Cannon Pearmain
Apple
USDA Pomological Watercolor Collection
Cannon Pearmain
Origin / History
Cannon Pearmain is an old American apple of the South. Elliott calls it simply American; Warder and Hedrick call it southern. It originated in Virginia or North Carolina. Beach gives that origin on the authority of Downing (1857), Elliott (1858), Warder (1867), and the American Pomological Society's report of 1871. Warder calls it "probably from North Carolina," and Thomas and Budd and Hansen give North Carolina without qualification.
Hedrick, who enters it under the name "Cannon," says it "first appeared in pomological literature in 1851 with the statement that it originated in Virginia or North Carolina." The first entry in Beach's references is Emmons, Natural History of New York, 1851, with a figure. His later references include the American Pomological Society's catalog of 1860, the Magazine of Horticulture of 1861, Barry (1883), Bailey's Annals of Horticulture (1892), Alabama Station Bulletin 47 (1893), and Powell and Fulton, U.S. Bureau of Plant Industry Bulletin 48 (1903).
Downing calls it much grown in North Carolina and in some portions of the West. Warder says it is grown to some extent in parts of the West, "where it proves a substitute for the Ben Davis, keeping longer." Beach calls it "valued in the South as a long keeping apple of fairly good quality" and "not adapted to New York conditions." Hedrick calls it an old southern apple "valued as a long-lived sort," still grown in the South Atlantic states. Lowther's station table records it from 7 stations in the Northern Division and 2 in the Central Division, with an asterisk indicating it is reported as adapted to more than one division.
Tree
Vigorous and healthy; Elliott calls it a good grower. Habit spreading, branches diverging (Elliott). Productive; Warder says productive when old.
Fruit
Size: Small to rather large. Most authors give medium, and Beach gives medium to nearly large. Elliott alone calls it small; Thomas calls it rather large.
Form: Roundish, round, roundish conic, oblong or oblong-conical, or ovate. Beach gives ovate varying to roundish. Regular, symmetrical, pretty uniform. Lowther's table records the form as "re."
Stem: Short (Elliott, Downing). Warder calls it long, slender, and red.
Cavity: Small, shallow, russeted. Warder calls it acute and often lipped.
Calyx: Small and closed (Elliott, Warder). Downing calls it large and open.
Basin: Deep, abrupt. Elliott calls it furrowed, and Downing large, round, open, and corrugated; Warder calls it regular, rarely wavy.
Skin: Smooth (Warder). Yellow to greenish yellow, shaded, mottled, and washed with red, faintly striped, or striped, splashed, and marbled. The red is dull red (Elliott); bright red faintly striped with carmine (Beach); red and dark crimson (Downing).
Dots: Large, yellow, yellowish, gray or grayish. Elliott calls them large yellow specks. Beach calls them often areolar with a russet point.
Flesh and flavor: Yellow, yellowish, or tinged with yellow. Firm to very firm, crisp, breaking, somewhat coarse, juicy. Flavor rich, brisk, sprightly, spicy, aromatic, subacid to mild subacid. Quality "very good" (Downing, Lowther) to "good" (Beach, who also calls it "of fairly good quality"). Warder rates it "only good."
Core and seeds: Core medium, axile, regular, oval, closed, with clasping or somewhat clasping core lines. Seeds numerous, long, pointed (Warder).
Season
The recorded season runs from December to April. Elliott and Downing give December to March; Warder and Beach give January to April. Thomas says it keeps till spring, and Lowther's table gives winter.
Uses
Market, kitchen, and table (Warder). Lowther's table gives family use as primary.
Subtypes / Variants
Not described in source.
Other
Warder figures the fruit (Fig. 279).
Book Sources
Described in 8 period pomological works
- Warder, American Pomology: Apples (1867)
- Beach, The Apples of New York Vol. 1 (1905)
- Budd & Hansen, Systematic Pomology (1914)
- Downing, Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900)
- Elliott, The Western Fruit Book (1865)
- Lowther (ed.), Encyclopedia of Practical Horticulture (1914)
- Thomas, The American Fruit Culturist (1903)
- Hedrick, Cyclopedia of Hardy Fruits (1922) — listed as CANNON
Nursery Catalog Sources
Found in 2 catalogs (1901–1913) from Illinois
- Benjamin Buckman (personal inventory) , Farmingdale , Illinois — 1901
- Benjamin Buckman (personal inventory) , Farmingdale , Illinois — 1913
View original book sources (8)
— F.R. Elliott, The Western Fruit Book (1865)Cannon Pearmain. American. Tree, good grower, branches diverging. Fruit, small, roundish, yellow, with dull red and large yellow specks; stem, short; cavity, shallow, russety; calyx, small, closed; basin, furrowed; flesh, yellow, crisp, sprightly. December to March.
