Esopus Spitzenberg
Apple
USDA Pomological Watercolor Collection
Esopus Spitzenberg
Origin / History
American, from New York on the Hudson River. Most authors place its origin at Esopus. Beach puts Esopus in Ulster County, and Downing calls it "a famous apple district, originally settled by the Low Dutch"; Zielinski gives "Esopus County, New York." Coxe in 1817 records instead that it "is said to have originated in the vicinity of Albany." Beach found no authentic account of the date of origin. He found it scattered throughout the State in the oldest orchards and well known in cultivation in New York and adjoining states "more than a century ago." Hedrick puts its origin "some years previous to 1800," and Zielinski before 1800.
Coxe published the variety as Esopus Spitzemberg in 1817. Beach notes that the word has been variously spelled by different pomologists, and he gives Spitzenburg as the commonly accepted spelling of his day. New York growers and dealers commonly call it simply Spitzenburg, or by the colloquial abbreviation "Spitz," and Hedrick gives "Spitz" as its sobriquet in market. According to Beach, pomologists were then printing Spitzenburg in italics as a first step toward shortening the name to Esopus. Comparatively few New York growers would recognize it by that name, and he expects it "will doubtless continue to be called Spitzenburg as long as it remains in cultivation."
Widely spread: in cultivation in Europe, and a recognized commercial variety in certain districts of the Rocky Mountain region, Washington, and Oregon (Beach). Hedrick says it "has long been grown from the Atlantic to the Pacific." The station table in Lowther reports it from 2 stations in the Northern Division, 8 in the Central, and 1 in the Southern, and marks it as adapted to more than one division. Planted at Agassiz, British Columbia, in spring 1890.
Its reputation has been of the highest. Coxe credits it with "great beauty, and exquisite flavour." Downing calls it "a handsome, truly delicious Apple, … generally considered by all good judges equal to the Newtown Pippin, and unsurpassed as a dessert fruit by any other variety," and says that "throughout the whole of New York it is considered the first of apples." To Beach it is "the standard of excellence for apples of the Baldwin class, to which it naturally belongs." Lowther calls it "one of the best, if not the best apple, produced in America, when all of its qualities and uses are considered." Hedrick calls it "one of the leading American apples," yet one that "falls considerably below the mark of perfection" through lack of vigor and health in the tree and its local prejudices to soil and climate.
Zielinski (1964) calls it one of the older varieties, at one time one of the leading American varieties, and long considered "one of the finest for both fruit quality and tree growth." In recent years it has lost favor with many Oregon growers, and at present it is seldom found in new plantings.
Tree
Form open and spreading, moderately upright. Shoots slender to rather slender, twigs rather long and slender. The lateral branches are eventually somewhat drooping. When in bearing the limbs are long and hanging, drooping and spreading, making an open head. Coxe calls the growth "peculiar," with long and hanging shoots. Warder calls the tree upright, and Thomas gives the shoots as ascending and erect.
Bark dark, rather clear reddish brown and dark green, finely mottled with thin gray scarf-skin, but slightly pubescent if at all. Lenticels medium size or below, numerous, irregular, elongated, conspicuous. Buds medium size, appressed, obtuse, pubescent (Beach). Leaves inclined to be narrow, crenate (Thomas); foliage not dense.
Vigor is in conflict. The tree is called vigorous (Warder, the Agassiz station, Zielinski), thrifty (Warder), and healthy (Elliott). Against this, Beach finds it slow in root development in the nursery and a moderately slow grower in the orchard, and Hedrick faults its "lack of vigor and health in the tree." Zielinski adds that older trees are not particularly vigorous and are noted for brittle wood and excessive limb breakage. Tender, and later than most varieties in coming into bearing (Lowther).
A rather moderate cropper on the average, bearing pretty regularly under favorable conditions (Beach, Stark). Thomas calls it "usually a moderate bearer," and Lowther "not a heavy bearer." Elliott says it requires a strong soil and age to produce much or good fruit, and much of lime and potash, when it is a good bearer. Irregularity of bearing is among the reasons Zielinski gives for its loss of favor with Oregon growers.
Fruit, blossoms, and foliage are susceptible to apple-scab (Beach, Hedrick), "more than the average" (Lowther). The tree is often injured by apple-canker, and Beach therefore advises grafting or budding it on a healthier variety. In some regions subject to blight and unprofitable (Warder). Susceptible to codling moth (Zielinski). Beach directs special attention to protecting both tree and fruit, and to raising the yield of high-grade fruit. Prune regularly but moderately. Give the trees room enough that they do not crowd, so that air moves freely and ample light reaches all the branches. Favor free and vigorous growth by keeping the soil highly fertile, well supplied with humus, well drained, and yet well supplied with moisture throughout the growing season.
