Cooper
Apple
USDA Pomological Watercolor Collection
Cooper
Origin / History
Cooper is an old variety of unknown origin, supposed to be an Eastern sort. Downing calls it "as yet unrecognized." It was introduced into the West with the cions brought to the early Putnam nursery at the mouth of the Muskingum river in 1796 (Warder). Beach says it was introduced that year from Connecticut into Ohio, "where it has been much esteemed."
Elliott calls it "An Eastern variety, recovered at West." He adds that its identity with any variety then known East was not established, "hence we must continue under its present name." Warder notes that it occurred on the original Putnam list and was therefore an Eastern variety, yet "it does not appear to have been recognized by cultivators in the older States." He also notes that some in the West claimed it to be of French origin, and Budd and Hansen repeat that some thought it from France. The earliest references Beach cites date from 1847.
Warder calls it "this delicious apple" and "a general favorite from its beauty, its fine texture, and exquisite flavor." He adds that it "does not appear to have been so widely spread as others very inferior to it." Downing says it thrives well at the West and is "much esteemed there by many." Thomas gives it as cultivated in Central Ohio. Beach states that it was evidently never cultivated to any considerable extent in New York and was by then "practically unknown to New York fruit growers." He did not recommend it for planting in New York.
Tree
Vigorous; Beach says very vigorous. Growth stout and upright, upright spreading in Beach's words. Warder says the tree becomes spreading with age, when the limbs stand at a right angle with the trunk; Elliott gives the branches at right angles. Wood and twigs reddish, the twigs rather slender (Warder).
Subject to canker. Elliott quotes the wood as "subject to canker," and Warder says the limbs are "frequently defaced with marks of diseased action that are called canker." Leaves pale green, large, broad (Warder).
Productive. Elliott calls it a good bearer, maturing its fruit nearly all at the same time, and says it succeeds best on rich limestone clay.
Fruit
Size: Large; often very large (Elliott); rather large (Thomas). Uniform (Beach). Warder calls the fruit "light."
Form: Roundish oblate, round oblate, roundish flattened, or globular-oblate. Warder calls it regular, sometimes unequal; Downing and Thomas give the sides as unequal.
Stem: Slender, short to medium, green. Thomas calls the stalk deep set.
Cavity: Deep, wide, regular, green.
Calyx: Small, closed.
Basin: Deep, regular, abrupt.
Skin: Smooth. Ground greenish yellow to pale waxen yellow or rather light yellow. Marked with a few stripes, splashes, and blotches of red, called pale red (Elliott, Thomas), bright red (Downing), a little mixed scarlet (Warder), or bright mixed scarlet (Budd and Hansen). Warder calls the carmine "very distinctly marked," while Beach says the fruit is "indistinctly streaked with mixed red." Lowther gives the color as green-red. Very attractive (Beach); a favorite for its beauty (Warder).
Dots: Minute, brown. Downing describes the skin as "thickly sprinkled with brown dots." Warder gives the dots as scattered and minute, and Budd and Hansen as few.
Flesh and flavor: Flesh yellowish to pale yellow, juicy. Crisp (Elliott, Thomas), or tender, almost melting (Warder), with Downing also giving tender. Warder calls it fine-grained; Elliott says "not fine grained."
Flavor mild subacid, very mild according to Warder and "nearly sweet" according to Beach; vinous, aromatic, pleasant. Against Warder's "exquisite flavor," Downing gives "a pleasant but not high flavor" and Thomas "not very high flavor."
Quality "good" to "very good." Downing and Lowther say "good," Elliott "very good," and Budd and Hansen "good to very good." Warder rates it "of first quality."
Core and seeds: Core small, closed, just meeting the eye. Seeds numerous, plump, short, dark (Warder).
Season
The recorded season runs from September to December. Most place it in early or mid-autumn, September and October. Elliott gives September, adding that it often keeps to November. Downing and Beach give October to December.
Uses
Warder rates it "of first quality for table, kitchen or market." He calls it "too good for drying, but makes a superior article of snits." Lowther gives its primary use as market.
Subtypes / Variants
Not described in source.
