Early Ripe
Apple
USDA Pomological Watercolor Collection
Early Ripe
Origin / History
Origin unknown. Downing gives it as supposed to have originated in Pennsylvania, and Beach follows him. Hedrick says it was first described by Warder in 1867, probably originated in Pennsylvania, and is chiefly to be found in that state. Beach's earliest reference is Warder, 1869.
It was planted for trial at the Central Experimental Farm, Agassiz, British Columbia, in spring 1896. Lowther's station returns list none in the Northern Division, four stations in the Central Division and two in the Southern Division, each also reported in another division.
Stark Bros. offered it in 1910 as "an improved Early Harvest." Hedrick finds that it "has little to commend it other than thriftiness and productiveness of tree."
Tree
Tree large, vigorous, a free, good and thrifty grower, productive. Branches moderately long and stout. Form upright spreading, rather dense; top roundish. Twigs long, stout, curved; internodes medium. Bark brown tinged with olive-green, lightly streaked with scarf-skin, heavily pubescent. Lenticels scattering, small to medium, oblong, slightly raised. Buds medium size, broad, plump, obtuse, appressed, pubescent (Beach). Beach says it comes into bearing young and yields full crops in alternate years. Stark Bros. calls it a stronger tree than Early Harvest, more free from scab, "better in every way," and very young in coming into bearing.
Fruit
Size: Medium to above medium. Beach calls it "of good medium size," and Hedrick calls it "of quite sufficient size." Beach finds it fairly uniform in size but not in shape. Hedrick, in his own introductory remarks, calls it uniform in neither size nor shape.
Form: Roundish oblate, somewhat inclined to conic, irregular, broadly ribbed.
Stem: Thick, often bracted. Downing calls it long; Beach calls it medium in length or short.
Cavity: Acute or approaching acuminate, usually shallow, rather broad, slightly or sometimes russeted.
Calyx: Small to rather small, closed. Calyx tube rather narrow, funnel-form; stamens median (Beach).
Basin: Obtuse, usually very shallow, moderately wide, somewhat wrinkled (Beach).
Skin: Pale yellow to light yellowish-green. The Agassiz station notes a faint reddish blush.
Dots: Gray. Downing and the Agassiz station call them few; Beach calls them numerous, small, pale gray or russet.
Flesh and flavor: Flesh white, quite firm, moderately coarse, crisp, tender, juicy. Briskly subacid, becoming rather mild subacid when fully ripe. Quality good by most accounts; Beach rates it "fair to good." Hedrick judges it "not good enough in quality to rank with a half score of other August apples."
Core and seeds: Core medium to rather large, abaxile; cells closed or partly open; core lines clasping. Carpels broadly roundish, emarginate. Seeds medium size, plump, obtuse (Beach).
Season
August. Lowther's table gives summer.
Uses
Good for culinary use (Beach). Primary use family (Lowther).
Subtypes / Variants
Downing records another apple under the name Early Ripe: small, oblate; stalk short; flesh brisk subacid.
Other
Stark Bros. calls the fruit "very similar" to Early Harvest. Its entry carries the code "CS."
Book Sources
Described in 5 period pomological works
Nursery Catalog Sources
Found in 11 catalogs (1886–1918) from Alabama, Illinois, Missouri, Washington
- Huntsville Wholesale Nurseries (Jessie S. Moss , Proprietor; W.F. Heikes, Manager), Huntsville , Alabama — 1886
- The Vineland Nurseries (Kelsey & Co. , Proprietors), St. Joseph, Missouri (Office: 13th and Atchison Sts., 2 Blocks East of the Citizens St. Car Line) — 1894
- Central Experimental Farm , Dominion Department of Agriculture, Agassiz, British Columbia (under test; Bulletin No. 3, Second Series) — 1900
- Benjamin Buckman (personal inventory) , Farmingdale , Illinois — 1901
- Stark Bros. Nurseries & Orchards Co. , Louisiana , Missouri — 1906
- Stark Bros. Nurseries & Orchards Co. , Louisiana , Missouri — 1910
- Stark Bros. Nurseries & Orchards Co. , Louisiana , Missouri — 1911
- Stark Bros. Nurseries & Orchards Co. , Louisiana , Missouri — 1912
- Vineland Nurseries Company , Clarkston , Washington — 1912
- Benjamin Buckman (personal inventory) , Farmingdale , Illinois — 1913
- Stark Bros. Nurseries & Orchards Co. , Louisiana , Missouri — 1918
View original book sources (7)
— A.J. Downing, The Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900)Early Ripe.
Supposed Pennsylvania origin, but unknown. Tree a free grower, and productive.
Fruit medium, roundish oblate, pale yellow, sprinkled with a few gray dots. Stalk long, in a slightly russeted cavity. Calyx small, closed. Flesh white, tender, juicy, subacid. Good. August.