Closely limited by place. Hedrick speaks of "decided local prejudices to soil and climate which make it suitable only to favored localities." Stark says that, like Newtown Pippin, it should be planted only in favored localities; elsewhere it is tender, slow coming into bearing, and susceptible to fungus and insects. Supposed to deteriorate when transplanted south of the Highlands on the Hudson (Coxe). Succeeds best in New York, its native State (Thomas). There it develops good color and quality in most of the apple-growing regions, and does particularly well in favorable localities in Schoharie and Greene counties and along Lake Champlain (Beach). In progressing westward and southward it changed its character: the fruit became larger, more irregular, less brilliantly colored, and less highly flavored, and the tree less productive (Warder). Profitable chiefly in the Northwest, though also planted largely in New York and neighboring states (Stark).
Fruit
Size: Below medium to large; pretty uniform in size and shape (Beach). Most authors call it large or rather large, or medium to large. Elliott gives above medium, large when carefully grown. The Agassiz station, Stark, and the Lowther station table call it medium, and Beach alone extends the range to below medium. Hedrick finds it sufficiently uniform in size and shape to make it an ideal apple for fancy packages.
Form: Oblong, tapering roundly toward the eye, broad and flat or flattened at the base, truncated (Budd and Hansen). Varying from oblong rounding toward the cavity to roundish ovate, or roundish inclined to conic (Beach). Round-ovate, slightly conical (Thomas); conical (Warder). Hedrick calls it "beautifully formed in an oblong-conic mould." The Lowther station table alone gives roundish oblate. Ribbed and irregular, from somewhat irregular and obscurely ribbed (Beach) to "considerably ribbed and irregular in its surface, and almost always slightly angular" (Elliott); Budd and Hansen call it regular.
Stem: Short to long, mostly medium to rather long and slender, about three-fourths of an inch (Downing, Thomas). Elliott finds it varying, sometimes short and stout, at others long and slender. Projecting beyond the base (Downing). Coxe gives it "planted in a deep hollow, the end projecting a little beyond the level of the fruit."
Cavity: Deep and wide, acute or somewhat acuminate, regular or wavy. Elliott calls it open. Red or yellow, or with outspreading rays of thin yellowish russet (Beach); light brown (Budd and Hansen).
Calyx: Small and closed by most accounts; Beach gives medium to small, closed or somewhat open. Segments divergent (Budd and Hansen). Calyx tube conical (Budd and Hansen); not very large, often elongated, cone-shaped (Beach). Stamens below medium to above (Beach), median (Budd and Hansen).
Basin: Shallow and slightly furrowed by most accounts, smooth or slightly furrowed (Budd and Hansen). Beach describes it as not large, abrupt, moderately narrow, shallow to medium in depth, often oblique at the brim, sometimes compressed, and usually furrowed and wrinkled. Almost abrupt, furrowed (Elliott). Warder alone calls it deep, ribbed or folded, and often leather-cracked.
Skin: Smooth, fair (Coxe), tough, sometimes waxy, slightly roughened by the russet dots (Beach). Handsome. Ground yellow to deep rich yellow, mostly to completely covered with rich, lively, bright red. Coxe calls it "a lively and brilliant red approaching to a scarlet"; it is a high rich red (Thomas), a clear bright nearly solid red (Budd and Hansen), and in the Lowther station table yellow-red. Shaded side yellow, tinged and streaked with red, with broken stripes of red.
The red is striped rather obscurely, inconspicuously, or faintly with darker red, and Stark adds pale yellow to the faint striping. Warder gives it marbled and mixed, striped more or less distinctly. Elliott gives it marbled with yellow russet, and Hedrick a commingling of light and dark red. In the sun it deepens to a dark red blush (Hedrick), very dark, almost purplish (Beach). Zielinski describes it as nearly covered with dark red stripes: an attractive bright red in the more favorable apple-producing areas, but in many other areas a brownish red, less attractive than other varieties. He counts this lack of attractive coloring among the causes of its loss of favor in Oregon.
Dots: Numerous, distinct, pale yellow, yellowish russet, russet, or gray, contrasting well with the red (Hedrick); most call them small. Small and numerous toward the basin, but apt to be larger and much elongated toward the cavity (Beach). Warder calls them large, irregular, gray, always elongated near the base.
Flesh and flavor: Yellow or tinged with yellow, firm to rather firm, crisp, juicy. Moderately fine, rather tender (Beach); breaking (Warder); "a little tough" (Elliott). Juicy at the North, more fibrous than crisp at the South (Warder).
Flavor rich, sprightly, brisk, spicy, aromatic, subacid, delicious; "exceedingly high flavored" (Elliott), "nearly unequalled in its high rich flavor" (Thomas). Thomas finds it "rather acid." Warder finds it "quite acid till ripe, when it is rich, saccharine, highly aromatic, giving the idea of the Spitzenberg flavor."
Quality "best" by most accounts. Beach gives "very good to best," and the Agassiz station "very good." Unexcelled in flavor and quality when well grown (Beach). Stark says that "when well-grown is of excellent quality."
