Cabashea
Apple
USDA Pomological Watercolor Collection
Cabashea
Origin and History
Cabashea appears to be a Western New York seedling (New York Agricultural Society Transactions, 1849). It is now seldom or never planted.
A significant nomenclatural controversy surrounds this variety. Downing (1900) and some other pomologists applied the name Cabashea to the variety commonly known among fruit growers and dealers as Twenty Ounce Pippin — a winter apple in season with Tompkins King. Beach (1905) explicitly rejects this identification, following Thomas, Warder, and Emmons in reserving the name Cabashea for a distinct fall apple grown in Western New York. Beach notes that the variety generally known in Western New York as Cabashea comes in season about with the true Twenty Ounce Pippin but is not so good a keeper, and is a large, flat apple somewhat marked with dull red. The descriptions below follow Beach's usage (the fall Cabashea), with conflicts attributable to the Downing identification noted explicitly.
Emmons (1851) published a section drawing of this Cabashea showing its characteristically oblate form and remarked: "This apple is more remarkable for its size than for its valuable qualities. . . . It is not, however, an inferior apple. For cooking it is certainly esteemed, as it has a pleasant and agreeable taste. It is, however, too large."
Tree
Per Beach (1905): Tree medium size, moderately vigorous. Form erect or somewhat spreading. Twigs medium to long, curved, spreading, stout to rather slender; internodes medium. Bark reddish-brown tinged with olive-green, streaked with scarf-skin, heavily pubescent near tips. Lenticels conspicuous, scattering, large, oval, raised. Buds large, broad, obtuse, free, pubescent; tips stout.
The tree is hardy, healthy, medium to long-lived, and a pretty regular cropper, yielding moderate to rather light crops nearly annually. It is not considered a good commercial variety because it is not sufficiently productive and the fruit does not sell very well.
[CONFLICT — Tree vigor and bearing:] Downing (1900) — writing of the variety he called Cabashea, which Beach identifies as Twenty Ounce Pippin — describes the tree as "a vigorous grower, poor bearer, and unprofitable," with young shoots "very dark reddish brown, downy." Beach's Cabashea is described as moderately vigorous with moderate crops nearly annually. These descriptions may refer to two distinct varieties rather than a genuine disagreement about the same tree.
Fruit
Size and Form: Fruit large to very large, fairly uniform in size and shape. Form roundish oblate to decidedly flat, obscurely ribbed; sides somewhat unequal. Downing describes the form as "roundish oblate, conical" — a detail that may again reflect the variety confusion.
Stem: Usually short, moderately slender.
Cavity: Acute, deep, very broad, often somewhat furrowed, much russeted with greenish russet often extending well beyond the cavity.
Calyx: Large or sometimes medium, usually closed; lobes long, medium in width, acute.
Basin: Large, deep, wide, somewhat furrowed, unsymmetrical.
Skin: Moderately tender, smooth, slightly unctuous. Ground color yellowish-green, mottled and blushed with yellowish-red, with broad stripes and splashes of brighter and deeper red. In many specimens the prevailing color is yellowish-green with broad stripes of faint red; in more highly colored specimens the red striping becomes quite distinct. Downing describes the skin as "yellow striped and splashed with dull red," which is broadly consistent. Dots small, inconspicuous, often submerged.
Calyx Tube and Stamens: Calyx tube large, wide, conical. Stamens basal.
Core and Seeds: Core large, decidedly abaxile; cells wide open; core lines meeting. Carpels elongated ovate, distinctly concave, slightly tufted. Seeds few, medium size, irregular, plump, obtuse, dark.
Flesh: Greenish or tinged somewhat with yellow, rather firm, coarse, crisp, juicy, subacid or quite acid. [CONFLICT — flesh color:] Downing describes the flesh as whitish; Beach gives it as greenish or tinged with yellow.
Flavor and Quality
Fair for dessert, good for cooking. Subacid or quite acid. Emmons considered it "pleasant and agreeable" for cooking purposes, though faulted it for excessive size. Downing rates it simply "Poor."
Season and Storage
Per Beach (1905): September and October — a fall variety.
[CONFLICT — season:] Downing gives December to February, consistent with a winter apple. This conflict is the crux of the nomenclatural dispute: Beach's Cabashea is a fall variety; Downing's "Cabashea" (which Beach argues is actually Twenty Ounce Pippin) is a winter variety. Beach further notes that the Western New York Cabashea is not so good a keeper as the true Twenty Ounce Pippin.
