Brittle Sweet
AppleOrigin/History
Origin unknown. Downing (1900) notes that "this valuable apple is little known; in beauty and quality it may be classed as among the best, and deserves more attention."
Tree
Moderately vigorous, very productive. Warder (1867) and Elliott (1865), both quoting an earlier Downing edition, describe it as a "good grower, and very productive."
Fruit
Size: Above medium.
Form: Roundish, approaching conical. Warder (1867) and Elliott (1865) add "sometimes elongated, angular."
Stem: Rather short, slender. Warder (1867) and Elliott (1865) describe it simply as "short, inserted in a broad, shallow cavity."
Cavity: Regular, broad, moderately deep (Downing 1900). Warder (1867) and Elliott (1865) describe it as "broad, shallow."
Calyx: Closed. Segments small, often recurved (Downing 1900).
Basin: Small, corrugated.
Skin: Downing (1900) describes the ground color as pale yellow, shaded, splashed, and marbled over nearly the entire surface with shades of light and dark crimson red, with many small gray and white dots. Warder (1867) and Elliott (1865), quoting an earlier Downing edition, give the ground color as greenish yellow, shaded and splashed with crimson, sprinkled with gray dots.
Flesh/Flavor: Yellowish, crisp, tender, juicy. Downing (1900) describes the flavor as having "a peculiar honeyed sweet, and slightly aromatic," rated Very Good. Warder (1867) and Elliott (1865) describe it as "sweet, and excellent."
Core/Seeds: Core rather large (Downing 1900).
Season
Downing (1900) gives October and November. Warder (1867) and Elliott (1865) give September and October.
Uses
Not described in source.
Subtypes/Variants
Not described in source.
Other
The Encyclopedia of Practical Horticulture (1914) includes Brittle Sweet in a variety-characteristic table:
Description absent; variety present in variety-characteristic table.
Brittle Sweet M rc rs VG f a 1*
Book Sources
Described in 4 period pomological works
View original book sources (4)
— John A. Warder, American Pomology: Apples (1867)Brittle Sweet.
"Origin unknown; good grower, and very productive.
"Fruit above medium, roundish, approaching conic, sometimes elongated, angular; Skin greenish yellow, shaded and splashed with crimson, sprinkled with gray dots; Stem short, inserted in a broad, shallow cavity; Calyx closed, set in a small corrugated basin; Flesh yellowish, crisp, tender, juicy, sweet, and excellent; Season, September, October." — Downing.
— A.J. Downing, The Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900)Brittle Sweet.
Origin unknown. Tree moderately vigorous, very productive. This valuable apple is little known ; in beauty and quality it may be classed as among the best, and deserves more attention.
Fruit above medium, roundish, approaching conical. Color pale yellow, shaded, splashed and marbled over nearly the entire surface, with shades of light and dark crimson red, many small gray and white dots. Stalk rather short, slender. Cavity regular, broad, moderately deep. Calyx closed. Segments small, often recurved. Basin small corrugated. Flesh yellowish, crisp, tender, juicy with a peculiar honeyed sweet, and slightly aromatic. Core rather large. Very good. October and November.
— Granville Lowther (ed.), Encyclopedia of Practical Horticulture (1914)Brittle Sweet M rc rs VG f a 1*
— F.R. Elliott, The Western Fruit Book (1865)Brittle Sweet.
Origin unknown — good grower, and very productive.
Fruit, above medium, roundish, approaching conic, sometimes elongated, angular ; skin, greenish yellow, shaded and splashed with crimson, sprinkled with gray dots ; stem, short, inserted in a broad, shallow cavity ; calyx, closed, set in a small corrugated basin ; flesh, yellowish, crisp, tender, juicy, sweet, and excellent. September, October. (Downing.)