Baker
Apple
USDA Pomological Watercolor Collection
Baker
Origin / History
Originated in Connecticut. Downing places its origin at Ridgefield, Ct.; Beach gives its native place as Richfield, Ct. Beach records that the original tree was in full bearing there during the Revolutionary War. He states that it had been known in cultivation for more than a century. Citing the Horticulturist of 1860, he says that forty years before his account it was "but little known outside the vicinity of its origin." Its absence from Bailey's Annals of Horticulture of 1892 leads him to conclude that it "appears to have practically passed out of the lists offered by the nurserymen in North America" and "evidently is nearly obsolete." Beach calls it a red apple of good size, not so good a keeper as Baldwin, inferior to it in quality and "hardly equal to it in color."
Tree
Tree vigorous, spreading, productive. Downing calls it an abundant bearer; Beach describes the tree as large, hardy, healthy, and reliably productive. He notes a tendency to biennial bearing and a considerable loss from the dropping of the fruit. Form upright spreading, open; branches stout, crooked (Beach). Twigs below medium to long, erect, slightly curved, stout, blunt at the tips; internodes medium. Young wood reddish brown (Downing). Bark rather clear olive-green partly covered with dark brownish-red, with light streaked scarf-skin; quite pubescent (Beach). Lenticels scattering, roundish, medium sized, raised. Buds prominent and round (Downing); large, broad, plump, obtuse, pubescent, free or nearly so (Beach). Leaves large, broad.
Fruit
Size: Large. Beach gives above medium to sometimes large, pretty uniform in size and shape.
Form: Roundish, inclining to conic, generally symmetrical. Downing calls it roundish oblate. Beach gives roundish to roundish conic, only sometimes slightly oblate.
Stem: Short to medium, moderately stout to rather thick.
Cavity: Regular, medium (Downing). Beach describes it as acuminate, rather shallow to moderately deep, and broad, often with radiating russet, sometimes lipped.
Calyx: Downing gives the calyx as closed, with segments slightly recurved. Beach describes it as large and usually open, sometimes closed, with lobes often reflexed and acute to obtuse. Beach also describes the calyx tube as wide, conical, sometimes with a short funnel tube extension. He places the stamens median to basal.
Basin: Slightly corrugated to somewhat furrowed. Downing calls it shallow; Beach describes it as abrupt, moderately deep, and moderately wide to wide.
Skin: Rather smooth. Yellow, yellowish, or greenish-yellow, mostly shaded, overlaid, or mottled with red and shades of crimson, and striped and splashed with crimson and carmine. Beach adds that the striping is "not conspicuously so." The prevailing effect is bright red when highly colored, otherwise yellowish (Beach).
Dots: Numerous, russet, mingled with some broken lines or flecks of russet (Beach).
Flesh and flavor: Whitish or tinged with yellow (Beach), yellowish (Downing), often tinged with crimson near the skin (Downing). Texture rather coarse. Beach calls it moderately coarse, moderately firm, breaking, moderately tender, and rather juicy. Flavor pleasant subacid; Beach calls it mild subacid becoming somewhat sweet, agreeable in flavor. Downing and Thomas rate it "very good." Beach rates it "good or nearly good in quality" and calls it "of fairly good quality."
Core and seeds: Core small (Downing), comparatively small (Beach), axile, closed or sometimes open; core lines slightly clasping. Beach describes the carpels as flat, elongated ovate approaching cordate, and tufted. He describes the seeds as medium, moderately wide, moderately long, acute, tufted, and medium brown.
Season
October to February. Beach says it is "not so good a keeper as Baldwin."
Uses
In its native locality highly esteemed both for market and cooking purposes (Downing). Thomas calls it profitable.
Subtypes / Variants
Not described in source.
Other
Baker's Eastern Pippin Apple is a distinct variety of Canadian origin (Beach, citing the Montreal Horticultural Society Report of 1877).