Core and seeds: Core medium to large, by most accounts open or hollow; Warder alone calls it closed. Regular, ovate, rounded in form (Elliott). Abaxile, with cells often unsymmetrical and open but sometimes closed, and core lines slightly clasping (Beach). Cells ovate, slit (Budd and Hansen). Carpels large, roundish ovate, mucronate, tufted (Beach). Seeds large and long, wide, acute or pointed. Dark, shaded with light brown (Beach); light colored and flat (Budd and Hansen).
Season
The recorded season runs from November to March; it keeps through winter. Coxe gives its maturity about Christmas. Most authors give November or December to February. The Agassiz station gives only December and January, and Elliott alone gives January to March. Beach places it in season between Rhode Island Greening and Baldwin, from November to February or later. He finds its keeping quality quite variable in different seasons and localities, and says it may be held in cold storage till June. Zielinski reports a lack of keeping quality under intensive cultural practices, another cause of its loss of favor with Oregon growers.
Uses
A choice dessert apple, "about the best to eat out of hand" (Hedrick). Also for the kitchen: one of the best apples known for canning or general culinary uses (Beach), very good for all culinary purposes (Hedrick). The Lowther station table gives it for kitchen and market.
Well adapted for handling in cold storage. Ships well, has long had a well-established reputation in market, and always sells well. Well suited to boxes and fancy packages, and often brings fancy prices (Beach). Hedrick says it withstands well all the usages of marketing and is found in nearly every large market on the continent in season.
Beach says that its rather moderate cropping and its susceptibility to disease keep it from being largely planted in commercial orchards, "being found less profitable than Baldwin, Rhode Island Greening and certain other standard commercial sorts." Lowther holds that, though it is not a heavy bearer and the tree is tender, "it brings such good prices that the net profits are better than those from most other varieties."
Subtypes / Variants
Coxe judged the Flushing Spitzemberg of Long Island apparently the same apple. He found the difference "of the slightest shade," probably produced by soil or aspect, or by cultivation in a mountainous or flat country. Beach describes Flushing Spitzenburg as a separate variety. Zielinski reports several red-colored sports, attractive but showing many of the weaknesses of the original Esopus Spitzenberg.
Other
Beach also describes Newtown Spitzenburg and Scribner Spitzenburg as separate varieties bearing the Spitzenburg name. For descriptions and control of the diseases he names, Beach refers the reader to his Station's bulletins 168:1899, 170:1900, 186:1900, and 848:1903, and to its corresponding annual reports. The Lowther station table entry carries the number (24), and the Stark entry ends with the notation "NC."
Book Sources
Described in 10 period pomological works
- Warder, American Pomology: Apples (1867)
- Beach, The Apples of New York Vol. 1 (1905) — listed as ESOPUS SPITZENBURG
- Downing, Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900)
- Elliott, The Western Fruit Book (1865)
- Thomas, The American Fruit Culturist (1903)
- Budd & Hansen, Systematic Pomology (1914) — listed as Esopus Spitzenburg
- Coxe, A View of the Cultivation of Fruit Trees (1817) — listed as Esopus Spitzemberg
- Lowther (ed.), Encyclopedia of Practical Horticulture (1914) — listed as Esopus Spitzenburg
- Hedrick, Cyclopedia of Hardy Fruits (1922) — listed as ESOPUS SPITZENBURG
- Zielinski, Apple Varieties for Oregon (1964) — listed as Esopus Spitzenburg
Nursery Catalog Sources
Found in 73 catalogs (1845–1947) from California, England, Illinois, Massachusetts, Missouri, Nebraska, Oregon, Washington
- Winship's Nursery (Brighton Nurseries , operated by the Winship family), Brighton (Boston) , Massachusetts — 1845 — listed as Spitzenberg
- Winship's Nursery (Brighton Nurseries , operated by the Winship family), Brighton (Boston) , Massachusetts — 1845
- Azell Bowditch (Nursery / Fruit Catalog) , Boston , Massachusetts — 1850
- Joseph Breck & Co. , Boston , Massachusetts — 1855
- St. Helena Nursery , Howell Prairie, Marion County, OR (Marion Co., Ogn.) — 1864
- Hutchison Nursery , James Hutchison, Oakland , California — 1881
- Felix Gillet , Barren Hill Nursery, Nevada City , California — 1884
- Fancher Creek Nursery , Fresno , California — 1886
- W.R. Strong & Co. , Capital and Orange Hill Nurseries (Robert Williamson, prop.), Sacramento , California — 1886
- Felix Gillet , Barren Hill Nursery, Nevada City , California — 1888
- California Nursery Co. , Niles , California — 1889
- Felix Gillet , Barren Hill Nursery, Nevada City , California — 1889
