Colton
Apple
USDA Pomological Watercolor Collection
Colton
Origin/History
Colton is said to have originated about 1840 on the farm of a Mr. Colton in Rowe, Franklin County, Massachusetts, where it has since been propagated. Beach (1905) notes it was propagated there under the name "Early Colton." Budd-Hansen (1914) gives the origin as unknown. Hedrick (1922) notes that despite the fruit not being of high enough quality to make the variety especially valuable, it is much grown in parts of the Middle West.
Tree
Tree large and vigorous, hardy, a good grower, with moderately long, stout, crooked branches. Form rather upright when young but eventually flat, spreading, and open (Beach); Budd-Hansen describes the tree as vigorous, upright, spreading. Twigs moderately long, straight, moderately stout; internodes short. Bark dark brown, heavily mottled with scarf-skin; much pubescent. Lenticels quite numerous, rather conspicuous, medium to large, oblong, raised. Buds medium to large, broad, plump, acute, free, pubescent. Comes into bearing moderately young and yields good crops biennially; productive.
Fruit
Size
Medium.
Form
Roundish, narrowing toward either end, slightly ribbed. Lowther describes it simply as round.
Stem
Medium in length, stout.
Cavity
Small, acute (Beach: acute to slightly acuminate), shallow, narrow. Budd-Hansen describes it as narrow, regular, shallow.
Calyx
Medium in size, nearly closed (Beach, Budd-Hansen) or closed (Hedrick); lobes/segments long and rather recurved (Beach, Hedrick) or divergent and rather long (Budd-Hansen). Calyx tube elongated, funnel-form. Stamens median.
Basin
Small, shallow, obtuse, wrinkled (Beach, Hedrick); Budd-Hansen describes it as shallow, corrugated, narrow.
Skin
Pale greenish-yellow (Beach, Budd-Hansen) or pale yellow (Hedrick), sometimes with a shade of red; Budd-Hansen notes the blush is often brownish red. Lowther describes the skin simply as yellow. Dots numerous, large, greenish (Beach, Hedrick) or large, many, obscure, greenish (Budd-Hansen).
Flesh/Flavor
Flesh whitish (Beach, Budd-Hansen) or white (Hedrick), rather coarse (Beach) or coarse (Hedrick), crisp, juicy. Flavor mild subacid (Beach, Hedrick) or sprightly subacid (Budd-Hansen). Quality fair to good (Beach, Hedrick) or good (Budd-Hansen); Lowther rates the quality "very good."
Core/Seeds
Core medium to rather large (Beach) or large (Hedrick), somewhat abaxile (Beach) or abaxile (Hedrick); cells open; core lines clasping. Carpels broadly roundish/round.
Season
Last of July to early September (Beach, Hedrick). Budd-Hansen gives the season as August.
Uses
Suited to both kitchen and market use (Lowther).
Subtypes/Variants
Not described in source.
Other
Not described in source.
Book Sources
Described in 4 period pomological works
Nursery Catalog Sources
Found in 22 catalogs (1890–1920) from Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Missouri, New Jersey, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Washington
- William H. Moon Co. , Morrisville, Bucks County , Pennsylvania — 1890 — listed as Early Cotton
- Missouri Nursery Co. , Louisiana , Missouri — 1891 — listed as Early Colton
- Rogers Nursery Co. , Moorestown , New Jersey — 1893 — listed as Early Cotton
- Stark Bros. Nurseries & Orchards Co. , Louisiana , Missouri — 1896 — listed as Early Colton
- J.V. Cotta (Cotta Nursery) , Carroll County , Illinois — 1898 — listed as Early Colton
- Reading Nursery , Jacob W. Manning, Proprietor, Reading , Massachusetts — 1898 — listed as Early Cotton
- Brown Brothers Co. , Continental Nurseries, Rochester, NY (also operated from Toronto, Canada) — 1899 — listed as Early Cotton
- Central Experimental Farm , Dominion Department of Agriculture, Agassiz, British Columbia (under test; Bulletin No. 3, Second Series) — 1900 — listed as Early Colton
- Washington Nursery Co. , Toppenish , Washington — 1901 — listed as Early Colton
- Benjamin Buckman (personal inventory) , Farmingdale , Illinois — 1901 — listed as Early Colton
- Brown Brothers Co. , Continental Nurseries, Rochester, NY (also operated from Toronto, Canada) — 1901 — listed as Early Cotton
- Stark Bros. Nurseries & Orchards Co. , Louisiana , Missouri — 1906 — listed as Early Colton
- Washington Nursery Company , Toppenish , Washington — 1909 — listed as Early Colton
- Wm. J. Corse (successor to Robert Sinclair / Sinclair Nurseries) , Baltimore , Maryland — 1909 — listed as Early Cotton
- Stark Bros. Nurseries & Orchards Co. , Louisiana , Missouri — 1910 — listed as Early Colton
- Stark Bros. Nurseries & Orchards Co. , Louisiana , Missouri — 1911 — listed as Early Colton
- Pacific Nursery Company , Portland , Oregon — 1912 — listed as Early Colton
- Stark Bros. Nurseries & Orchards Co. , Louisiana , Missouri — 1912 — listed as Early Colton
- Vineland Nurseries Company , Clarkston , Washington — 1912 — listed as Early Colton
- Washington Nursery Company , Toppenish , Washington — 1912 — listed as Early Colton
- Benjamin Buckman (personal inventory) , Farmingdale , Illinois — 1913 — listed as Early Colton
- Oregon Nursery Co. , Orenco , Oregon — 1920 — listed as Early Colton
View original book sources (4)
— S.A. Beach, The Apples of New York, Vol. 2 (1905)COLTON.
