American Pippin
Apple
USDA Pomological Watercolor Collection
Editor's Note
American Pippin
[NOTE: Source text may be incorrect — the George Bunyard & Co. catalog entry (1914) calls its apple a dessert sort of autumn season, "entirely new to cultivation," with a coloring unlike the old, late-keeping dull green and red American Pippin of the other sources. It appears to describe a different variety. Its details are given under Other.]
Origin / History
An old variety (Beach). Beach traces its literature back to Coxe (1817). He cites later accounts by Downing (1845, 1872), Thomas (1849, 1903), Emmons (1851), Hooper (1857), Elliott (1859), Warder (1867), Lyon (1890), and Bailey (1892). Coxe in 1817 wrote that it "is in very high reputation, both for cider and for keeping till very late in the spring, often till Harvest."
Warder (1867) says it is chiefly valued for keeping very late into the summer. He reports that, although the fruit is dry and deficient in flavor, it is considered profitable because it keeps so easily until May and June. At that season it commands the highest price, because green fruit is then rare. Downing calls it "valuable only for its late keeping and for cider." Lyon (1890), as quoted by Beach, says it "keeps a year, cooks well, but otherwise scarcely eatable."
Tree
Thrifty. Growth remarkably spreading, with a low, very open head and depending branches. Shoots hanging and crooked.
Productive to very productive. Coxe says that in the season of bearing it produces an abundance of sound and fair fruit. The fruit hangs well to the tree (Warder). At the Central Experimental Farm, Agassiz, British Columbia, where it was planted in spring 1890, the station reported it a strong grower and productive.
Fruit
Size: Medium.
Form: Regular, oblate to very flat, or roundish flattened. Coxe describes it as flat, "without any hollow at the ends."
Stem: Medium to thick, often thick and knobby (Warder). Coxe calls it "singularly thick and fleshy."
Cavity: Regular and brown, the brown extending over the base of the fruit (Warder).
Calyx: Eye quite small, open (Warder). Coxe calls the crown very large.
Basin: Very shallow, wide, regular or plaited (Warder).
Skin: Surface rough, sometimes vein-russeted or with slight russet markings. Colored dull green and dull red, the red in patches and stripes, or mixed over the green and shaded with stripes of brick-dust color (Warder). Coxe and Beach make dull red the main color: Coxe gives "a dull red, with faint yellow spots, and a portion of dull green," and Beach gives dull red shaded and streaked with dull green. The Agassiz station describes the skin as dull green with a bronze reddish cheek.
Dots: Numerous, large, gray or coarse russet, thickly sprinkled over the surface.
Flesh and flavor: Flesh white or yellowish, yellow in Warder's account. Hard, firm to very firm, breaking, rather coarse. Juicy to moderately juicy, though Warder calls it dry.
Flavor mild subacid to acid, "somewhat brisk" (Downing), "mildly acid and of pleasant flavour" (Agassiz), dry and deficient in flavor (Warder). Quality poor (Warder) to "Good" (Downing). Beach says it is "variously rated by pomologists from poor to good in quality."
Core and seeds: Core wide, irregular, closed. Seeds numerous, plump, brown (Warder).
Season
A very late keeper, held into late spring and summer. Elliott gives January to June, and most authors carry it to May or June. Coxe has it keeping "till very late in the spring, often till Harvest," and Lyon says it "keeps a year." The Agassiz station alone gives late autumn.
The apples will bear a considerable amount of freezing. They are so firm that they suffer little from bruising, and they are not disposed to rot when bruised. Warder records a fruitman's saying that the apples "might be whipped off the tree with a hoop-pole, shoveled into a cart, dumped upon the ground, and have some dirt thrown upon them," and would still keep until the next July. The fruitman added that "they are then as good as dried apples."
Uses
Cider, kitchen, and market. Coxe says it makes cider "nearly equal to the Grey-House." He reports, on the word of "an intelligent and experienced farmer," that fourteen bushels of the apples are required for a barrel of cider. Lyon says it "cooks well."
Warder classes it for kitchen and market. By market he means that it "may be sold to those who do not appreciate the summer fruits of May and June." He writes that the apples are lightly esteemed for table use.
Subtypes / Variants
Beach reports a variety grown under the name American Pippin in Northern New York and Canada, valued on account of its hardiness and late keeping qualities. He cites Macoun (Can. Dept. Agr. Bul. 37:42, 1901), who describes its fruit as large and roundish. Skin greenish-yellow with a pink or orange blush; dots not prominent. Basin rather deep; calyx large, open; cavity deep. Flesh yellow, subacid, good. Beach had not determined whether it is identical with the American Pippin of Coxe, "but it does not appear to be that variety."
Other
The George Bunyard & Co. catalog (1914) lists under this name a dessert apple, in season October to December. Fruit medium, round, pale yellow with a red flush. The catalog calls it "a good culinary and market sort, entirely new to cultivation (H, B.T., P.)."
Book Sources
Described in 5 period pomological works
Nursery Catalog Sources
Found in 5 catalogs (1845–1913) from Illinois, Massachusetts, Oregon
- Winship's Nursery (Brighton Nurseries , operated by the Winship family), Brighton (Boston) , Massachusetts — 1845
- Woodburn Nurseries , Woodburn, Marion Co. , Oregon — 1894
- Central Experimental Farm , Dominion Department of Agriculture, Agassiz, British Columbia (under test; Bulletin No. 3, Second Series) — 1900
- Russellville Nursery Co. , Russellville, OR (three miles east of Portland, one mile from Montavilla car line) — 1903
- Benjamin Buckman (personal inventory) , Farmingdale , Illinois — 1913
View original book sources (7)
— William Coxe, A View of the Cultivation of Fruit Trees (1817)NO. 82. AMERICAN PIPPIN.
