Campfield

Origin / History

Campfield is an old American variety. Coxe (1817), describing it as his No. 84, writes that it was "originally cultivated" in "the Eastern counties of this State" and "derived its name from a family resident in that part of the country." He reports that it was "esteemed the most profitable apple produced in the Eastern counties of this State." Beach, citing Coxe, places the origin in Eastern New Jersey and names the family Campfield.

Coxe ranks Campfield next to the Harrison in reputation as a cider fruit. Downing likewise calls it "a capital New Jersey cider apple, ranking next to the Harrison." Beach notes that Coxe recommended it for cider. He also notes that Warder, "who gives a very good description of the variety, ranks it poor in quality."

Beach traces it through Coxe (1817, figured), Thacher (1822), Floy-Lindley (1833), Downing (1845, 1857), Emmons's Natural History of New York (1851, figured), Elliott (1858), Warder (1867, figured), the American Pomological Society Catalogue (1871), Barry (1883), and the Rural New Yorker (1890). He credits it with "the merit of being a good keeper." He adds that "as there is not much demand for fruit of this character it is fast becoming obsolete."

Tree

Tree large, vigorous to very vigorous, with straight limbs, spreading. Downing calls it "a fine large tree." Coxe describes it as tall, with straight limbs inclining upwards, and Elliott calls it nearly upright, spreading. Wood hard (Coxe). Twigs long, rather slender, light colored (Beach). Very hardy and healthy (Beach).

Productive to very productive; Coxe calls it of "uncommon fruitfulness." A biennial bearer, apt to overbear, causing the fruit to be small (Beach).

Lowther's station table, under the spelling "Camfield," records it from 2 stations in the Northern Division and 8 in the Central Division. In each division it is noted as also reported in another division. No stations in the Southern Division reported it.

Fruit

Size: Medium, "middling" in Coxe's word. Beach gives medium to large and uniform in size, though the fruit is small when the tree overbears.

Form: Round to roundish, flattened or oblate, regular. Coxe adds "somewhat sunk at the ends." Warder gives round-oblate as the characteristic form but calls the figure variable, sometimes globular or conical. Beach gives roundish oblate to roundish ovate or roundish conic.

Stem: Medium, rather stout (Warder). Beach calls it below medium.

Cavity: Regular. Warder gives medium width and depth; Beach calls it acute, rather narrow, deep.

Calyx: Eye rather large, segments of medium length (Warder). Calyx closed (Warder) or somewhat open (Beach). Calyx tube long funnel-form (Beach).

Basin: Shallow to moderately deep, regular, narrow, somewhat abrupt, slightly wrinkled. The added depth and the narrow, abrupt, wrinkled character are Beach's.

Skin: Smooth to very smooth. Ground dull green to greenish yellow, yellow at maturity; Warder gives bright lemon yellow. Washed or blushed and striped with red. The coloring is variously given as red, the side from the sun greenish yellow (Coxe); dull red in the sun (Elliott); a faint blush on the exposed side, shaded with carmine at maturity (Warder); and green-red (Lowther's table). Fruit "always fair" (Warder), often beautifully colored at maturity in the spring, with "brilliant colors" (Warder).

Dots: Small to minute, indistinct (Coxe), indented (Warder). Their color is given as yellow (Coxe), gray (Warder), and white or russet (Beach).

Flesh and flavor: Flesh white, or whitish slightly tinged with yellow (Beach), firm, rather dry to dry (Elliott), moderately fine, not crisp (Beach). Warder calls the flesh tough, while Beach calls it tender. Sweet and rich; Beach says "decidedly sweet," and Warder gives the juice as "very sweet and rich at maturity." Quality "good" in Downing, Beach, and Lowther's table. Warder, according to Beach, ranks it poor.

Core and seeds: Core wide, regular, closed, meeting the eye (Warder). Core lines clasping; carpels broad, emarginate, somewhat tufted (Beach). Seeds numerous, plump; Beach adds short and dark.

Season

The recorded season runs from November into July. Beach gives the full span, November to July, and calls the fruit a good keeper. Warder calls it a long keeper, gives December until March, and Lowther's table gives winter; Downing places it later, in April and May.

Uses

Chiefly a cider apple. Coxe writes that it is "usually mixed with that apple [the Harrison] in equal portions when ground." He describes the cider as "very strong and highly flavoured," yielding fourteen quarts of spirit from a barrel, and priced about a dollar per barrel less than the Harrison. Warder calls it "especially valuable for cider," its juice "making excellent cider."

Elliott values it for stock and cider, and Downing calls it fine for baking and stock feeding. Warder says it may also be used in the kitchen. He writes that "being a long keeper and often beautifully colored at maturity in the spring, it is often exposed on the fruit-stands, where it attracts purchasers by the great beauty of its brilliant colors." Lowther's table gives kitchen and market.

Subtypes / Variants

Not described in source.

Other

Not described in source.