Fraker

Apple

Fraker

Origin and History

Originated near Garnet, Anderson County, Kansas. Described in the report of the Kansas Horticultural Society for 1886 as promising for commercial purposes.

Tree

Tree moderately vigorous; branches rather short and moderately stout. Form upright spreading with open top. Twigs medium in length, stout, blunt at the tips; internodes medium or below. Bark bright brownish-red tinged with olive-green, streaked with gray scarf-skin; heavily pubescent. Lenticels numerous, medium, oblong, raised, conspicuous. Buds medium, plump, broad, obtuse, free, pubescent.

Tree does not come into bearing very early and produces moderately. Moderately productive.

Fruit

Size and Form: Fruit above medium to large; pretty uniform in size and shape. Form roundish conic or sometimes roundish oblate, nearly truncate at the base, often obscurely ribbed, rather symmetrical.

Stem: Stem medium to rather short.

Cavity: Acute, deep, rather broad, often distinctly furrowed.

Calyx: Medium to large, somewhat open or closed. Calyx tube long, narrow, funnel-form, often extending to the core. Stamens median.

Basin: Often oblique, shallow, narrow to rather wide, obtuse to rather abrupt, furrowed, wrinkled.

Skin and Color: Skin thick, tough, smooth, yellow with orange-red blush, in highly colored specimens deepening to a bright deep red mottled and striped with dull carmine. Dots pale or russet, not conspicuous. Note on coloring behavior: As grown in New York, the fruit too often does not develop proper color.

Flesh and Flavor: Flesh yellowish, firm, moderately coarse, rather crisp, rather tender, juicy, mild subacid becoming nearly sweet, slightly aromatic. Flavor good and pleasant. Quality mild and pleasant, but does not equal the standard commercial varieties of the region.

Core and Seeds: Core somewhat abaxile, medium or below; cells often unsymmetrical, closed or partly open; core lines clasping. Carpels broadly roundish to obcordate, somewhat emarginate, mucronate. Seeds numerous, medium or above, plump, obtuse, rather light brown.

Season and Storage

December to April. Keeps well into the spring.

Uses

Not recommended for planting in New York. Does not equal the standard commercial varieties of the region either in general appearance or in quality.

Subtypes and Variants

Synonym: Fraker's Seedling.

References

Brackett, Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt., 1885:157.
Kansas Hort. Soc. Rpt., 1886:70.

Book Sources

Described in 1 period pomological work

Beach, The Apples of New York Vol. 1 (1905)

View original book sources (1)

FRAKER.

REFERENCES. 1. Brackett, Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt., 1885:157. 2. Kansas Hort. Soc. Rpt., 1886:70.

SYNONYM. FRAKER'S SEEDLING (2).

As grown at this Station the fruit is medium to large and when well colored has an attractive deep red blush, but too often it does not develop proper color in this climate. The tree has not come into bearing very early and thus far has been but moderately productive. The fruit is of mild, pleasant flavor and keeps well into the spring. It does not equal the standard commercial varieties of this region either in general appearance or in quality and is not recommended for planting in New York.

Historical. Originated near Garnet, Anderson county, Kansas. Described in the report of the Kansas Horticultural Society for 1886 as promising for commercial purposes (2).

TREE.

Tree moderately vigorous; branches rather short and moderately stout. Form upright spreading with open top. Twigs medium in length, stout, blunt at the tips; internodes medium or below. Bark bright brownish-red tinged with olive-green, streaked with gray scarf-skin; heavily pubescent. Lenticels numerous, medium, oblong, raised, conspicuous. Buds medium, plump, broad, obtuse, free, pubescent.

FRUIT.

Fruit above medium to large; pretty uniform in size and shape. Form roundish conic or sometimes roundish oblate, nearly truncate at the base, often obscurely ribbed, rather symmetrical. Stem medium to rather short. Cavity acute, deep, rather broad, often distinctly furrowed. Calyx medium to large, somewhat open or closed. Basin often oblique, shallow, narrow to rather wide, obtuse to rather abrupt, furrowed, wrinkled.

Skin thick, tough, smooth, yellow with orange-red blush, in highly colored specimens deepening to a bright deep red mottled and striped with dull carmine. Dots pale or russet, not conspicuous. Calyx tube long, narrow, funnel-form, often extending to the core. Stamens median. Core somewhat abaxile, medium or below; cells often unsymmetrical, closed or partly open; core lines clasping. Carpels broadly roundish to obcordate, somewhat emarginate, mucronate. Seeds numerous, medium or above, plump, obtuse, rather light brown.

Flesh yellowish, firm, moderately coarse, rather crisp, rather tender, juicy, mild subacid becoming nearly sweet, slightly aromatic, good.

Season December to April.

— S.A. Beach, The Apples of New York, Vol. 1 (1905)

Fraker's Seedling