— John A. Warder, American Pomology: Apples (1867)Cannon Pearmain.
A southern apple; probably from North Carolina. Grown to some extent in parts of the West, where it proves a substitute for the Ben Davis, keeping longer.
Fig. 279. — CANNON PEARMAIN.
Tree vigorous, healthy, productive when old; Fruit medium, round, oblong or ovate, regular; Surface smooth, yellow, shaded red, faintly striped; Dots large, yellow, gray.
Basin deep, abrupt, regular, rarely wavy; Eye small, closed.
Cavity acute, often lipped; Stem long, slender, red.
Core medium, regular, oval, closed, clasping; Seeds numerous, long, pointed; Flesh yellow, firm, breaking; Flavor mild sub-acid; Quality only good; Use, market, kitchen, table; Season, January to April.
— A.J. Downing, The Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900)Cannon Pearmain.
Tree vigorous, spreading, and productive ; much grown in North Carolina, and some portions of the West.
Fruit medium, roundish conic. Color yellow, striped, and marbled with red and dark crimson, with large grayish dots. Stalk short. Cavity small, russeted. Calyx large, open. Basin large, round, deep, and open, corrugated. Flesh yellow, firm, with a rich, brisk, subacid flavor. Very good. December to March.
— John J. Thomas, The American Fruit Culturist (1903)Cannon Pearmain. Rather large, roundish or oblong-conical; red on yellow; cavity small, basin abrupt; flesh yellowish, firm, rich, spicy, mild sub-acid. Keep still spring. Tree vigorous, spreading, productive. North Carolina.
— S.A. Beach, The Apples of New York, Vol. 1 (1905)CANNON PEARMAIN.
REFERENCES. 1. Emmons, Nat. Hist. N. Y., 3:102. 1851. fig. 2. Downing, 1857:126. 3. Elliott, 1858:126. 4. Am. Pom. Soc. Cat., 1860. 5. Mag. Hort., 27:99. 1861. 6. Warder, 1867:676. fig. 7. Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt., 1871:38. 8. Barry, 1883:344. 9. Bailey, An. Hort., 1892:236. 10. Ala. Sta. Bul., 47:7. 1893. 11. Powell and Fulton, U. S. B. P. I. Bul., 48:39. 1903.
SYNONYM. Cannon Pearmain (8).
Valued in the South as a long keeping apple of fairly good quality. Not adapted to New York conditions.
Historical. Originated in Virginia or North Carolina (2, 3, 6, 7).
TREE.
Tree healthy, vigorous, spreading.
FRUIT.
Fruit medium to nearly large, ovate varying to roundish, regular, symmetrical; pretty uniform. Skin greenish-yellow, mottled and washed with bright red faintly striped with carmine. Dots yellowish, often areolar with russet point. Core medium, axile, closed; core lines somewhat clasping. Flesh tinged with yellow, very firm, somewhat coarse, crisp, juicy, aromatic, subacid, good.
Season January to April.
— J.L. Budd & N.E. Hansen, American Horticultural Manual, Part II: Systematic Pomology (1914)Cannon Pearmain.—Origin, North Carolina; tree vigorous, spreading, productive.
Fruit medium, form regular, roundish conic; surface yellow, striped, shaded, and marbled with red and dark crimson; dots large, yellow, gray; cavity small, russeted; stem long, slender; basin large, regular, deep, abrupt, regular, rarely wavy or corrugated; flesh yellow, firm, with a rich, brisk, subacid flavor, very good. January to April.
— Granville Lowther (ed.), Encyclopedia of Practical Horticulture (1914)Cannon Pearmain is medium in size, with a form of "re", and red striped or splashed skin. Quality is very good. Primary use is family. Season of use is winter. Reported by 7 stations in the Northern Division and 2 stations in the Central Division; the asterisk on both division counts indicates the variety is reported as adapted to more than one division.
— U.P. Hedrick, Cyclopedia of Hardy Fruits (1922)CANNON. Cannon Pearmain. Cannon is an old southern apple, valued as a long-lived sort, which first appeared in pomological literature in 1851 with the statement that it originated in Virginia or North Carolina. It is still grown in the South Atlantic states. Tree healthy, vigorous, spreading. Fruit medium to large, ovate varying to roundish, regular, symmetrical, uniform ; skin greenish-yellow, mottled and washed with bright red faintly striped with carmine ; dots yellow, often areolar with russet point ; core medium, axile, closed ; core-lines clasping ; flesh yellow, firm, coarse, crisp, juicy, aromatic, subacid ; good ; January to April.