- Palouse Nursery and Pleasant Dale Fruit Farm , Colfax, Washington Territory (situated two miles northeast of Colfax) - undated (single-page broadside flyer; "Washington Territory" suggests pre — 1889 — listed as Spitzenburg
- Felix Gillet , Barren Hill Nursery, Nevada City , California — 1890
- Felix Gillet , Barren Hill Nursery, Nevada City , California — 1891
- Puyallup & Yakima Nurseries , Puyallup, Washington (Lock Box 191) and North Yakima , Washington — 1892
- Oregon Wholesale Nurseries , Salem , Oregon — 1893 — listed as Spitzenburgh
- Sherwood Hall Nursery Co. , Timothy Hopkins (Menlo Park Nurseries), San Francisco / Menlo Park , California — 1893
- Woodburn Nurseries , Woodburn, Marion Co. , Oregon — 1894
- Multnomah Nurseries , Russellville , Oregon — 1894
- Felix Gillet , Barren Hill Nursery, Nevada City , California — 1895
- Felix Gillet , Barren Hill Nursery, Nevada City , California — 1897
- Kelway & Son , Langport, Somerset , England — 1897
- Central Experimental Farm , Dominion Department of Agriculture, Agassiz, British Columbia (under test; Bulletin No. 3, Second Series) — 1900
- The Dalles Nurseries , The Dalles , Oregon — 1901
- Washington Nursery Co. , Toppenish , Washington — 1901
- Mountain Grove Nurseries (Tippin & Moore , Proprietors; Geo. T. Tippin, J. W. Tippin, J. C. Moore), Mountain Grove , Missouri — 1901
- S.L. Watkins , Grizzly Flats, El Dorado County , California — 1901
- Benjamin Buckman (personal inventory) , Farmingdale , Illinois — 1901
- Forestville Nurseries , T.J. True, Forestville , California — 1902
- Russellville Nursery Co. , Russellville, OR (three miles east of Portland, one mile from Montavilla car line) — 1903 — listed as Spitzenberg
- Pacific Nursery Company (W. O. Hudson & A. D. Hudson) , Tangent , Oregon — 1903
- OSU Bulletin 81 — 1904
- Henderson Luelling / Traveling Nursery (historical recall) , Oregon — 1904
- Stark Bros. Nurseries & Orchards Co. , Louisiana , Missouri — 1906 — listed as Spitzenburg
- J.B. Pilkington , Portland , Oregon — 1907
- Russellville Nursery Co. , Montavilla Station, Portland, OR (three miles east of Portland, one mile from Montavilla car line) — 1907
- Carlton Nursery Co. , Carlton , Oregon — 1909
- Milton Nursery Co. (A. Miller & Sons , Proprietors), Milton , Oregon — 1909
- Washington Nursery Company , Toppenish , Washington — 1909
- C.F. Lansing , Salem , Oregon — 1910
- Hood River nurseries (multiple) — 1910
- Rawson & Stanton , Hood River , Oregon — 1910
- Island Nurseries & Fruit Farm , Vashon (Vashon Island) , Washington — 1910
- Stark Bros. Nurseries & Orchards Co. , Louisiana , Missouri — 1910 — listed as Spitzenburg
- Island Nurseries & Fruit Farm , Vashon (Vashon Island) , Washington — 1911
- Galbraith Nursery Co. (DeWitt Hansen , Pres.-Mgr.), Fairbury , Nebraska — 1911 — listed as Spitzenburg
- Stark Bros. Nurseries & Orchards Co. , Louisiana , Missouri — 1911 — listed as Spitzenburg
- Ballygreen Nurseries , Hanford , Washington — 1912
- Pacific Nursery Company , Portland , Oregon — 1912
- Vineland Nurseries Company , Clarkston , Washington — 1912
- Washington Nursery Company , Toppenish , Washington — 1912
- Ballygreen Nurseries , Hanford , Washington — 1912 — listed as Spitzenburg
- Stark Bros. Nurseries & Orchards Co. , Louisiana , Missouri — 1912 — listed as Spitzenburg
- J. B. Pilkington , Nurseryman, Portland, OR (nurseries near Newberg, forty miles from Portland) — 1913
- Van Holderbeke Nursery Co. , Incorporated, Spokane, Washington (nurseries at Otis Orchards WA, Pasadena WA, Kennewick WA) — 1913 — listed as Spitzenburg
- Island Nurseries & Fruit Farm , Vashon (Vashon Island) , Washington — 1914
- Union Nurseries , J.B. Weaver & Sons, Union , Oregon — 1915
- Island Nurseries & Fruit Farm , Vashon (Vashon Island) , Washington — 1915
- Ornamental & Fruit Nursery Company , Wapato, County of Yakima , Washington — 1915 — listed as Spitzenburg
- Island Nurseries & Fruit Farm , Vashon (Vashon Island) , Washington — 1916
- Island Nurseries & Fruit Farm , Vashon (Vashon Island) , Washington — 1917
- Stark Bros. Nurseries & Orchards Co. , Louisiana , Missouri — 1918 — listed as Spitzenberg
- Fancher Creek Nurseries , George C. Roeding, Fresno , California — 1918
- Stark Bros. Nurseries & Orchards Co. , Louisiana , Missouri — 1918 — listed as Spitzenburg
- Oregon Nursery Co. , Orenco , Oregon — 1920
- Benedict Nursery Co. , Portland , Oregon — 1921
- Fresno Nursery Co. , Fresno , California — 1924
- Columbia & Okanogan Nursery Co. , Wenatchee , Washington — 1925
- Hudson's Wholesale Nurseries , Tangent , Oregon — 1926
- Milton Nursery Co. , Milton-Freewater , Oregon — 1947
- Rich & Sons Nursery , Hillsboro , Oregon
- North-Western Nurseries , Walla Walla , Washington
View original book sources (12)
— William Coxe, A View of the Cultivation of Fruit Trees (1817)NO. 44. ESOPUS SPITZEMBERG.
