tree moderately vigorous, bears abundantly, and forms a round head. Young shoots grayish brown, very slightly downy.
PEWAUKEE.
Raised from seed of d.u.c.h.ess of Oldenburg by George P. Pepper, of Pewaukee, Wis., who sends us specimens, and writes that the tree is strong and vigorous, center upright, very spreading, an annual bearer, and one of the hardiest and best for the Northwest; young shoots dark, brownish red. Fruit medium to large, roundish oblate, skin bright yellow, striped, splashed and mottled with light and dark red over most of the surface, covered with a thin greenish bloom, and many large and small light dots, a few being aureole; stalk short, small; cavity small; calyx closed; basin medium, slightly corrugated; flesh white, a little coa.r.s.e, breaking, half tender; juicy, subacid, slightly aromatic; good; core small. January to May.
NELSON SWEET.
Origin unknown. Fruit medium to large. Form roundish oblate, regular.
Color dull green, becoming yellow, sometimes bronzed with dull brown.
Stalk rather long, slender. Cavity medium, acute, regular, green. Calyx medium, closed. Segments reflexed. Basin small, uneven. Flesh greenish yellow, firm, fine grained, juicy, sweet. Core medium. Good. May to July. (_American Journal of Horticulture._)
RED ASTRACHAN.
_Synonyms_: Deterding"s Early, Astrachan Rogue, Robert Astrakan, Vermillion d"Ete, and Abe Lincoln.
A fruit of extraordinary beauty, first imported into England, with the White Astrachan, from Sweden, in 1816. It bears abundantly with us, and its singular richness of color is heightened by an exquisite bloom on the surface of the fruit, like that of the plum. It is one of the handsomest dessert fruits, and its quality is good, but if not taken from the trees as soon as ripe it is liable to become mealy. Tree a vigorous grower, upright, spreading. An early and abundant bearer. Young shoots clear, reddish brown. Fruit pretty large, rather above the middle size, and very smooth and fair, roundish, a little narrowed toward the eye. Skin almost entirely covered with deep crimson, with sometimes a greenish yellow in the shade, and occasionally a little russet near the stalk, and covered with a pale white bloom. Stalk rather short and deeply inserted. Calyx partially closed, set in a slight basin, which is sometimes a little irregular. Flesh quite white, crisp, moderately juicy, with an agreeable, rich, acid flavor. Good to very good. Ripens from last of July to middle of August.
BALTZBY.
From Virginia. Tree spreading, productive. Fruit large, oblate, yellowish white, with a faint blush. Dots scattered, small, white. Flesh white, firm, somewhat tough, juicy, almost sweet. Good. October.
MOUNTAINEER.
_Synonym_: Mountain Sweet.
From Pennsylvania. Fruit large, oblate, light yellow. Dots minute. Calyx small, closed. Stalk short, slender. Flesh white, breaking, very tender, fine grained, juicy, sweet. Good to very good. December. (Warder.)