CHELMSFORD WONDER

Apple

Origin / History

Raised near Chelmsford; introduced by Mr. Saltmarsh in 1891. First described in the Gardeners' Magazine, April 11th, 1891.

Tree

Growth habit: Sturdy, upright, spreading
Fertility: Fair
Foliage: Remarkably distinct; leaves much down-folded

Fruit

Size: Large; 3½ by 3 inches
Form: Round, very regular
Skin: Deep yellow with crimson flush and stripes
Stem: Short, set in a moderate, very evenly rounded cavity
Calyx/Eye: Closed, set in a shallow plaited basin
Flesh: Crisp and breaking
Flavor: Acid

Season

November to March

Uses

Culinary. A very useful fruit, with flesh of the Wellington style; keeps crisp to a very late season.

Subtypes / Variants

Not described in source.

Book Sources

Described in 1 period pomological work

Bunyard, A Handbook of Hardy Fruits (1920)

Nursery Catalog Sources

Found in 4 catalogs (1900–1913) from England, Illinois

Central Experimental Farm , Dominion Department of Agriculture, Agassiz, British Columbia (under test; Bulletin No. 3, Second Series) — 1900
Benjamin Buckman (personal inventory) , Farmingdale , Illinois — 1901
James Veitch & Sons , Ltd., Royal Exotic Nursery, Chelsea, London (also Coombe Wood, Langley, and Feltham) , England — 1911
Benjamin Buckman (personal inventory) , Farmingdale , Illinois — 1913

View original book sources (1)

CHELMSFORD WONDER. G. Mag., April 11th, 1891. Culinary, November to March, large, 3½ by 3, round, very regular. Colour, deep yellow with crimson flush and stripes. Flesh, crisp and breaking, flavour, acid. Eye, closed in a shallow plaited basin. Stem, short in a moderate very evenly rounded cavity. Growth, sturdy, upright, spreading; fertility, fair. Leaf, much down folded. Origin, raised near Chelmsford, and introduced by Mr. Saltmarsh in 1891. A very useful fruit of the Wellington style in flesh; it keeps crisp to a very late season. The foliage is remarkably distinct.

— E.A. Bunyard, A Handbook of Hardy Fruits (1920)