Family

Origin/History

Family is a native of Georgia, sometimes known as McLoud's Family. In Georgia, where it originated, it is a summer apple and according to some nursery catalogue descriptions "keeps ripening for six weeks." In Central Illinois it is in season in September. At the Geneva, New York experiment station, some of the fruit may keep through the winter although its season would best be described as extending from October to January. Beach notes that as grown at Geneva the Family does not agree closely with the descriptions given by various pomologists, particularly in regard to its season of ripening, but he believed the stock was true to name, traced back to W. M. Samuels, Clinton, Kentucky, a careful nurseryman. Warder (1867) described it as "this new southern variety" not yet sufficiently known for a full description.

Tree

Tree vigorous, a fine regular grower and productive (Downing). Short, moderately stout branches; does not come into bearing young but is an annual bearer and a moderately good cropper. There is a considerable loss from the dropping of the fruit. Form upright spreading, rather dense. Twigs short, straight, moderately stout; internodes below medium to short. Bark olive-green, tinged with red, covered with a light coat of grayish scarf-skin, quite pubescent near tips. Lenticels not clear in color, inconspicuous, scattering, medium in size, roundish. Buds medium, flat, obtuse, very pubescent, deeply set in bark.

Fruit

Size: Small to medium.

Form: Roundish ovate to roundish conic, faintly ribbed, rather symmetrical, sides often unequal; pretty uniform in shape and size. Downing describes it as oblate conical. Warder describes it as conic.

Stem: Long to medium, usually rather slender. Downing describes the stalk as short and small.

Cavity: Acute to acuminate, medium in depth to deep, narrow, usually symmetrical, sometimes lipped, often smooth but sometimes overspread with russet. Downing describes the cavity as pretty large, slightly russeted.

Calyx: Medium, usually slightly open; lobes rather long and reflexed. Downing describes the calyx as closed, with segments medium, partially recurved.

Basin: Shallow to very shallow, narrow, abrupt, narrowly furrowed. Downing describes it as medium, a little wrinkled.

Skin: Thin, tough, smooth, mottled and washed with red over a rather pale yellow ground, shading to deep dark red in the sun, marked with many narrow and broken stripes of dull purplish-carmine, sprinkled with rather conspicuous pale yellowish or russet dots and overspread with whitish bloom. Downing describes it as yellowish, shaded, striped, and splashed with dull red over half or more of its surface, thickly sprinkled with large light dots. Warder simply notes it as striped red.

Flesh/Flavor: Yellowish, sometimes tinged with red near the skin, firm, rather crisp, fine-grained, tender, juicy, sprightly subacid becoming mild, pleasant in flavor, good (Beach). Downing describes the flesh as white, tender, juicy, mild, pleasant, subacid, and rates it "Very good." Thomas describes the flavor as mild subacid, very good.

Calyx Tube: Long, rather wide, funnel-form or conical, often extending to the core. Stamens median to nearly basal.

Core/Seeds: Core abaxile, large; cells usually symmetrical and wide open; core lines somewhat clasping. Carpels rather concave, round to broadly elliptical. Seeds numerous, medium to rather large, acute to obtuse, plump.

Season

In Georgia, a summer apple ripening in July and August (Warder). Downing gives August and September. In Central Illinois, September. At Geneva, New York, October to January, with some fruit keeping through the winter. Beach notes the marked difference in season by latitude, and that nursery descriptions report it "keeps ripening for six weeks."

Uses

Beach states it is not a desirable variety for planting in New York.

Subtypes/Variants

Not described in source.

Other

Beach provides an extensive reference list: Warder (1867:515), Downing (1872:172, with figure), American Pomological Society Catalogue (1873), Barry (1883:333), Thomas (1885:509), Bailey's Annals of Horticulture (1892:239), Clayton in Alabama Station Bulletin 47:8 (1893), and Budd-Hansen (1903:83).