Betsy's Fancy
Apple
USDA Pomological Watercolor Collection
Betsy's Fancy
Origin/History
Origin unknown.
Tree
Free grower, rather spreading. Good bearer.
Fruit
Size and Form: Scarcely medium, oblate.
Stem: Short, inserted in a moderate cavity.
Calyx: Closed.
Basin: Shallow and uneven.
Skin: Yellowish, shaded with dull red.
Flesh/Flavor: Compact, tender; pleasant, mild subacid flavor. Quality rated good to very good (Downing).
Core/Seeds: Not described in source.
Season
December to March.
Uses
Not described in source.
Subtypes/Variants
Not described in source.
Other
Both sources (Elliott 1865 and Downing 1900) give virtually identical descriptions; Downing adds the explicit quality rating of "good to very good" not present in Elliott.
Book Sources
Described in 2 period pomological works
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)Betsy's Fancy. Origin unknown. A free grower, rather spreading, good bearer. Fruit scarcely medium, oblate, yellowish, shaded with dull red. Stem short, inserted in a moderate cavity. Calyx closed. Basin shallow and uneven. Flesh compact, tender, pleasant, mild, subacid flavor. Good to very good. December to March.
— F.R. Elliott, The Western Fruit Book (1865)Betsy's Fancy. Origin, unknown, a free grower, rather spreading, good bearer. Fruit, scarcely medium, oblate ; skin, yellowish, shaded with dull red ; stem, short, inserted in a moderate cavity; calyx, closed; basin, shallow, and uneven ; flesh, compact, tender, pleasant, mild sub-acid flavor. December to March.