Cooper's Market
Apple
USDA Pomological Watercolor Collection
Origin/History
This variety is believed to be of Pennsylvania origin and identical with the Redling of early American pomological literature. References trace it back to at least 1804 (Mease, Willichs Dom. Encyc.) and 1806 (M'Mahon, Amer. Gard. Cal.), with Coxe describing it as Redling in 1817. It was valued for market in New Jersey (Downing). Beach notes that Cooper's Red is a synonym for the distinct variety Etowah, and confusion between the two names has led some to incorrectly treat Cooper Market and Etowah as the same variety; the two are quite distinct.
Tree
Hardy, one of the most reliable croppers, and not slow in coming into bearing. Very productive and a late keeper. Bears such heavy crops that it requires more than ordinary attention in pruning to make the fruit uniformly of marketable size. The fruit hangs to the tree remarkably well (Beach).
Form upright, with long slender branches. Beach describes the tree as moderately vigorous to vigorous, with lateral branches long, slender, and rather drooping. Downing describes it simply as vigorous.
Twigs below medium to above, rather slender, nearly straight; internodes short to medium. Bark dull, dark brownish-red with considerable olive-green in some specimens, uniformly overlaid with a moderately heavy scarf-skin, heavily pubescent. Lenticels moderately conspicuous, slightly raised, numerous, usually large but varying to small, roundish or elliptical. Buds small, almost sunk in the bark, obtuse, rather pubescent; scales sometimes divided (Beach).
Fruit
Size: Medium or below, sometimes nearly large (Beach). Attractive in color and form but often somewhat deficient in size (Beach).
Form: Beach describes the form as roundish ovate varying to roundish conic, flattened at the base and often narrowing sharply towards the apex, pretty symmetrical. Downing (1900 edition) describes it as oblate conic. Earlier Downing editions, as quoted by both Warder (1867) and Elliott (1865), describe it as oblong-conic — a notably different shape, suggesting revision between editions.
Stem: Medium to long, slender (Beach). Downing describes the stalk as short.
Cavity: Acute to acuminate, deep, rather narrow, sometimes slightly furrowed, often russeted (Beach). Downing describes it as deep and narrow.
Calyx: Small, closed, pubescent (Beach). Downing agrees: closed.
Basin: Small, often oblique, shallow, narrow, obtuse to abrupt, somewhat furrowed, wrinkled (Beach). Downing describes the basin simply as small.
Skin: Tough, smooth, glossy, greenish-yellow, mottled and blushed with red, conspicuously splashed and striped with bright carmine and partly covered with a light bloom (Beach). Dots whitish or with russet point, numerous and small towards the cavity, scattering, large and often irregular towards the basin (Beach). In fall the color is rather dull but in ordinary storage it improves noticeably as the season advances, becoming bright red with a yellowish-green background (Beach). Downing describes the skin as yellowish, shaded with red and striped with crimson.
Flesh/Flavor: Whitish tinged with yellow, very firm, a little coarse, moderately tender, juicy, brisk subacid, fair to good (Beach). Although not of high quality, it is fairly good when compared with other very late keeping varieties (Beach). Downing describes the flesh as white, tender, with a brisk subacid flavor, and rates it Good.
Core/Seeds: Calyx tube small, short, cone-shape. Stamens median to nearly marginal. Core distant, truncate, abaxile, medium; cells closed or open, often part of them unsymmetrical; core lines slightly clasping. Carpels roundish, slightly emarginate, somewhat tufted. Seeds numerous, dark, medium to short, plump, acute (Beach).
Season
December to May (Downing). Beach gives January to June. Especially esteemed for its keeping qualities and for holding a bright color late in the season. May be held very late in common storage. Improves in color in the package when held in common storage, but does not show as great improvement of this kind in cold storage (Beach).
Uses
Grown to a limited extent in commercial orchards. Desirable for supplying the general trade after the Baldwin season has closed (Beach). Valuable for market in New Jersey (Downing).
Subtypes/Variants
Not described in source.
Other
Elliott (1865) and Warder (1867) both reproduce Downing's description verbatim with attribution; their texts are not independent observations.
Description absent; variety present in variety-characteristic table (Encyclopedia of Practical Horticulture, 1914):
Cooper Market. M | re | yv | G | m | W | 2* | 2* | ......
Book Sources
Described in 5 period pomological works
Nursery Catalog Sources
Found in 11 catalogs (1889–1921) from California, Oregon, Washington
- California Nursery Co. , Niles , California — 1889
- Milwaukie-Canby Nurseries , Canby, OR (and Milwaukie, OR) — 1893
- Sherwood Hall Nursery Co. , Timothy Hopkins (Menlo Park Nurseries), San Francisco / Menlo Park , California — 1893
- Multnomah Nurseries , Russellville , Oregon — 1894
- Washington Nursery Co. , Toppenish , Washington — 1901
- The Dalles Nurseries , The Dalles , Oregon — 1906
- Washington Nursery Company , Toppenish , Washington — 1909
- Pacific Nursery Company , Portland , Oregon — 1912
- Washington Nursery Company , Toppenish , Washington — 1912
- Union Nurseries , J.B. Weaver & Sons, Union , Oregon — 1915
- Benedict Nursery Co. , Portland , Oregon — 1921
View original book sources (5)
— John A. Warder, American Pomology: Apples (1867)Cooper's Market.
COOPER'S REDLING.