There is also another apple under name of Early Ripe, which is small, oblate. Stalk short. Flesh brisk subacid.
— S.A. Beach, The Apples of New York, Vol. 2 (1905)EARLY RIPE.
REFERENCES. 1. Warder, 1869:717. 2. Downing, 1869:156. 3. Fitz, 1872:151. 4. Am. Pom. Soc. Cat., 1873. 5. Bailey, An. Hort., 1892:238. 6. Ill. Sta. Bul., 45:320. 1896. 7. Mich. Sta. Bul., 143:200. 1897. 8. Thomas, 1897:634. 9. Alwood, Va. Sta. Bul., 130:121. 1901. 10. Kan. Sta. Bul., 106:52. 1902. 11. Budd-Hansen, 1903:74.
SYNONYMS. None.
Fruit of good medium size, yellowish-green, subacid, good for culinary use. The tree is a good grower, comes into bearing young, and yields full crops in alternate years.
Historical. The locality of its origin is unknown but it is supposed to have originated in Pennsylvania (2).
TREE.
Tree large, vigorous with moderately long, stout branches. Form upright spreading, rather dense, top roundish. Twigs long, stout, curved; internodes medium. Bark brown tinged with olive-green, lightly streaked with scarfskin; heavily pubescent. Lenticels scattering, small to medium, oblong, slightly raised. Buds medium size, broad, plump, obtuse, appressed, pubescent.
FRUIT.
Fruit medium to above, fairly uniform in size but not in shape. Form roundish oblate somewhat inclined to conic, irregular, broadly ribbed. Stem often bracted, medium in length or short, thick. Cavity acute or approaching acuminate, usually shallow, rather broad, sometimes russeted. Calyx rather small, closed. Basin obtuse, usually very shallow, moderately wide, somewhat wrinkled. Skin light yellowish-green. Dots numerous, small, pale gray or russet. Calyx tube rather narrow, funnel-form. Stamens median. Core medium to rather large, abaxile; cells closed or partly open; core lines clasping. Carpels broadly roundish, emarginate. Seeds medium size, plump, obtuse. Flesh white, quite firm, moderately coarse, crisp, tender, juicy, briskly subacid, becoming rather mild subacid when fully ripe, fair to good. Season August.
— J.L. Budd & N.E. Hansen, American Horticultural Manual, Part II: Systematic Pomology (1914)Early Ripe. — Supposed origin, Pennsylvania; tree a free grower and productive.
Fruit medium, roundish oblate; surface pale yellow; dots few; gray; cavity slightly russeted; stem long; calyx small, closed; flesh white, tender, juicy, subacid, good. August.
— Granville Lowther (ed.), Encyclopedia of Practical Horticulture (1914)Early Ripe is medium in size, roundish oblate in form, and yellow in skin color. Quality is good. Primary use is family. Season of ripening is summer. The Northern Division reported no stations. The Central Division reported 4 stations (also reported in another division). The Southern Division reported 2 stations (also reported in another division).
— U.P. Hedrick, Cyclopedia of Hardy Fruits (1922)EARLY RIPE. Early Ripe has little to commend it other than thriftiness and productiveness of tree. The apples, while of quite sufficient size, are not uniform in size or shape, and are not good enough in quality to rank with a half score of other August apples. It was first described by Warder in 1867, and probably originated in Pennsylvania, in which state it is chiefly to be found.
Tree large, vigorous, upright-spreading, dense; top roundish, with long stout branches. Fruit medium to large, uniform in size but not in shape, round-oblate, sometimes conic, irregular, broadly ribbed; stem often bracted, medium in length or short, thick; cavity acute, shallow, broad, sometimes russeted; calyx small, closed; basin obtuse, very shallow, wide, somewhat wrinkled; skin light yellowish-green; dots numerous, small, pale gray or russet; calyx-tube narrow, funnel-form; stamens median; core large, abaxile; cells closed or partly open; core-lines clasping; carpels broadly roundish, emarginate; seeds plump, obtuse; flesh white, firm, coarse, crisp, tender, juicy, brisk subacid, becoming mild subacid; fair to good; August.
— Central Experimental Farm, Central Experimental Farm, Agassiz BC — Catalogue of Fruit Trees under Test (Bulletin No. 3, 1900) (1900)Planted Spring 1896. Tree a vigorous grower. Fruit above medium size, roundish, oblate, colour pale yellow, with a faint reddish blush and a few gray dots. Flesh white, tender, juicy, sub-acid, quality good. Season August.
— Stark Bros. Nurseries & Orchards Co., Stark Bros. Year Book (1910) (1910)An improved Early Harvest, fruit very similar. Tree stronger, more free from scab, and better in every way. Comes into bearing very young. CS