Other
Lowther's station table reports Cooper from one station in the Northern Division and notes the variety as reported in more than one division. It was not reported from the Central or Southern Divisions.
Book Sources
Described in 7 period pomological works
- Warder, American Pomology: Apples (1867)
- Beach, The Apples of New York Vol. 2 (1905)
- Budd & Hansen, Systematic Pomology (1914)
- Downing, Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900)
- Elliott, The Western Fruit Book (1865)
- Lowther (ed.), Encyclopedia of Practical Horticulture (1914)
- Thomas, The American Fruit Culturist (1903)
Nursery Catalog Sources
Found in 19 catalogs (1845–1924) from California, Illinois, Massachusetts, Oregon
- Winship's Nursery (Brighton Nurseries , operated by the Winship family), Brighton (Boston) , Massachusetts — 1845 — listed as Seek No Further
- Azell Bowditch (Nursery / Fruit Catalog) , Boston , Massachusetts — 1850 — listed as Seek No Further
- Joseph Breck & Co. , Boston , Massachusetts — 1855 — listed as Seek No Further
- Hutchison Nursery , James Hutchison, Oakland , California — 1881 — listed as Seek No Further
- Felix Gillet , Barren Hill Nursery, Nevada City , California — 1884 — listed as Seek No Further
- Felix Gillet , Barren Hill Nursery, Nevada City , California — 1888 — listed as Seek No Further
- Felix Gillet , Barren Hill Nursery, Nevada City , California — 1890 — listed as Seek No Further
- Felix Gillet , Barren Hill Nursery, Nevada City , California — 1891 — listed as Seek No Further
- Oregon Wholesale Nurseries , Salem , Oregon — 1893 — listed as Seek No Further
- Multnomah Nurseries , Russellville , Oregon — 1894 — listed as Seek No Further
- The Vineland Nurseries (Kelsey & Co. , Proprietors), St. Joseph, Missouri (Office: 13th and Atchison Sts., 2 Blocks East of the Citizens St. Car Line) — 1894 — listed as Seek No Further
- Felix Gillet , Barren Hill Nursery, Nevada City , California — 1895 — listed as Seek No Further
- Felix Gillet , Barren Hill Nursery, Nevada City , California — 1897 — listed as Seek No Further
- Central Experimental Farm , Dominion Department of Agriculture, Agassiz, British Columbia (under test; Bulletin No. 3, Second Series) — 1900 — listed as Seek No Further
- S.L. Watkins , Grizzly Flats, El Dorado County , California — 1901 — listed as Seek No Further
- Benjamin Buckman (personal inventory) , Farmingdale , Illinois — 1901 — listed as Seek No Further
- Phoenix Nursery Company (W. E. Rossney , President; Sidney Tuttle, Vice-President), Bloomington , Illinois — 1904 — listed as Seek No Further
- Benjamin Buckman (personal inventory) , Farmingdale , Illinois — 1913 — listed as Seek No Further
- Fresno Nursery Co. , Fresno , California — 1924 — listed as Seek No Further
View original book sources (7)
— F.R. Elliott, The Western Fruit Book (1865)Cooper.
Beauty Red, | Lady Washington, | Seek-no-further, of some erroneously.
An Eastern variety, recovered at West, where it was brought in 1796 ; its identity with any variety now known East, is not established ; hence we must continue under its present name. Growth, upright, stout ; branches at right angles; wood, reddish, "subject to canker;" a good bearer, maturing its fruit nearly all at the same time. Succeeds best on rich limestone clay.
Fruit, large, often very large ; roundish flattened, greenish yellow, with stripes and blotches of pale red ; calyx, closed ; basin, deep ; stem, slender, short ; cavity, deep ; flesh, yellowish, not fine grained, crisp, juicy ; "very good." September, but often keeps to November.
— John A. Warder, American Pomology: Apples (1867)Cooper.
This delicious apple was introduced into the West with the cions that were brought to the early Putnam nursery at the mouth of the Muskingum river in 1796. Though a general favorite from its beauty, its fine texture, and exquisite flavor, this variety does not appear to have been so widely spread as others very inferior to it. Though occurring on the original Putnam list, and therefore an eastern variety, it does not appear to have been recognized by cultivators in the older States, and there are those in the West who claim that it is of French origin.