"Fruit medium, oblong-conic; Skin yellowish, shaded with red, and striped with crimson; Stem short, cavity deep, narrow; Calyx closed, basin small; Flesh white, tender, with a brisk sub-acid flavor; December to May." — (Downing.)
— A.J. Downing, The Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900)Cooper's Market.
Cooper's Redling. Bigley. Redling.
Tree hardy, vigorous, upright, with long slender branches, very productive and a late keeper. Valuable for market in New Jersey.
Fruit medium, oblate conic, yellowish, shaded with red and striped with crimson. Stalk short. Cavity deep, narrow. Calyx closed. Basin small. Flesh white, tender, with a brisk subacid flavor. Good. December to May.
— S.A. Beach, The Apples of New York, Vol. 1 (1905)COOPER MARKET.
REFERENCES. 1. Mease, Willichs Dom. Encyc., 1804. (cited by 15). 2. M'Mahon, Amer. Gard. Cal., 1806. (cited by 13). 3. Coxe, 1817:137. fig. 4. Horticulturist, 9:291. 1854. col. pl. 5. Downing, 1857:130. 6. Mag. Hort., 25:53. 1859. 7. Am. Pom. Soc. Cat., 1862. 8. Warder, 1867:513. 9. Barry, 1883:344. 10. Thomas, 1885:232. 11. Lyon, Mich. Hort. Soc. Rpt., 1890:290. 12. Wickson, 1891:247. 13. Bailey, An. Hort., 1892:237. 14. Can. Hort., 16:33. 1893. 15. Ragan, Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt., 1901:49. 16. Waugh, Vt. Sta. An. Rpt., 14:291. 1901. 17. Budd-Hansen, 1903:67. 18. Thomas, 1903:325. 19. Beach and Clark, N. Y. Sta. Bul., 248:115. 1904.
SYNONYMS. COOPER'S MARKET (4, 5, 8, 9, 12, 13). Cooper's Market (10, 18). COOPER'S RED (10). COOPER'S RED incorrectly (18). COOPER'S REDLING (6). Cooper's Redling (5, 8, 10). Etowah, incorrectly (18). REDLING (1, 2, 3). Redling (9).
Attractive in color and form but not of high quality, often somewhat deficient in size. Especially esteemed for its keeping qualities and for holding a bright color late in the season. Grown to a limited extent in commercial orchards. Desirable for supplying the general trade after the Baldwin season has closed. It may be held very late in common storage. It improves in color in the package when held in common storage, but does not show as great improvement of this kind in cold storage (19).
The tree is hardy, one of the most reliable croppers, and not slow in coming into bearing. In fact, it bears such heavy crops that it requires more than ordinary attention in pruning to make the fruit uniformly of marketable size. The fruit hangs to the tree remarkably well.
Evidently the fact that Cooper's Red is a synonym for Etowah has led some to confuse that variety with Cooper Market (18). The two are quite distinct.
Historical. This is now believed to be of Pennsylvania origin and identical with the Redling of Coxe and others (1, 2, 3, 15).
Tree.
Tree moderately vigorous to vigorous; lateral branches long, slender and rather drooping. Form upright. Twigs below medium to above, rather slender, nearly straight; internodes short to medium. Bark dull, dark brownish-red with considerable olive-green in some specimens, uniformly overlaid with a moderately heavy scarf-skin, heavily pubescent. Lenticels moderately conspicuous, slightly raised, numerous, usually large but varying to small, roundish or elliptical. Buds small, almost sunk in the bark, obtuse, rather pubescent. Scales sometimes divided.
Fruit.
Fruit medium or below, sometimes nearly large. Form roundish ovate varying to roundish conic, flattened at the base and often narrowing sharply towards the apex, pretty symmetrical. Stem medium to long, slender. Cavity acute to acuminate, deep, rather narrow, sometimes slightly furrowed, often russeted. Calyx small, closed, pubescent. Basin small, often oblique, shallow, narrow, obtuse to abrupt, somewhat furrowed, wrinkled. Skin tough, smooth, glossy, greenish-yellow, mottled and blushed with red, conspicuously splashed and striped with bright carmine and partly covered with a light bloom. Dots whitish or with russet point, numerous and small towards the cavity, scattering, large and often irregular towards the basin. In fall the color is rather dull but in ordinary storage it improves noticeably as the season advances, becoming bright red with a yellowish-green background. Calyx tube small, short, cone-shape. Stamens median to nearly marginal. Core distant, truncate, abaxile, medium; cells closed or open; often part of them are unsymmetrical; core lines slightly clasping. Carpels roundish, slightly emarginate, somewhat tufted. Seeds numerous, dark, medium to short, plump, acute. Flesh whitish tinged with yellow, very firm, a little coarse, moderately tender, juicy, brisk subacid, fair to good. Although not of high quality it is fairly good when compared with other very late keeping varieties. Season January to June.
— Granville Lowther (ed.), Encyclopedia of Practical Horticulture (1914)Cooper Market. M | re | yv | G | m | W | 2* | 2* | ......
— F.R. Elliott, The Western Fruit Book (1865)Cooper's Market. Cooper's Redling.
Tree, vigorous, upright, with long slender branches. Productive, and a late keeper.
Fruit, medium, oblong conic; skin, yellowish, shaded with red, and striped with crimson; stem, short; cavity, deep, narrow; calyx, closed; basin, small; flesh, white, tender, with a brisk, sub-acid flavor. December to May. (Downing.)