Book Sources
Described in 4 period pomological works
Nursery Catalog Sources
Found in 3 catalogs (1845–1913) from Illinois, Massachusetts
- Winship's Nursery (Brighton Nurseries , operated by the Winship family), Brighton (Boston) , Massachusetts — 1845
- Benjamin Buckman (personal inventory) , Farmingdale , Illinois — 1901
- Benjamin Buckman (personal inventory) , Farmingdale , Illinois — 1913
View original book sources (4)
— A.J. Downing, The Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900)Baker. Scott. Origin, Ridgefield, Ct. Tree vigorous, spreading, abundant bearer, young wood reddish brown, with prominent round buds. In its native locality this Apple is highly esteemed both for market and cooking purposes. Fruit large, roundish oblate, inclining to conic, yellowish, mostly shaded and splashed with shades of crimson. Stalk short, moderately stout. Cavity regular, medium. Calyx closed. Segments slightly recurved. Basin shallow, slightly corrugated. Flesh yellowish, rather coarse, often tinged with crimson near the skin, pleasant subacid. Very good. Core small. October to February.
— John J. Thomas, The American Fruit Culturist (1903)Baker. Large, roundish, striped crimson, rather coarse; pleasant, sub-acid, very good. Productive and profitable. Conn.
— S.A. Beach, The Apples of New York, Vol. 1 (1905)BAKER.
REFERENCES. 1. Horticulturist, 15:92. 1860. 2. Downing, 1872:84. 3. Thomas, 1885:502. 4. Not listed by Bailey, An. Hort., 1892:234. 5. Taylor, Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt., 1895:193. 6. Budd-Hansen, 1903:43. 7. Powell and Fulton, U. S. B. P. I. Bul., 48:37. 1903.
SYNONYM. Scott (2).
This is a red apple of good size, pretty uniform in size and shape and of fairly good quality. It is not so good a keeper as Baldwin and is inferior to it in quality and hardly equal to it in color. The tree is hardy, healthy, vigorous and reliably productive with a tendency to biennial bearing. There is a considerable loss from the dropping of the fruit. Although it has been known in cultivation for more than a century (1), it appears to have practically passed out of the lists offered by the nurserymen in North America (4) and evidently is nearly obsolete.
Historical. It is stated that the original tree was in full bearing in its native place, Richfield, Ct., during the Revolutionary War. Forty years ago it was but little known outside the vicinity of its origin (1).
TREE.
Tree large, vigorous, productive; branches stout, crooked. Form upright spreading, open. Twigs below medium to long, erect, slightly curved, stout, blunt at the tips; internodes medium. Bark rather clear olive-green partly covered with dark brownish-red, with light streaked scarf-skin; quite pubescent. Lenticels scattering, roundish, medium sized, raised. Buds prominent, large, broad, plump, obtuse, pubescent, free or nearly so. Leaves large, broad.
FRUIT.
Fruit above medium to sometimes large; pretty uniform in size and shape. Form roundish to roundish conic, sometimes slightly oblate, generally symmetrical. Stem medium to short, rather thick. Cavity acuminate, rather shallow to moderately deep, broad, often with radiating russet, sometimes lipped. Calyx large, usually open, sometimes closed; lobes often reflexed, acute to obtuse. Basin abrupt, moderately deep, moderately wide to wide, somewhat furrowed.
Skin yellow or greenish-yellow, largely overlaid or mottled with red and striped and splashed with carmine, but not conspicuously so. Dots numerous, russet, mingled with some broken lines or flecks of russet, yet the skin is rather smooth. Prevailing effect when highly colored is bright red, otherwise yellowish.
Calyx tube wide, conical sometimes with short funnel tube extension. Stamens median to basal. Core comparatively small, axile, closed or sometimes open; core lines slightly clasping. Carpels flat, elongated ovate approaching cordate, tufted. Seeds medium, moderately wide, moderately long, acute, tufted, medium brown.
Flesh whitish or tinged with yellow, moderately firm, moderately coarse, breaking, moderately tender, rather juicy, mild subacid becoming somewhat sweet, agreeable in flavor, good or nearly good in quality.
Season October to February.
Baker's Eastern Pippin Apple is a distinct variety of Canadian origin.¹
¹ Montreal Hort. Soc. Rpt., 8:20. 1877.
— J.L. Budd & N.E. Hansen, American Horticultural Manual, Part II: Systematic Pomology (1914)Baker.—Origin, Ridgefield, Connecticut; tree vigorous, spreading, productive. Fruit large, roundish oblate, inclining to conic; surface yellowish, mostly shaded and splashed with shades of crimson; cavity regular, medium; stalk short, moderately stout; basin shallow, slightly corrugated; calyx closed; segments slightly recurved. Core small; flesh yellowish, rather coarse, often tinged with crimson near the skin, pleasant subacid, very good. October to February.