Clayton.

Believed to have originated in Central Indiana. Brought to my notice by Z. S. Ragan, of Clayton, Indiana; also exhibited by the Plainfield Horticultural Society at the meetings of the State Horticultural Society.

Fruit large, conical, flattened, regular; Surface smooth, greenish-yellow, covered with dull red, striped and splashed darker; Dots minute, scattered.

Basin narrow, abrupt, regular; Eye small, long, closed.

Cavity wide, acute, deep, wavy, green; Stem medium, stout.

Core wide, regular, open, clasping; Seeds numerous, plump, angular, short, dark; Flesh yellow, breaking, not fine grained; Flavor sub-acid; Quality good; Use, kitchen and market; Season, all winter until March.

— John A. Warder, American Pomology: Apples (1867)

Clayton. Origin, Indiana. Fruit large, conical, flattened, regular, greenish yellow, covered, striped, and splashed with dull red. Flesh yellow, breaking, subacid. Good. Kitchen and market. January to March. (Warder.)

— A.J. Downing, The Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900)

CLAYTON.

REFERENCES. 1. Warder, 1867:512. fig. 2. Downing, 1872:128. 3. Ib., 1872:6 of app. 4. Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt., 1875:36, 134. 5. Bailey, An. Hort., 1892:236. 6. Mich. Sta. Bul., 105:108. 1894. 7. Thomas, 1897:632. 8. Lyon, Mich. Sta. Bul., 169:180. 1899. 9. Budd-Hansen, 1903:64.

Tree hardy, a good grower and fairly productive. Fruit of good size, good quality and fairly good, red color, but not brilliant enough to be especially attractive. As grown at the Geneva Station it has come into bearing young and been very productive. According to L. A. Goodman, it is being planted in the Ozark region of Southwestern Missouri, especially where a late keeping fruit is desired for export trade. It originated in Indiana (1, 4).

TREE. Tree vigorous; branches long, moderately stout. Form upright spreading, open. Twigs medium in length, curved, generally stout; internodes short to medium. Bark brown or reddish-brown mingled with olive-green, partly mottled with scarf-skin; pubescent. Lenticels vary from moderately numerous to scattering, medium to large, roundish or oval, raised, conspicuous. Buds medium to large, broad, obtuse, free, somewhat pubescent. Leaves large, broad.

FRUIT. Fruit above medium to large. Form roundish oblate to roundish inclined to conic. Stem medium, often obliquely set under a very prominent, fleshy lip. Cavity acute to sometimes obtuse, rather deep, broad, sometimes symmetrical but often furrowed, usually with conspicuous outspreading russet. Calyx small to medium, partly open or closed. Basin abrupt, medium in width and depth, usually symmetrical, often wrinkled. Skin rather thick, tough, smooth, yellow blushed and mottled with a dark, usually rather dull red, with splashes and stripes of carmine, often marked with grayish scarf-skin near the cavity. Well colored specimens are nearly covered with red. Dots medium, pale or russet, scattering. Calyx tube rather long, narrow, funnel-shape. Stamens marginal. Core abaxile, medium; cells usually unsymmetrical, open; core lines clasping. Carpels much concave, elliptical, emarginate. Seeds numerous, dark, medium or below, plump, roundish, obtuse. Flesh tinged with greenish-yellow, firm, rather coarse, crisp, neither tender nor very juicy, mild subacid, good for either cooking or market. Season January to May or June.

— S.A. Beach, The Apples of New York, Vol. 1 (1905)

Clayton is a large apple of roundish oblate form with yellow-red skin. Quality is good. Primary use is both kitchen and market. Season of ripening is winter. No stations reported in the Northern Division, Central Division, or Southern Division.

— Granville Lowther (ed.), Encyclopedia of Practical Horticulture (1914)

Clayton. Large, conical, yellow and red. Winter.

— John J. Thomas, The American Fruit Culturist (1903)

Clayton.—Origin, central Indiana.

Fruit large, regular, oblate, conical; surface smooth, greenish yellow, covered with dull red, with darker stripes and splashes; dots minute, obscure, few, gray, with large scattered russet dots; cavity wide, wavy, deep, acute, green or russet; stem stout, medium; basin narrow, shallow, abrupt, smooth; calyx closed. Core wide open, clasping, sessile; cells round to obovate, abaxile, slit; tube funnel-shaped, long, narrow; stamens marginal; seeds numerous, plump, angular, short, dark; flesh yellow, firm, not fine-grained, subacid, good. All winter.

— J.L. Budd & N.E. Hansen, American Horticultural Manual, Part II: Systematic Pomology (1914)

CLAYTON.

The tree-characters of Clayton are satisfactory, but the fruits are but mediocre in size, color, and quality, their chief merit being good keeping and shipping qualities. It is grown chiefly in the Middle West, more particularly in the Ozark region of southwestern Missouri. Clayton was first described by Warder in 1867. The origin is given as Indiana.

Tree vigorous, upright-spreading, open; branches long, stout. Leaves large. Fruit large, round-oblate to round-conic; stem medium, often obliquely set under a prominent, fleshy lip; cavity acute to obtuse, deep, broad, often furrowed, usually with conspicuous outspreading russet; calyx small, open or closed; basin abrupt, medium in width and depth, symmetrical, often wrinkled; skin thick, tough, smooth, yellow, blushed and mottled with dull red, with splashes and stripes of carmine, often marked with gray scarf-skin near the cavity; dots medium, pale or russet, scattering; calyx-tube long, narrow, funnel-shape; stamens marginal; core abaxile; cells usually unsymmetrical, open; corelines clasping; carpels concave, elliptical, emarginate; seeds numerous, dark, small, plump, obtuse; flesh yellow, firm, coarse, crisp, mild subacid; good; January to May or June.

— U.P. Hedrick, Cyclopedia of Hardy Fruits (1922)