Fig. 87.—COOPER.
The tree has a stout, upright growth, which becomes spreading with age, when the limbs stand at a right angle with the trunk; they are frequently defaced with marks of diseased action that are called canker. The twigs are reddish and rather slender; the leaves are pale green, large, broad.
Fruit large, globular-oblate, regular, sometimes unequal, light; Surface smooth, pale waxen-yellow, with a little mixed scarlet and very distinctly marked carmine; Dots scattered, minute.
Basin regular, abrupt, deep; Eye small, closed.
Cavity wide, regular, green; Stem medium, green.
Core small, closed, just meeting the eye; Seeds numerous, plump, short, dark; Flesh pale yellow, fine-grained, tender, almost melting, juicy; very mild sub-acid, aromatic; of first quality for table, kitchen or market (too good for drying, but makes a superior article of snits); Season September and October.
— A.J. Downing, The Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900)Cooper.
Beauty Red. Lady Washington.
Origin unknown; supposed to be an old Eastern variety, as yet unrecognized. Thrives well at the West, and much esteemed there by many. Growth vigorous, upright, and productive.
Fruit large, roundish oblate, sides unequal. Color greenish yellow, with a few stripes and splashes of bright red, thickly sprinkled with brown dots. Flesh tender, juicy, vinous, with a pleasant but not high flavor. Good. October to December.
— John J. Thomas, The American Fruit Culturist (1903)Cooper. Rather large, round oblate, sides unequal; greenish yellow and pale red; stalk slender, deep set; basin deep; flesh crisp, juicy, pleasant, but not very high flavor. Mid-autumn. Cultivated in Central Ohio.
— S.A. Beach, The Apples of New York, Vol. 2 (1905)COOPER.
REFERENCES. 1. Horticulturist, 1:339, 484. 1847. 2. Mag. Hort., 13:105, 200. 1847. 3. Cole, 1849:114. fig. 4. Thomas, 1849:147. 5. Barry, 1851:283. 6. Horticulturist, 6:181. 1851. 7. Emmons, Nat. Hist. N. Y., 3:104. 1851. fig. 8. Elliott, 1854:127. 9. Gregg, 1857:41. 10. Hooper, 1857:26, 106, 109. 11. Downing, 1857:130. 12. Am. Pom. Soc. Cat., 1862. 13. Warder, 1867:428. fig. 14. Lyon, Mich. Hort. Soc. Rpt., 1890:290. 15. Bailey, An. Hort., 1892:237. 16. Budd-Hansen, 1903:67.
SYNONYMS. Beauty Red (8, 11). COOPER (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16). Lady Washington (8, 11). Seek-No-Further of some, erroneously (8).
Fruit large, uniform, very attractive, rather light yellow indistinctly streaked with mixed red, mild subacid or nearly sweet, season October to December. The tree is very vigorous, upright spreading. Not recommended for planting in New York.
Historical. This is an old variety of unknown origin. In 1796 it was introduced from Connecticut into Ohio where it has been much esteemed (2). Evidently it has never been cultivated to any considerable extent in this State and is now practically unknown to New York fruit growers.
— J.L. Budd & N.E. Hansen, American Horticultural Manual, Part II: Systematic Pomology (1914)Cooper.—Origin unknown; supposed to be some old Eastern variety; by some thought to be from France; tree vigorous, productive.
Fruit large, roundish oblate, regular, sometimes unequal; surface pale waxen yellow, with a few stripes and splashes of bright mixed scarlet and very distinctly marked carmine; dots few, minute, brown; cavity wide, regular, green; stem medium, green; basin regular, abrupt, deep; calyx small, closed. Core small, closed, meeting; seeds numerous, plump, short, dark; flesh pale yellow, tender, juicy, vinous, mild aromatic subacid, good to very good. September and October.
— Granville Lowther (ed.), Encyclopedia of Practical Horticulture (1914)Cooper is large in size, roundish oblate in form, and green-red in color. Quality is good. Primary use is market. Season is early autumn. Northern Division: 1 reporting station (variety also reported in more than one division); Central Division: not reported; Southern Division: not reported.