Barchard
AppleBarchard
Origin/History
Barchard is an English variety, raised in the garden of J. H. Barchard at Putney and introduced to notice in 1852 (Bunyard). It is recorded in the Herefordshire Pomona at p. 67 (Bunyard). By the early twentieth century it was little cultivated (Bunyard).
Tree
Growth moderate; fertile (Bunyard). Leaves rather small, much twisted, oval, shallowly serrate (Bunyard).
Fruit
Size and form: Medium, measuring approximately 2¾ inches by 2¼ inches (Bunyard). Form roundish oblate (Downing) and irregular (Bunyard).
Stem: Rather long (Bunyard).
Cavity: Medium sized (Bunyard).
Calyx: Open (Bunyard).
Basin: Shallow and broad (Bunyard).
Skin: The two sources give partially divergent accounts. Downing describes the color as yellow striped with red. Bunyard describes it as pale yellow with a dull brown-red flush.
Flesh/Flavor: The sources conflict. Downing describes the flesh as white and sugary. Bunyard describes the flesh as firm, yellowish, and sub-acid.
Core/Seeds: Not described in source.
Season
October (Downing); October to November (Bunyard).
Uses
Valuable for kitchen use (Downing). Bunyard classes it as culinary or dessert.
Subtypes/Variants
Not described in source.
Other
Not described in source.
Book Sources
Described in 2 period pomological works
- Bunyard, A Handbook of Hardy Fruits (1920) — listed as BARCHARDS SEEDLING
- Downing, Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900) — listed as Barchard's Seedling
Nursery Catalog Sources
Found in 2 catalogs (1901–1913) from Illinois
- Benjamin Buckman (personal inventory) , Farmingdale , Illinois — 1901
- Benjamin Buckman (personal inventory) , Farmingdale , Illinois — 1913
View original book sources (2)
— A.J. Downing, The Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900)Barchard's Seedling.
An English variety, valuable for kitchen use. Fruit medium, roundish oblate, yellow striped with red. Flesh white, sugary. October. (L. H. S.)
[Additional entry in this volume: "Barchard", pp. 112–112]
Barchard's Seedling.
An English variety, valuable for kitchen use. Fruit medium, roundish oblate, yellow striped with red. Flesh white, sugary. October. (L. H. S.)
— E.A. Bunyard, A Handbook of Hardy Fruits (1920)BARCHARDS SEEDLING. Her Pom., p. 67. Culinary or dessert, October to November, 2¾ by 2¼, medium, irregular. Colour, pale yellow, with dull brown-red flush. Flesh, firm, yellowish, sub-acid. Eye, open in a shallow broad basin. Stem, rather long in a medium sized cavity. Growth, moderate; fertile. Leaf, rather small, much twisted, oval, shallow serrate. Origin, raised in the garden of J. H. Barchard, Putney, and introduced to notice in 1852. It is now little cultivated.