Chelmsford Wonder

Apple

Chelmsford Wonder

Origin / History

Raised near Chelmsford and introduced by Mr. Saltmarsh in 1891 (Bunyard, citing G. Mag., April 11th, 1891). Veitch (1911) lists it marked "F.C.C." and describes it as like King of the Pippins but larger and more solid.

Tree

Growth sturdy, upright, spreading; fertility fair (Bunyard). A good bearer (Veitch). Leaf much down folded; "the foliage is remarkably distinct" (Bunyard).

Fruit

Size: Large, 3½ by 3 (Bunyard). Larger than King of the Pippins (Veitch).

Form: Round, very regular. More solid than King of the Pippins (Veitch).

Stem: Short.

Cavity: Moderate, very evenly rounded.

Calyx: Eye closed.

Basin: Shallow, plaited.

Skin: Deep yellow with crimson flush and stripes (Bunyard); yellow with some red spottings on the exposed side (Veitch).

Dots: Not described in source.

Flesh and flavor: Crisp and breaking; flavor acid. "Of the Wellington style in flesh" (Bunyard).

Core and seeds: Not described in source.

Season

November to March (Bunyard); keeps crisp to a very late season (Bunyard). April and May (Veitch).

Uses

Culinary. "A very useful fruit" (Bunyard).

Subtypes / Variants

Not described in source.

Other

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 (2)

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)

like King of the Pippins but larger and more solid, yellow with some red spottings on the exposed side, a good bearer. F.C.C. ... April & May

— James Veitch & Sons, Veitch's Fruit Trees (1911) (1911)