This apple possesses great beauty, and exquisite flavour—it is said to have originated in the vicinity of Albany—it is supposed to deteriorate when transplanted to the south of the Highlands on the Hudson River. In size, it is a large apple; in form oblong—a fair and smooth skin, the colour a lively and brilliant red approaching to a scarlet, with numerous small yellow spots—the flesh is yellow, and singularly rich, juicy and sprightly; the stem is of moderate length, planted in a deep hollow, the end projecting a little beyond the level of the fruit: its maturity is about Christmas: the tree has a peculiar growth, with long and hanging shoots. This appears to be the same with the Flushing Spitzemberg of Long-Island; the difference between them is of the slightest shade, and may be probably produced by soil or aspect, or by cultivation in a mountainous or flat country.
— F.R. Elliott, The Western Fruit Book (1865)Esopus Spitzenberg.
American : origin, on the Hudson River. Tree, healthy, slender shoots ; when in bearing, drooping and spreading, making an open head ; requires a strong soil and age to produce much or good fruit, and much of lime and potash, when it is a good bearer.
Size, above medium, large when carefully grown ; form, flattened at base, oblong, tapering roundly toward the eye, considerably ribbed and irregular in its surface, and almost always slightly angular ; color, rich, lively red on yellow ground, dotted and marbled with yellow russet; stem, varying, sometimes short and stout, at others long and slender ; cavity, deep regular, open ; calyx, small, closed : basin, almost abrupt, furrowed; flesh yellow, crisp, a little tough, exceedingly high flavored and delicious ; core, regular, ovate, rounded in form ; seeds, large. January to March.
— John A. Warder, American Pomology: Apples (1867)Esopus Spitzenberg.
Origin New York, on the Hudson. This fruit has changed its character in progressing westward and southward, becoming larger and more irregular, less brilliantly colored, less highly flavored, and less productive.
Fig. 173.—ESOPUS SPITZENBERG.
Tree vigorous, upright, thrifty, but in some regions subject to blight and unprofitable; Shoots slender.
Fruit medium to large, conical, ribbed, irregular; Surface smooth, yellow, covered with bright red, marbled and mixed, striped more or less distinctly; Dots numerous, large, irregular, gray, always elongated near the base.
Basin deep, ribbed or folded, often leather-cracked; Eye small, closed.
Cavity deep, acute, regular, or wavy; Stem long.
Core large, closed; Seeds long, pointed; Flesh rich, yellow, breaking, juicy at the North, more fibrous than crisp at the South; Flavor quite acid till ripe, when it is rich, saccharine, highly aromatic, giving the idea of the Spitzenberg flavor; Quality best; Use, dessert and kitchen; Season, December to February.
— A.J. Downing, The Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900)Esopus Spitzenburgh.
Esopus Spitzenberg. Æsopus Spitzenburg. True Spitzenburgh.
The Esopus Spitzenburgh is a handsome, truly delicious Apple, and is generally considered by all good judges equal to the Newtown Pippin, and unsurpassed as a dessert fruit by any other variety. It originated at Esopus, a famous apple district, originally settled by the Low Dutch, on the Hudson. But throughout the whole of New York it is considered the first of apples. The tree has rather slender shoots, and when in bearing has long and hanging limbs.
Esopus Spitzenburgh.
Fruit large, oblong, tapering roundly to the eye. Skin smooth, nearly covered with rich, lively red, dotted with distinct yellowish russet dots. On the shaded side is a yellowish ground with streaks and broken stripes of red. Stalk rather long— three-fourths of an inch — and slender, projecting beyond the base, and inserted in a wide cavity. Calyx small, and closed, set in a shallow basin, which is slightly furrowed. Flesh yellow, rather firm, crisp, juicy, with a delicious rich, brisk flavor. Best. Seeds in a hollow core. December to February.
— John J. Thomas, The American Fruit Culturist (1903)Spitzenburgh, Esopus.* Rather large, round-ovate, slightly conical; surface a high rich red, rather obscurely striped; stalk three-fourths of an inch long, rather slender; basin shallow, slightly furrowed; flesh yellow, firm, crisp, spicy, rather acid, nearly unequalled in its high rich flavor. Keeps through winter. Shoots ascending and erect, rather slender leaves crenate. Usually a moderate bearer. Fig. 442. Succeeds best in New York, its native State.
— S.A. Beach, The Apples of New York, Vol. 1 (1905)ESOPUS SPITZENBURG.
