Elgin Pippin

Origin and History

The Elgin Pippin is a yellow apple of good size and attractive appearance. It originated in Alabama. The variety evidently belongs to the Fall Pippin class, though it does not closely resemble that variety and is not superior to it. Although it has considerable merit, it does not excel other varieties of its season and was not recommended for planting in New York.

Downing questioned whether it is identical with the White Spanish Reinette, but it appears to be distinct from that variety.

The variety was documented in Bailey's Annual Report of Horticulture (1892), Clayton's Alabama Station Bulletin (1893), Thomas (1897), and Beach and Clark's New York Station Bulletin (1904).

Tree

The tree is vigorous and upright, with long, moderately stout branches. The form is very much spreading and somewhat drooping, with rather dense foliage. Twigs are medium in size, curved, and stout, with long internodes. The bark is brown, tinged with olive-green, mottled with scarf-skin, and slightly pubescent. Lenticels are scattering, large, oblong, and raised. Buds are large, broad, plump, obtuse, free, and slightly pubescent. The tree is productive.

Fruit

Size and Form: Fruit is above medium to large, averaging nearly large. The form is oblate to roundish conic, distinctly ribbed, and irregular, with sides often unequal, sometimes elliptical, and not uniform.

Stem: Medium to very long and slender.

Cavity: Acute to acuminate, medium in depth to deep, rather broad to narrow. Usually with outspreading russet rays, sometimes decidedly compressed, sometimes lipped.

Calyx: Medium to large, closed; lobes often leafy, long, and acuminate.

Basin: Sometimes oblique, shallow to moderately deep, moderately wide to rather narrow, obtuse to rather abrupt. Often prominently and irregularly ribbed.

Skin: Thin and moderately tender. Color greenish yellow becoming deep yellow, sometimes with a faint bronze blush in the sun. Dots are scattering, russet, or submerged and whitish.

Calyx Tube: Rather large, moderately wide, conical or approaching funnelform. Stamens median to basal.

Core: Abaxile, medium to large; cells unsymmetrical, usually wide open; core lines meeting or slightly clasping. Carpels irregular, often somewhat ovate, much concave, tufted.

Seeds: Often abortive, dark, rather large, long, flat, acute to acuminate.

Flesh: Whitish tinged with yellow, firm, moderately fine, crisp, tender, juicy. Flavor subacid, good.

Season

September to December. Commercial limit: October.

Uses

Not described in source.

Other

Warder describes another variety under the name Elgin Pippin, which Beach and his contemporaries had not encountered.