Uses
Good for cooking; fair for dessert. Esteemed in earlier periods but now seldom planted, and never considered a strong commercial variety owing to low productivity and poor market appeal.
Book Sources
Described in 3 period pomological works
View original book sources (3)
— A.J. Downing, The Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900)Cabashea.
20-Ounce Pippin. King.
Origin unknown. Tree a vigorous grower, poor bearer, and unprofitable. Young shoots very dark reddish brown, downy.
Fruit very large, roundish oblate, conical, yellow striped and splashed with dull red. Flesh whitish, coarse, subacid. Poor. December to February.
— S.A. Beach, The Apples of New York, Vol. 1 (1905)CABASHEA (WINTER).
The variety recognized by Downing, Lyon, Woolverton and some other pomologists as Cabashea, so far as we can learn, is not known to New York fruit growers and fruit dealers under that name but by them is commonly called Twenty Ounce Pippin. It is in season with Tompkins King and a little later. Sometimes it is called King. The variety which is generally called Cabashea in Western New York is a large, flat apple somewhat marked with dull red. It comes in season about with the true Twenty Ounce but is not so good a keeper. We prefer to follow Thomas, Warder and Emmons in retaining the name Cabashea for the fall apple above mentioned and in recognizing Twenty Ounce Pippin as the correct name for the later variety. The Twenty Ounce Pippin should not be confused with the true Twenty Ounce nor with the Tompkins King. For more extended notice of these varieties the reader is referred to Cabashea (fall) in the succeeding volume and to Twenty Ounce Pippin in this volume.
— S.A. Beach, The Apples of New York, Vol. 2 (1905)CABASHEA.
REFERENCES. 1. N. Y. Agr. Soc. Trans., 1849:350. 2. Emmons, Nat. Hist. N. Y., 3:103. 1851. 3. Warder, 1867:714. 4. Thomas, 1875:495. 5. Beach, Apples of New York, 1:91. 1905.
SYNONYMS. CABASHEA (1, 3, 4, 5). Cabashea (2). CABASHIE (2).
The name Cabashea has been applied by many pomologists to the variety commonly known among fruit growers and fruit dealers as Twenty Ounce Pippin (5), an apple which comes in season about with Tompkins King. The variety which is generally known in Western New York as Cabashea comes in season about with the true Twenty Ounce but it is not so good a keeper. In 1851 Emmons published a cut of a section of this Cabashea showing well its characteristically oblate form. Emmons remarked, "This apple is more remarkable for its size than for its valuable qualities. . . . It is not, however, an inferior apple. For cooking it is certainly esteemed, as it has a pleasant and agreeable taste. It is, however, too large." The tree is hardy, healthy, medium to longlived, and a pretty regular cropper, yielding moderate to rather light crops nearly annually. It is not considered a good commercial variety because it is not sufficiently productive and the fruit does not sell very well.
Historical. This variety appears to be a Western New York seedling (1). It is now seldom or never planted.
TREE.
Tree medium size, moderately vigorous. Form erect or somewhat spreading. Twigs medium to long, curved, spreading, stout to rather slender; internodes medium. Bark reddish-brown tinged with olive-green, streaked with scarf-skin, heavily pubescent near tips. Lenticels conspicuous, scattering, large, oval, raised. Buds large, broad, obtuse, free, pubescent; tips stout.
FRUIT.
Fruit large to very large, fairly uniform in size and shape. Form roundish oblate to decidely flat, obscurely ribbed; sides somewhat unequal. Stem usually short, moderately slender. Cavity acute, deep, very broad, often somewhat furrowed, much russeted with greenish russet often extending beyond the cavity. Calyx large or sometimes medium, usually closed; lobes long, medium in width, acute. Basin large, deep, wide, somewhat furrowed, unsymmetrical.
Skin moderately tender, smooth, slightly unctuous, yellowish-green mottled and blushed with yellowish-red, with broad stripes and splashes of brighter and deeper red. Dots small, inconspicuous, often submerged. Prevailing color in many specimens yellowish-green with broad stripes of faint red; in more highly-colored specimens the red striping becomes quite distinct. Calyx tube large, wide, conical. Stamens basal.
Core large, decidely abaxile; cells wide open; core lines meeting. Carpels elongated ovate, distinctly concave, slightly tufted. Seeds few, medium size, irregular, plump, obtuse, dark.
Flesh greenish or tinged somewhat with yellow, rather firm, coarse, crisp, juicy, subacid or quite acid, fair for dessert, good for cooking.
Season September and October.