Conant's Red
Apple
Conant's Red
Origin / History
Cultivated in southern Ohio and adjacent regions, to which it was distributed by H. N. Gillett, of Quaker Bottom — described by Warder as a "venerable Pomologist" to whom he owed valuable information concerning the fruits of that productive region. Much cultivated in southern Ohio (Downing).
Tree
Not described in source.
Fruit
Size and Form: Full medium, regular, oblate, and sometimes nearly round.
Stem: Medium to long, slender.
Cavity: Wide, wavy or regular, green.
Calyx: Eye small, closed.
Basin: Rather deep, abrupt, regular or wavy.
Skin: Surface rough. Yellow ground obscured by mixed red (Warder) — Downing renders this as "yellow, obscurely mixed with red." Upon the red are red stripes and streaks of russet (Warder); Downing omits the red stripes, noting only "streaks of russet." Dots numerous, minute, indented, yellow or fawn-colored (Warder); Downing abbreviates to "dots fawn-colored."
Flesh / Flavor: Yellow, fine-grained, juicy. Flavor sub-acid to sweet, very aromatic, agreeable. Fitting it admirably for a dessert fruit, as which it is nearly first rate (Warder).
Core / Seeds: Core large, regular, closed. Seeds numerous; some imperfectly developed.
Season
September to December.
Uses
Dessert fruit; rated nearly first rate in that use.
Subtypes / Variants
Not described in source.
Other
Downing's entry (1900) is explicitly attributed to Warder ("(Warder.)") and represents a condensed restatement of the 1867 description. Where the two wordings diverge, Warder's original is the more detailed and authoritative text. Fig. 61 in Warder illustrates this variety.
Book Sources
Described in 2 period pomological works
View original book sources (2)
— John A. Warder, American Pomology: Apples (1867)Conant's Red.
This variety is cultivated in southern Ohio and adjacent regions, to which it has been distributed by the venerable Pomologist, H. N. Gillett, of Quaker Bottom, to whom the author is under many obligations for valuable information connected with the fruits of that productive region.
Fig. 61.—CONANT'S RED.
Fruit full medium, regular, oblate, and sometimes nearly round.
In appearance this apple is not very prepossessing, as the surface is rough, the yellow ground is obscured by mixed red, upon which are red stripes and streaks of russet; dots are numerous, minute, indented, yellow or fawn colored.
Basin rather deep, abrupt, regular or wavy; Eye small, closed.
Cavity wide, wavy or regular, green; Stem medium to long, slender.
Core large, regular, closed; Seeds numerous, some are imperfectly developed; Flesh yellow, fine grained, juicy; flavor sub-acid to sweet, very aromatic, agreeable, fitting it admirably for a dessert fruit, as which it is nearly first rate. Season from September to December.
— A.J. Downing, The Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900)Conant's Red.
Much cultivated in Southern Ohio.
Fruit full medium, regular, oblate, sometimes nearly round, yellow, obscurely mixed with red, on which are streaks of russet, dots fawn-colored. Flesh yellow, fine-grained, juicy, subacid to sweet, aromatic. September, December. (Warder.)