References. 1. Amer. Gard., 12:573. 1891. figs. 2. Bailey, An. Hort., 1892:237. 3. Munson, Me. Sta. Rpt., 1893:132. 4. Beach, N. Y. Sta. An. Rpt., 15:271. 1896. 5. Am. Pom. Soc. Cat., 1899:16. 6. Bruner, N. C. Sta. Bul., 182:20. 1903. 7. Farrand, Mich. Sta. Bul., 205:144. 1903. 8. Budd-Hansen, 1903:67.
Synonyms. Colton (1, 2, 3, 4, 7). Colton Early (5, 6, 8). Early Colton (1).
Colton is a green or yellowish apple of fair to good quality, in season from the last of July to early September. The tree is a good grower, hardy, comes into bearing moderately young and yields good crops biennially.
Historical. Colton is said to have originated on the farm of Mr. Colton, Rowe, Franklin county, Mass., where it has been propagated since about 1840 under the name Early Colton (1).
Tree.
Tree large, vigorous with moderately long, stout, crooked branches. Form rather upright when young but eventually flat, spreading and open. Twigs moderately long, straight, moderately stout; internodes short. Bark dark brown, heavily mottled with scarf-skin; much pubescent. Lenticels quite numerous, rather conspicuous, medium to large, oblong, raised. Buds medium to large, broad, plump, acute, free, pubescent.
Fruit.
Fruit medium in size. Form roundish, narrowing toward either end, slightly ribbed. Stem medium in length, stout. Cavity small, acute to slightly acuminate, shallow, narrow. Calyx medium in size, nearly closed; lobes long, rather recurved. Basin small, shallow, obtuse, wrinkled. Skin pale greenish-yellow, sometimes with a shade of red. Dots numerous, large, greenish. Calyx tube elongated funnel-form. Stamens median.
Core medium to rather large, somewhat abaxile; cells open; core lines clasping. Carpels broadly roundish. Flesh whitish, rather coarse, crisp, juicy, mild subacid, fair to good. Season last of July to early September.
— J.L. Budd & N.E. Hansen, American Horticultural Manual, Part II: Systematic Pomology (1914)Colton, Early.—Origin unknown; tree vigorous, upright, spreading. Fruit medium, roundish toward either end, slightly ribbed; surface pale greenish yellow, often with brownish red blush; dots large, many, obscure, greenish; cavity narrow, regular, shallow; stem medium stout; basin shallow, corrugated, narrow; calyx nearly closed; segments divergent, rather long; tube funnel-shaped; flesh whitish, crisp, juicy, sprightly subacid, good. August.
— Granville Lowther (ed.), Encyclopedia of Practical Horticulture (1914)Colton (Ba. C.) is a medium-sized, round apple with yellow skin. Quality: very good. Use: both kitchen and market.
— U.P. Hedrick, Cyclopedia of Hardy Fruits (1922)COLTON. Early Colton. The tree of Colton is thrifty, hardy, and productive, and comes into bearing young, but the fruit is not good enough in quality to make the variety valuable, although it is much grown in parts of the Middle West. Colton originated in Franklin County, Massachusetts, about 1840 on the farm of a Mr. Colton. Tree large, vigorous, upright when young but eventually spreading, with long, stout, crooked branches. Fruit medium in size, round, narrowing toward both ends, ribbed; stem medium in length, stout; cavity small, acute, shallow, narrow; calyx closed, with long, recurved lobes; basin small, shallow, obtuse, wrinkled; skin pale yellow, sometimes with a shade of red; dots numerous, large, green; calyx-tube elongated, funnelform; stamens median; core large, abaxile; cells open; core-lines clasping; carpels broadly round; flesh white, coarse, crisp, juicy, mild subacid; fair to good; last of July to early September.