REFERENCES. 1. Coxe, 1817:127. 2. Thacher, 1822:137. 3. N. Y. Bd. of Agr. Mem., 1826:477. 4. Wilson, 1828:136. 5. Cat. Hort. Soc. London, 1831:368. 6. Kenrick, 1832:40. 7. Floy-Lindley, 1833:45. 8. Downing, 1845:138. 9. Thomas, 1849:171, 172. fig. 10. Hovey, Mag. Hort., 16:62. 1850. fig. 11. Emmons, Nat. Hist. N. Y., 3: col. pl. No. 23. 1851. 12. Am. Pom. Soc. Cat., 1852. 13. Elliott, 1858:76. fig. 14. Bivort, An. Pom. de Belge, 1859:75. 15. Flotow, Ill. Handb. der Obstk., 1:525. 1859. 16. Warder, 1867:539, fig. 17. Mas, Le Verger, 4:141. col. pl. 18. Leroy, 3:54. 1873. 19. Barry, 1883:345. 20. Hogg, 1884:73. 21. Wickson, 1889:247. 22. Lyon, Mich. Hort. Soc. Rpt., 1890:290. 23. Bailey, An. Hort., 1892:238. 24. Woolverton, Ont. Fr. Stas. An. Rpt., 3:14. 1896. fig. 25. Eneroth-Smirnoff, 1901:452. 26. Budd-Hansen, 1903:76. fig. 27. Massey, N. C. Sta. Bul., 182:20. 1903. 28. Powell and Fulton, U. S. B. P. I. Bul., 48:40. 1903. 29. Beach and Clark, N. Y. Sta. Bul., 248:118. 1904.
SYNONYMS. ESOPUS SPITZEMBERG (7). Æsopus Spitzemberg (8, 18). ÆSOPUS SPITZENBERG (6). Æsopus Spitzenberg (20). Æsopus Spitzenburg (8). ÆSOPUS SPITZENBURGH (18). Æsopus Spitsenburgh (10). ESOPUS SPITZEMBERG (1). ESOPUS SPITZENBERG (3, 10, 16, 21). ESOPUS SPITZENBURG (13, 22, 23). Esopus Spitzenburg (28). ESOPUS SPITZENBURGH (11, 19, 20). Esopus Spitzenburgh (24). SPITSZENBURGH (2). SPITZENBERG (4). Spitzenburg (29). SPITZENBURGH (24). SPITZENBURGH, ESOPUS (8, 9). True Spitsenburgh (8, 18, 20).
The Esopus Spitsenburg, commonly known as the Spitzenburg, is the standard of excellence for apples of the Baldwin class, to which it naturally belongs. When well grown it is handsomely colored and unexcelled in flavor and quality. It is a choice dessert fruit and also one of the best apples known either for canning or for general culinary uses. It is well adapted for handling in cold storage, ships well, has long had a well-established reputation in market, always sells well, is well suited for marketing in boxes or fancy packages and often brings fancy prices. It is in season between Rhode Island Greening and Baldwin. It is quite variable in keeping quality in different seasons and in different localities (29). The fruit is quite susceptible to the attacks of the scab fungus, as also are the blossoms and the foliage. It is often injured by the apple-canker, and therefore it is advisable to graft or bud it upon a healthier variety. Special attention needs to be given to protecting both the tree and the fruit from the diseases just mentioned.1 As one means for accomplishing this result and also for the purpose of increasing the yield of high-grade fruit, it is wise to prune regularly but moderately, and to give the trees enough room in the orchard so that they do not crowd each other, thus permitting free movement of air and access of ample light around and among all of the branches. Especial care should be taken to favor a free and vigorous growth of the tree by keeping the soil highly fertile, well supplied with humus, well drained and yet well supplied with moisture throughout the growing season. Under favorable conditions Esopus Spitsenburg bears pretty regularly, but it is commonly rated as being, on the average, a rather moderate cropper. For this reason and because of its susceptibility to the diseases above mentioned it is not largely planted in commercial orchards, being found less profitable than Baldwin, Rhode Island Greening and certain other standard commercial sorts. The fruit develops good color and quality in most of the apple-growing regions of the State but it does particularly well in favorable localities in Schoharie and Greene counties and along Lake Champlain.
1 Descriptions of these diseases and approved methods of dealing with them are set forth in bulletins of this Station 168:1899, 170:1900, 186:1900, 848:1903, and in the Station's corresponding annual reports.
Historical. Originated at Esopus, Ulster county. We find no authentic account of the date of its origin but it is scattered throughout the State in the oldest orchards and was well known in cultivation in this and adjoining states more than a century ago. It is known in cultivation in Europe, and is one of the recognized commercial varieties in certain apple-growing districts of the Rocky Mountain region, Washington and Oregon.
TREE. Tree in the nursery makes a rather slow root development, and in the orchard is a moderately slow grower; the lateral branches are rather slender and eventually somewhat drooping. Form rather open and spreading, moderately upright. Twigs rather long and slender. Bark dark, rather clear, reddish-brown, and dark green, finely mottled with thin gray scarf-skin; but slightly pubescent if at all. Lenticels medium size or below, numerous, irregular, elongated, conspicuous. Buds medium size, appressed, obtuse, pubescent. Leaves inclined to be narrow; foliage not dense.
