Cole's Quince

Apple

Cole's Quince

Origin/History

Originating in Maine (Thomas, 1903). Reported as hardy far West (Thomas).

Tree

Productive (Thomas). Hardy far West (Thomas).

Fruit

Size

Large (Thomas). Lowther (1914) records the size code as "DL."

Form

Roundish oblate (Lowther). Thomas (1903) describes it as round, oblate, and ribbed.

Stem

Not described in source.

Cavity

Not described in source.

Calyx

Not described in source.

Basin

Not described in source.

Skin

The sources conflict on color. Thomas (1903) describes the fruit as yellow. Lowther (1914) records the color as green-red.

Flesh/Flavor

Mellow when ripe, mild, rich, with a high quince flavor (Thomas). Cooks well before fully ripe (Thomas). Lowther (1914) rates the quality as very good.

Core/Seeds

Not described in source.

Season

Winter (Lowther).

Uses

Suitable for both kitchen and market use (Lowther). Noted as cooking well before fully ripe (Thomas).

Subtypes/Variants

Not described in source.

Other

By 1914, Cole's Quince had been evaluated across multiple trial stations in the United States: 3 stations in the Northern Division, 4 stations in the Central Division, and 1 station in the Southern Division reported on the variety, with the notation that it appeared in more than one division within each of those counts (Lowther, 1914).

Book Sources

Described in 2 period pomological works

Nursery Catalog Sources

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

Central Experimental Farm , Dominion Department of Agriculture, Agassiz, British Columbia (under test; Bulletin No. 3, Second Series) — 1900
Phoenix Nursery Company (W. E. Rossney , President; Sidney Tuttle, Vice-President), Bloomington , Illinois — 1904
Vineland Nurseries Company , Clarkston , Washington — 1912
Benjamin Buckman (personal inventory) , Farmingdale , Illinois — 1913

View original book sources (2)

Cole's Quince: size DL; form roundish oblate; color green-red; quality very good; use both kitchen and market; season winter. Reported by 3 stations in the Northern Division, 4 stations in the Central Division, and 1 station in the Southern Division; the asterisk on each division count indicates the variety is reported in more than one division.

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

Cole's Quince. Large, round, oblate, ribbed; yellow; mellow when ripe, mild, rich, high quince flavor. Cooks well before ripe. Productive. Maine. Hardy far West.

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

Quince