Bethel

Origin/History

Bethel originated at Bethel, Vermont, at some time previous to 1886. During the twenty-five years following its first notice (Hoskins, 1886), it became scattered throughout Northern New York, Northern New England, and portions of Canada. Its culture remains largely confined to the New England states.

Bethel falls at once, through its fruit and tree characters, into the well-known Blue Pearmain group of apples. It is probably worth planting only in regions where Baldwin is injured by cold. It has proved very hardy in Northern New York and is recommended for home use and local markets in that section and in the more elevated regions of the state. In such localities some prefer to grow it on warm soil or sod, to favor the development of better color. It is healthy, long-lived, locally profitable, and a reliable cropper.

Bethel is sometimes confused with an apple grown in Northern New York under the name Stone. The two varieties, as described and received by Beach, are certainly distinct, though both belong to the Blue Pearmain group.

Tree

Beach describes the tree as medium to rather large, moderately vigorous or vigorous; Hedrick gives it as large and vigorous. Form round and spreading. The tree shows a rather weak development of roots in the nursery but in the orchard becomes moderately vigorous and generally quite productive. It is healthy, hardy, and long-lived, usually comes into bearing rather young, and bears annually.

Budd describes the tree simply as a strong grower.

Twigs: Spreading, below medium in length, usually curved, somewhat slender; internodes medium.

Bark: Brownish-red, exceptionally mingled with olive-green, blotched with gray; sparingly pubescent.

Lenticels: Not very conspicuous, moderately abundant, rather small, roundish.

Buds: Rather small, obtuse, appressed, pubescent.

Fruit

Size

Large, uniform in size.

Form

Beach: roundish, slightly conic, somewhat angular or irregularly elliptical. Hedrick: round-conic, angular or irregularly elliptical. Budd gives the form as roundish oblate, slightly irregular and angular — differing from Beach and Hedrick, which indicate a conic tendency rather than an oblate one.

Stem

Beach and Hedrick: short, slender. Budd: medium, slender. Hedrick notes that the stem of Bethel is characteristically curved to one side — a distinguishing identification feature.

Cavity

Beach: acute to acuminate, deep, rather broad, rather symmetrical, with red russet often outspreading broadly. Hedrick: acuminate, deep, broad, symmetrical, with red-russet often outspreading. Budd: usually deep, medium width, slightly russeted — giving a narrower width than Beach and Hedrick, and less pronounced russet.

Calyx

Pubescent; Beach: medium to rather large, partly open or closed, lobes rather narrow and acute. Hedrick: large, open or closed. Budd: half open.

Basin

Beach: rather shallow to moderately deep, moderately wide, slightly furrowed and wrinkled. Hedrick: shallow, wide, furrowed and wrinkled. Budd: shallow, narrow, nearly smooth — differing from both Beach and Hedrick on width (narrow vs. wide) and surface character (nearly smooth vs. furrowed and wrinkled).

Skin

Thick, tough, smooth. Base color: Beach and Hedrick describe it as good deep yellow / yellow; Budd gives greenish yellow. All sources agree the surface is heavily overlaid: Beach describes it as washed and mottled with red and striped with purplish carmine, becoming very dark red in highly colored specimens. Hedrick: washed and mottled with red and striped with carmine, dark red in highly colored specimens (omitting "purplish"). Budd: heavily splashed and shaded with carmine, with considerable bloom — bloom not mentioned by the other sources. Sometimes the fruit has a rather dull appearance, but may attain a bright and attractive, though dark red, color.

Dots

Beach and Hedrick: numerous, conspicuous, russet or light, many small and many (Beach) / some (Hedrick) large and areolar. Budd: many, greenish yellow and russet, distinct — adding greenish yellow as a dot color not noted by the others. Prevailing effect somewhat striped.

Calyx Tube

Very large, wide, somewhat (Beach) / fully (Hedrick) funnel-shaped with a short cylinder.

Stamens

Beach: median to basal. Hedrick: median.

Core

Beach: large, somewhat abaxile, open or sometimes closed; core lines somewhat clasping. Hedrick: large, abaxile, open or closed; core-lines clasping. Budd gives the core as medium — differing from Beach and Hedrick, who call it large.

Carpels: Broad, roundish ovate (Beach) / round-ovate (Hedrick), emarginate, tufted.

Seeds: Large, rather wide (Beach) / wide (Hedrick), long, acute to acuminate, tufted, medium brown (Beach) / brown (Hedrick).

Flesh/Flavor

Beach: yellowish, firm, coarse, crisp, moderately tender, moderately juicy, mild subacid, fair to good. Hedrick: yellow, firm, coarse, crisp, tender, juicy, mild subacid; fair to good — omitting "moderately" from the tenderness and juiciness qualifications. Budd: greenish white with traces of pink, firm, juicy, mild subacid, good — differing from Beach and Hedrick in color (greenish white with pink traces rather than yellowish or yellow).

Season

November to midwinter or possibly March (Beach); November to late winter (Budd); November to March (Hedrick).

Uses

Baking, dessert, and local market (Beach). The fruit will not bear rough handling and is suitable for local markets rather than for shipping long distances. Hedrick confirms it keeps well but does not ship well.

Other

There is apt to be considerable loss from dropping of the fruit before harvest — Beach notes the fruit is prone to preharvest drop; Hedrick similarly states that the trees often lose the crop before picking time.