FRUIT. Fruit below medium to large; pretty uniform in size and shape. Form rather broad and flat at the base, varying from oblong rounding towards the cavity to roundish ovate or to roundish inclined to conic; somewhat irregular and obscurely ribbed. Stem medium. Cavity acute or somewhat acuminate, deep, wide, red or yellow or with outspreading rays of thin yellowish-russet. Calyx medium to small, closed or somewhat open. Basin not large, often oblique at brim, abrupt, moderately narrow, shallow to medium in depth, sometimes compressed, usually furrowed and wrinkled. Skin tough, sometimes waxy, slightly roughened by the russet dots, deep rich yellow often almost completely covered with bright red inconspicuously striped with darker red, in the sun deepening to a very dark, almost purplish blush, marked with pale yellow and russet dots which are small and numerous toward the basin, but are apt to be larger and much elongated toward the cavity. Calyx tube not very large, often elongated, cone-shape. Stamens below medium to above. Core medium to rather large, abaxile; cells often unsymmetrical and open but sometimes closed; core lines slightly clasping. Carpels large, roundish ovate, mucronate, tufted. Seeds large, long, wide, acute, dark shaded with light brown. Flesh tinged with yellow, firm, moderately fine, crisp, rather tender, juicy, aromatic, sprightly subacid, very good to best. Season November to February or later. In cold storage may be held till June.
[Additional entry in this volume: "Spitzenburg", pp. 533–533]
SPITZENBURG.
New York fruit growers and fruit dealers commonly use the simple name Spitzenburg or its colloquial abbreviation Spitz, in referring to the variety known to pomologists as Esopus Spitzenburg. Pomologists are now publishing this name with Spitzenburg in italics as the first step toward shortening the name to Esopus, but comparatively few New York fruit growers would recognize it by the name Esopus and it will doubtless continue to be called Spitzenburg as long as it remains in cultivation. For an account of this variety the reader is referred to Esopus Spitzenburg.
This word has been variously spelled by different pomologists as, Spitzemberg, Spitzenberg, Spitzenbergh, Spitzenburgh and Spitszenburgh, but Spitzenburg is now the commonly accepted spelling.
Many different varieties have the word Spitzenburg appearing either in the accepted name or in a synonym; those which are described in this volume are Esopus Spitzenburg, Flushing Spitzenburg, Newtown Spitzenburg and Scribner Spitzenburg (see Scribner).
— J.L. Budd & N.E. Hansen, American Horticultural Manual, Part II: Systematic Pomology (1914)Esopus Spitzenburg—Origin Esopus, on the Hudson River, New York. Fruit considered equal to the Newtown Pippin in quality and unsurpassed as a dessert fruit by any other variety.
Fruit large, regular, oblong, slightly tapering, truncated; surface smooth, almost wholly covered with clear bright nearly solid red, on shaded side yellow, tinged and streaked with red; dots distinct, numerous, small, gray; cavity wavy, deep, wide, light brown; stem medium, slender; basin shallow, smooth or slightly furrowed; calyx small, closed; segments divergent. Core open; cells ovate, slit; tube conical; stamens median; seeds large, light colored, flat; flesh yellow, crisp, firm, juicy, rich, delicious, brisk, spicy subacid, best. November to February.
— Granville Lowther (ed.), Encyclopedia of Practical Horticulture (1914)Esopus Spitzenburg
The Esopus Spitzenburg, commonly known as Spitzenburg, is the standard of excellence for all apples of the Baldwin class. In fact, it is one of the best, if not the best apple, produced in America, when all of its qualities and uses are considered.
It is well colored when normally developed, unexcelled in flavor, excellent for dessert, and one of the very best for culinary purposes. It keeps well in cold storage, ships well, has for many years been one of the very best market varieties, and is often packed in fancy boxes and sold for high prices. On the other hand, the fruit is susceptible more than the average, to attacks of scab fungus, as are the blossoms and the foliage. It is not a heavy bearer, and the tree is tender; but it brings such good prices that the net profits are better than those from most other varieties.
The Spitzenburg originated at Esopus, Ulster county, New York, date not known, but it is more than one hundred years old.
The tree is rather a slow grower, and comes into bearing later than most other varieties. The lateral branches are slender and somewhat drooping. Form open and spreading, twigs long and slender. Bark dark, rather clear reddish brown and dark green, finely mottled with thin gray scarf skin; leaves inclined to be narrow; foliage not dense.
Fruit medium to large; form rather broad and flat at the base, varying from oblong rounding toward the cavity to roundish ovate, or roundish inclined to conic; somewhat irregular and obscurely ribbed. Skin tough, sometimes waxy, slightly roughened by the russet dots. Flesh tinged with yellow, firm, fine, crisp, tender, juicy, aromatic, subacid. Season from November to February; but in cold storage may be held until June.
