Bledsoe Pippin
Apple
USDA Pomological Watercolor Collection
Bledsoe Pippin
Origin / History
Raised by John Bledsoe, of Carroll County, Kentucky (Downing, whose account is credited to the Kentucky Horticultural Society). Warder records it from Carroll County, Kentucky, and says Lewis Sanders sent it to Ohio. Elliott in 1865 quotes the manuscript of A. H. Ernst, which places it "From Kentucky" and calls it "Claimed as a seedling — new." Downing calls it "a promising winter Apple for the South."
Tree
Growth moderate, moderately vigorous, spreading or rather spreading. Productive.
Fruit
Size: Large (Ernst, Warder) to very large (Downing).
Form: Round or roundish to conical or somewhat conical, flattened at the base, tapering to the apex. Regular.
Stem: Short.
Cavity: Deep, brown (Warder), slightly russeted (Downing).
Calyx: Closed (Ernst; Warder's "eye … closed") or partly closed (Downing). Small (Ernst) or medium (Warder).
Basin: Shallow (Ernst), somewhat furrowed or sometimes folded.
Skin: Smooth, greenish yellow, very obscurely striped (Downing), light bronze at the base (Ernst).
Dots: Brownish specks (Ernst).
Flesh and flavor: Flesh white, fine-grained, crisp, juicy; tender (Ernst). Flavor mild, pleasant, agreeable subacid. Warder and Downing rate it "good." The Ernst manuscript calls it "very good," and Warder reports that the Kentucky Horticultural Society also says "very good."
Core and seeds: Core open (Ernst). Seeds large, light brown (Ernst).
Season
Winter. Season September to April, every account closing in April. Downing gives December to April. Warder carries it back to September, while the Ernst manuscript confines it to March and April.
Uses
Not described in source.
Subtypes / Variants
Not described in source.
Other
Resembles White Pippin (Ernst).
Book Sources
Described in 4 period pomological works
- Downing, Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900)
- Warder, American Pomology: Apples (1867) — listed as Bledsoe
- Budd & Hansen, Systematic Pomology (1914) — listed as Bledsoe
- Elliott, The Western Fruit Book (1865) — listed as Bledsoe
Nursery Catalog Sources
Found in 2 catalogs (1900–1901) from Illinois
- Central Experimental Farm , Dominion Department of Agriculture, Agassiz, British Columbia (under test; Bulletin No. 3, Second Series) — 1900 — listed as Bledsoe
- Benjamin Buckman (personal inventory) , Farmingdale , Illinois — 1901 — listed as Bledsoe
View original book sources (4)
— F.R. Elliott, The Western Fruit Book (1865)Bledsoe. Bledsoe Pippin.
"From Kentucky. Resembles White Pippin. Fruit, large, conical, flattened at base, greenish yellow, light bronze at base, brownish specks; skin, smooth; stem, short; cavity, deep; calyx, small, closed; basin, shallow; core, open; seeds, large, light brown; flesh, white, tender, juicy; 'very good.' March and April. Claimed as a seedling — new." (A. H. Ernst, IMs.)
— John A. Warder, American Pomology: Apples (1867)Bledsoe.
From Carroll County, Kentucky; Sent to Ohio by Lewis Sanders. Tree moderately vigorous, spreading, productive.
Fruit large, round, somewhat conical, flattened at the base, regular; Surface greenish-yellow.
Basin sometimes folded; Eye medium, closed.
Cavity deep, brown; Stem short.
Flesh white, fine-grained, crisp, juicy; Flavor mild sub-acid, agreeable; Quality good—Kentucky Horticultural Society say "very good;" Season, September to April.
— A.J. Downing, The Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900)Bledsoe Pippin.
Raised by John Bledsoe, of Carroll Co., Kentucky. Growth moderate, rather spreading, productive, a promising winter Apple for the South.
Fruit very large, regular, roundish, flattened at the base, tapering to the apex, greenish yellow, very obscurely striped. Stalk short. Cavity deep, slightly russeted. Calyx partly closed, in a somewhat furrowed basin. Flesh white, fine texture, crisp, juicy, with a mild, pleasant subacid flavor. Good. December to April. (Ky. Hort. Soc.)
— J.L. Budd & N.E. Hansen, American Horticultural Manual, Part II: Systematic Pomology (1914)Bledsoe. — Origin, Kentucky. Fruit very large, round, somewhat conical, flattened at base, regular; surface greenish yellow, obscurely striped; cavity deep, slightly russeted; stem short; basin somewhat corrugated; calyx half open; flesh white, crisp, fine-grained, juicy, mild, agreeable subacid, good. December to April.