This apple is in very high reputation, both for cider and for keeping till very late in the spring, often till Harvest. The shape is flat, without any hollow at the ends ; the stem singularly thick and fleshy ; the crown very large, the skin a dull red, with faint yellow spots, and a portion of dull green ; the flesh hard and white ; the tree is of a growth remarkably spreading, with hanging, crooked shoots, and very open. It makes cider nearly equal to the Grey-House : I am informed by an intelligent and experienced farmer, that fourteen bushels of this apple are required for a barrel of cider. In the season of bearing, it produces abundance of sound and fair fruit.
— F.R. Elliott, The Western Fruit Book (1865)American Pippin. Grindstone, | Green Everlasting. Medium, roundish flattened, dull green, patches of dull red ; flesh, white, firm, acid. January to June.
— John A. Warder, American Pomology: Apples (1867)American Pippin.
GRINDSTONE.
This fruit is chiefly valued for keeping very late into the summer. Coxe commends it for its cider, rating it as nearly equal to the Grey-House ; he says that fourteen bushels are required to make a barrel of cider. The apples hang well to the tree, and will bear a considerable amount of freezing. They are so firm as to suffer little from bruising, and are not disposed to rot when thus injured. A fruitman once said of their ability to withstand rough usage, that the apples might be whipped off the tree with a hoop-pole, shoveled into a cart, dumped upon the ground, and have some dirt thrown upon them, and that they would keep until next July ; but, he added, they are then as good as dried apples ; so lightly are they esteemed for table use.
The tree is thrifty, with a low, spreading head and depending branches ; very productive ; notwithstanding the fruit is dry and deficient in flavor, it is considered profitable, because so easily kept until May and June, when it commands the highest price, because of the rarity of green fruit at that season.
Fruit medium, regular, very flat ; Surface rough, sometimes vein-russeted, dull green, covered with mixed red, and shaded with stripes of brick-dust color ; Dots numerous, large, gray.
Basin very shallow, wide, regular or plaited ; Eye quite small, open.
Cavity regular, brown, this color extending over the base of the fruit ; Stem medium, often thick and knobby.
Core wide, irregular, closed ; Seeds numerous, plump, brown ; Flesh yellow, breaking, dry, very firm ; Flavor mild sub-acid ; Quality poor ; Uses kitchen and market, which last means that it may be sold to those who do not appreciate the summer fruits of May and June.
— A.J. Downing, The Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900)American Pippin.
Stone. Grindstone.
Tree thrifty, spreading, with crooked shoots. Valuable only for its late keeping and for cider.
Fruit of medium size and regular form, oblate, dull red in patches and stripes, on a dull green ground. Flesh white, firm, juicy, with a somewhat brisk, acid flavor. Good. Keeps till June.
— S.A. Beach, The Apples of New York, Vol. 1 (1905)AMERICAN PIPPIN.
REFERENCES. 1. Coxe, 1817:147. 2. Downing, 1845:98. 3. Thomas, 1849:163. 4. Emmons, Nat. Hist. N. Y., 3:74. 1851. 5. Hooper, 1857:42. 6. Elliott, 1859:184. 7. Warder, 1867:420. 8. Downing, 1872:77. 9. Lyon, Mich. Hort. Soc. Rpt., 1890:288. 10. Bailey, An. Hort. 1892:234. 11. Thomas, 1903:689.
SYNONYMS. GRINDSTONE (5). Grindstone (3, 7, 8, 9, 10). Stone (8).
The American Pippin is an old variety. Coxe gives it a very high reputation both for cider and for keeping late (1). Lyon says of it (9) "keeps a year, cooks well, but otherwise scarcely eatable." Coxe describes the tree as very open, remarkably spreading with hanging crooked shoots. The fruit is medium, regular, oblate, "without any hollow at the ends" (Coxe); calyx small, open; skin dull red, shaded and streaked with dull green, the surface being rough, sometimes with slight russet markings, thickly sprinkled with gray or coarse russet dots; core wide, irregular, closed; seeds numerous, plump, brown; flesh white or yellowish, hard, rather coarse, moderately juicy, mild subacid. Variously rated by pomologists from poor to good in quality.
There is a variety grown under the name of American Pippin in Northern New York and Canada which is valued on account of its hardiness and late keeping qualities. Macoun¹ describes the fruit of this variety as large, roundish; greenish-yellow with pink or orange blush; dots not prominent; basin rather deep; calyx large, open; cavity deep; flesh yellow, subacid, good. I have not determined whether this is identical with the American Pippin of Coxe but it does not appear to be that variety. ¹Macoun, Can. Dept. Agr. Bul. 37:42. 1901.
— Central Experimental Farm, Central Experimental Farm, Agassiz BC — Catalogue of Fruit Trees under Test (Bulletin No. 3, 1900) (1900)Planted Spring 1890. Tree a strong grower and productive. Fruit of medium size, regular form, oblate. Skin dull green, with a bronze reddish cheek. Flesh white, firm, juicy, mildly acid and of pleasant flavour. Season, late Autumn.
— George Bunyard & Co., George Bunyard Catalog of Fruit Trees (1914) (1914)Dessert; Oct.-Dec. Medium, round, pale yellow, with red flush. A good culinary and market sort, entirely new to cultivation (H, B.T., P.)