Blaze

Origin and History

Blaze appears in the USDA ARS survey as two distinct entries, suggesting multiple introductions or strains of this variety in American cultivation by 1963.

The first entry was received from the Agricultural Experiment Station at the University of Illinois, Urbana. This strain is described as a Jonathan type, noted for ripening 3–4 weeks earlier than Jonathan. It was reported by three stations: the University of Illinois Agricultural Experiment Station (Urbana), Rutgers Agricultural Experiment Station (New Brunswick, New Jersey), and the University of Wisconsin Agricultural Experiment Station (Madison).

The second entry was received from R. Meister of the American Fruit Grower publication (Willoughby, Ohio) and is documented as a Collins × Fanny cross. This strain was reported by the Agricultural Experiment Station, Department of Pomology, Geneva, New York.

Tree

The tree is vigorous and productive.

Fruit

Overall form and size: Medium; round-oblate.

Color: Brilliant red; nearly covered with red.

Skin: On "vel." [velvet or velvety ground], thin, tough, smooth, glossy.

Flesh and flavor: Yellow, crisp, firm, juicy, subacid, good quality.

Season: Ripens 3 weeks before Jonathan (first entry: 3–4 weeks before Jonathan).

Uses

Not described in source.

Subtypes/Variants

Two distinct entries are recorded:

1. A Jonathan-type strain received from the University of Illinois Agricultural Experiment Station.
2. A Collins × Fanny hybrid received from R. Meister (American Fruit Grower).

Other

Both strains were documented in the USDA ARS Survey of Apple Clones in the United States (1963), indicating Blaze's presence across multiple American agricultural experiment stations in the early 1960s.