Clyde
Apple
Clyde
Origin / History
Clyde was raised by Mr. Mackie of Clyde, Wayne County, New York. Earlier literature published it as Clyde Beauty and Mackie's Clyde Beauty. Beach (1905) calls it "a large, late fall apple" and a late autumn variety. He traces it through the literature from Barry (1851), Elliott (1854) and Downing (1857), with a colored plate in Hoffy's North American Pomologist (1860). Later notices he lists are Warder (1867), the American Pomological Society catalogue (1875), the Iowa (1880) and Missouri (1884) horticultural society reports, Lyon in the Michigan Horticultural Society report (1890), Bailey (1892), Thomas (1897), and Budd-Hansen (1903). Of New York he writes that "so far as we can learn it is now but little grown in this state."
Tree
The tree is vigorous and very productive. Downing gives the habit as upright, and Lyon reports the tree in Michigan as vigorous, upright, and very productive. Beach describes it as spreading. Twigs reddish-brown (Beach). Lowther's table lists two Northern Division reporting stations for Clyde. It marks the variety with an asterisk, indicating that it is reported as adapted to more than one of the three divisions of the American Pomological Society.
Fruit
Size: Large.
Form: Roundish conical to oblong conic, angular, slightly to more or less ribbed. Lowther's table records the form as "re."
Stem: Short and slender, deep set; sometimes fleshy (Beach).
Cavity: Acute and deep. Beach describes it as rather wide and furrowed.
Calyx: Closed; small (Beach).
Basin: Small, furrowed or corrugated. Beach describes it as medium in depth and somewhat abrupt.
Skin: Oily or waxy. Ground greenish, pale greenish yellow, green, or yellow. Sprinkled, washed, and mottled with dull or light red, and striped with light red or carmine. Bright red on the exposed side, deep crimson in the sun (Elliott). Lowther records the color as green-red.
Dots: Not described in source.
Flesh and flavor: White, fine-grained, tender (Beach: "often tender"), and juicy. Flavor subacid: brisk subacid (Downing), or sprightly, pleasant subacid (Beach). Quality "good" (Downing; Lowther's table) to "good to very good" (Beach), though Thomas rates it only "fair."
Core and seeds: Core large and open. Seeds small and brown (Beach).
Season
Late autumn. Recorded season October to December or January, with Elliott and Beach closing it in December and Downing in January. Lowther's table gives winter.
Uses
Lyon reports the fruit in Michigan as desirable for market. Lowther lists it for both kitchen and market use.
Subtypes / Variants
Not described in source.
Other
Warder classes Clyde among the oblong, irregular, sour, striped apples and figures it as Fig. 293.
Book Sources
Described in 7 period pomological works
- Warder, American Pomology: Apples (1867) — listed as Clyde Beauty
- Beach, The Apples of New York Vol. 2 (1905)
- Lowther (ed.), Encyclopedia of Practical Horticulture (1914) — listed as Clyde (Beauty)
- Budd & Hansen, Systematic Pomology (1914) — listed as Clyde Beauty
- Downing, Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900) — listed as Clyde Beauty
- Elliott, The Western Fruit Book (1865) — listed as Clyde Beauty
- Thomas, The American Fruit Culturist (1903) — listed as Clyde Beauty
View original book sources (7)
— F.R. Elliott, The Western Fruit Book (1865)Clyde Beauty.
Mackie's Clyde Beauty. *
From Clyde, N. Y. Productive. Fruit, large, roundish conical, slightly ribbed ; pale greenish yellow, striped and mottled with light red, deep crimson in the sun; stem, short, slender; cavity, deep; calyx, closed; basin, furrowed; flesh, white, fine-grained, juicy, sub-acid. October to December,
— John A. Warder, American Pomology: Apples (1867)CLASS IV.— OBLONG APPLES. ORDER II.— IRREGULAR. SECTION 2.— SOUR. SUB-SECTION 2.— STRIPED.
Clyde Beauty.
" Origin, Wayne County, New York. Tree vigorous, upright, very productive.
" Fruit large, roundish, conic, angular ; Skin greenish,
Fig. 293.— CLYDE BEAUTY.
oily, sprinkled and mottled with dull red, and bright red in the sun ; Stem short, slender, inserted in an acute cavity ; Calyx closed, set in a small corrugated basin ; Flesh white, tender, juicy, with a brisk sub-acid flavor ; October to January." — [Downing.]
— A.J. Downing, The Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900)Clyde Beauty. Mackie's Clyde Beauty. Raised by Mr. Mackie, Clyde, Wayne Co., N. Y. Tree vigorous, upright, very productive. Fruit large, roundish, conic, angular, greenish, oily, sprinkled and mottled with dull red and bright red in the sun. Stalk short, slender, inserted in an acute cavity. Calyx closed, set in a small corrugated basin. Flesh white, tender, juicy, brisk subacid. Good. October to January.
— John J. Thomas, The American Fruit Culturist (1903)Clyde Beauty. Large, roundish-conical, slightly ribbed; striped and mottled red on greenish yellow; stem short, slender, deep set; basin furrowed; flesh white, fine-grained, sub-acid, fair. Late autumn. Wayne County, N. Y.
— S.A. Beach, The Apples of New York, Vol. 2 (1905)CLYDE.
References. 1. Barry, 1851:283. 2. Elliott, 1854:127. 3. Downing, 1857:129. 4. Hoffy, N. A. Pomol., 1860. col. pl. 5. Warder, 1867:694. fig. 6. Am. Pom. Soc. Cat., 1875:6. 7. Ia. Hort. Soc. Rpt., 1880:596. 8. Mo. Hort. Soc. Rpt., 1884. 9. Lyon, Mich. Hort. Soc. Rpt., 1890:290. 10. Bailey, An. Hort., 1892:236. 11. Thomas, 1897:259. 12. Budd-Hansen, 1903:65.
Synonyms. Clyde (3, 8, 9, 10). Clyde Beauty (1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 11). Clyde Beauty (12). Mackie's Clyde Beauty (2, 3, 4, 11).
A large, late fall apple. So far as we can learn it is now but little grown in this state. Lyon reports that in Michigan the tree is vigorous, upright, very productive, and the fruit desirable for market (9).
Historical. This is a late autumn variety which originated with Mr. Mackie, of Clyde, Wayne county (3, 4).
Tree.
Tree vigorous, spreading. Twigs reddish-brown.
Fruit.
Fruit large. Form roundish to oblong conic, more or less ribbed. Stem short, sometimes fleshy. Cavity acute, deep, rather wide, furrowed. Calyx small, closed. Basin medium in depth, somewhat abrupt, furrowed. Skin waxy, green or yellow, washed and mottled with dull red and striped with carmine becoming bright red on the exposed side. Core large and open. Seeds small, brown. Flesh white, often tender, juicy, sprightly, pleasant subacid, good to very good.
Season October to December.
— J.L. Budd & N.E. Hansen, American Horticultural Manual, Part II: Systematic Pomology (1914)Clyde Beauty—Origin, Clyde, New York; tree vigorous, upright, very productive. Fruit large, roundish, conic, angular; surface greenish, oily, sprinkled and mottled with dull red and bright red in the sun; cavity acute; stem short, slender; basin small, corrugated; calyx closed; flesh white, tender, juicy, brisk subacid, good. October to January.
— Granville Lowther (ed.), Encyclopedia of Practical Horticulture (1914)Clyde (Beauty): size large; form re; color green-red; quality good; use both kitchen and market; season winter. Northern Division reporting stations: 2 (the asterisk indicates this variety is reported as adapted to more than one of the three divisions of the American Pomological Society).