[Additional entry in this volume: "Spitzenburg", pp. 453–453]
Spitzenburg (24) is medium in size, roundish oblate in form, with yellow-red skin color. Quality: best. Use: both kitchen and market. Season: winter. Reported by 2 stations in the Northern Division, 8 stations in the Central Division, and 1 station in the Southern Division; the asterisk on each division indicates the variety is reported as adapted to more than one division.
— U.P. Hedrick, Cyclopedia of Hardy Fruits (1922)ESOPUS SPITZENBURG. Fig. 18. Esopus. Esopus Spitzenburg is one of the leading American apples. The fruits are unexcelled in quality, and are most pleasing in appearance. The flavor is subacid, rich, spicy, and aromatic. The color is a commingling of light and dark red laid on a rich yellow background with a dark red blush on the cheek to the sun, the whole surface being sprinkled with yellow and russet dots contrasting well with the red. The apples range from medium to large in size; are beautifully formed in an oblong-conic mould; and are sufficiently uniform in size and shape to make this an ideal apple for fancy packages. The apples are about the best to eat out of hand, and very good for all culinary purposes as well; they withstand well all the usages of marketing and keep in cold storage until June. They are found in nearly every large market on the continent in season, often under the sobriquet "Spitz." Esopus Spitzenburg, however, falls considerably below the mark of perfection through lack of vigor and health in the tree, and because of decided local prejudices to soil and climate which make it suitable only to favored localities. Unfortunately, also, blossom, foliage, and fruit are inviting prey to apple-scab. The variety originated in Esopus, New York, some years previous to 1800, and has long been grown from the Atlantic to the Pacific.
Tree open and spreading, upright, the lateral branches slender and drooping. Leaves narrow. Fruit medium to large, uniform in size and shape, broad and flat at the base, varying from oblong to conic, obscurely ribbed; stem medium; cavity acuminate, deep, wide, red or yellow or with outspreading rays of thin yellowish-russet; calyx small, closed or open; basin often oblique, abrupt, narrow, shallow, sometimes compressed, furrowed and wrinkled; skin tough, waxy, roughened by the russet dots, deep rich yellow covered with bright red, inconspicuously striped with darker red, marked with pale yellow and russet dots numerous toward the basin, larger and much elongated toward the cavity; calyx-tube elongated, cone-shape; stamens median; core large, abaxile; cells often unsymmetrical and open but sometimes closed; core-lines clasping; carpels large, round-ovate, mucronate, tufted; seeds large, long, wide, acute, dark shaded with light brown; flesh yellow, firm, fine, crisp, tender, juicy, aromatic, sprightly subacid; very good to best; November to February.
— Quentin B. Zielinski, Apple Varieties for Oregon (1964)Esopus Spitzenburg
The Spitzenburg, as it is commonly known, is one of our older varieties and at one time was one of the leading American varieties. It originated in Esopus County, New York, before 1800. This variety has long been considered one of the finest for both fruit quality and tree growth.
Characteristics
Trees are vigorous, open, upright spreading, with rather slender and drooping lateral branches. The fruit is medium to large, uniform in size and shape, and varies from oblong to conic. Skin is tough, waxy, often roughened by russet dots, yellow in color, and covered nearly entirely with dark red stripes. In the more favorable apple producing areas, this variety develops an attractive bright red color. In many other areas, however, the color is a brownish-red, and is less attractive than other varieties. Flesh is yellow, firm, fine, crisp, tender, juicy, aromatic, and sprightly subacid. Fruit quality is usually rated very good to best.
Limitations
Within recent years the Spitzenburg has lost favor with many Oregon growers due to lack of attractive coloring, irregularity of bearing, lack of keeping quality under intensive cultural practices, and susceptibility to codling moth. Trees of this variety, as they become older, are not particularly vigorous and are noted for their brittle wood and excessive limb breakage. At present, the variety is seldom found in new plantings.
Several red colored sports are available. Although they are attractive, they show many of the weaknesses of the original Esopus Spitzenburg.
— Central Experimental Farm, Central Experimental Farm, Agassiz BC — Catalogue of Fruit Trees under Test (Bulletin No. 3, 1900) (1900)Planted Spring 1890. Tree a vigorous grower. Fruit of medium size, oblong, tapering to the eye. Skin yellow, nearly covered with bright red and sprinkled with yellowish dots. Flesh yellow, firm, crisp, juicy, with a rich flavour, quality very good. Season December and January.
— Stark Bros. Nurseries & Orchards Co., Stark Bros. Year Book (1910) (1910)Of medium size, completely covered with bright red or faintly striped with darker red and pale yellow; firm, crisp, sub-acid, and aromatic. Under favorable conditions Spitzenburg is a regular bearer and when well-grown is of excellent quality. Like Newtown Pippin, it should be planted only in favored localities; elsewhere it is tender, slow coming into bearing, and susceptible to fungus and insects. It is profitable chiefly in the Northwest, but is also planted largely in New York and neighboring states. NC