Haas
Apple
USDA Pomological Watercolor Collection
Haas
Origin / History
Haas originated many years since on the grounds of Gabriel Cerré, adjoining what Downing calls "the then village of St. Louis (now city), Mo." Hansen gives the origin simply as near St. Louis, Missouri. Hedrick, writing in 1922, places the origin "over half a century ago" on the farm of Gabriel Cerre. It was at first called Gros Pommier. Downing reports it "now generally Fall Queen or Haas," a name he retains "as it is most commonly used." The earliest reference in Beach's list is the Horticulturist of 1870, under the name "Hoss." Lowther's station table carries it as "Fall Queen (Haas)."
Downing calls it "very popular through most of the West and Southwest as a profitable market fruit, and for family use." Beach says it has been "widely disseminated throughout the Middle West and Southwest where it is recognized as one of the hardiest of American apples." He adds that in New York it has been planted to a limited extent only and its cultivation is not increasing. With some growers, Beach says, it has proved profitable because the tree comes into bearing young and is very thrifty, hardy and productive, but "on account of the inferior quality of its fruit doubtless it will be eventually wholly supplanted by better kinds."
Hedrick writes that because of early bearing, thriftiness, hardiness and productiveness in tree, Haas "has been widely planted in different parts of America, and is still in favor in Texas and other parts of the South." He adds: "It might be a universal favorite, were it not for the poor quality of the fruit, which has a flavor disagreeable to many."
Lowther's station table reports it from four stations in the Northern Division and four in the Central Division, and from none in the Southern Division. Each entry is marked as also reported in another division. The Central Experimental Farm at Agassiz, British Columbia, planted it under test in spring 1890.
Tree
Tree large, hardy, very vigorous, with long, slender branches. Form at first comparatively tall and upright, becoming spreading or roundish. Downing describes it as forming "a beautiful symmetric head." Growth very strong and upright in nursery and orchard (Hansen); a strong and spreading grower at Agassiz.
Twigs long, curved, slender, with large terminal buds; internodes long. Bark brown or reddish-brown, lightly streaked with scarf-skin, pubescent. Lenticels quite numerous, medium size, oval, not raised. Buds medium to large, broad, plump, obtuse, free, pubescent (Beach).
An early, annual and abundant bearer, coming into bearing young; thrifty and productive. R. P. Speer of Cedar Falls, Iowa, reports the tree productive on sandy land. Hansen calls it "one of the hardiest of the old list, but not sufficiently hardy at the north." He adds that where hardy it is a good top-grafting stock for Jonathan.
Fruit
Size: Medium to large. Most authors place it at medium or above medium; Beach calls it "of good medium size." Lowther's table gives simply medium. Downing alone gives medium to large.
Form: Oblate to roundish oblate, slightly conical, a little inclined to conic, or conical (Hansen; the Agassiz report gives the form as conical). Angular or obscurely angular, slightly or somewhat ribbed; sides usually unequal (Beach). Lowther's table enters the form as "obe."
Stem: Short to medium, small (Downing) or thick, often partly red (Beach).
Cavity: Acute to acuminate, regular, usually symmetrical, medium (Downing) to deep and broad (Beach). A little greenish, with a trace of russet, or more or less covered with thin greenish russet.
Calyx: Small to medium, closed or nearly so; Hansen calls it half open. Lobes separated at base, short, narrow, acuminate (Beach).
Calyx tube very variable, rather long and wide, conical or approaching funnel-form (Beach); funnel-shaped and open to the core (Hansen). Stamens median (Hansen) or median or below (Beach).
Basin: Small or medium, narrow or moderately narrow, rather deep, abrupt. Smooth or slightly furrowed, wrinkled or corrugated.
Skin: Smooth, tough; thin (Beach) or thick and becoming oily (Hansen). Ground pale greenish yellow to yellow, shaded, washed or mottled and nearly or wholly covered with red, marbled, striped and splashed. The red is light and dark with some rather obscure splashes and stripes (Downing; the Agassiz report also gives light and dark red); bright crimson (Hansen); or deep bright red or brownish-red striped and splashed with deep carmine (Beach). Prevailing effect red striped with carmine (Beach); yellow-red in Lowther's table. A handsome, very attractive bright red fruit.
Dots: Inconspicuous or very obscure, light, pale, white, or russet. Few and minute (Downing, Hansen) or numerous and small to rather large (Beach).
Flesh and flavor: Flesh quite white to "snow white," often stained red next the skin and sometimes through the flesh (Downing). Fine to moderately fine. Tender (Downing), against firm and a little tough (Beach) and "not tender" at Agassiz. Hansen notes "a peculiar quince-like texture." Moderately juicy to very juicy.
Subacid; brisk and vinous (Downing), or sprightly, aromatic and a little astringent (Beach). Hedrick calls it "a flavor disagreeable to many."
Quality runs from poor to very good, most verdicts falling at fair or medium: "only fair in quality" and "poor to fair or sometimes nearly good" (Beach), "fair" (Hansen), "quality medium" (Agassiz). Downing rates it higher, "good to very good," and Lowther's table "good," while Hedrick speaks of "the poor quality of the fruit."
Core and seeds: Core below medium to large, somewhat abaxile (Beach). Cells symmetrical, open or sometimes closed (Beach); Hansen gives the core open, with cells widely slit. Core lines clasping. Carpels broadly roundish to elliptical. Seeds dark brown, medium to large, of medium width, plump, acute (Beach).
Season
The recorded season runs from September into early winter. Most authors give an autumn season: September and October, late fall, or autumn. Beach gives October to early winter, with an ordinary commercial limit of November in common storage.
Uses
A culinary and market fruit, also for family use. Downing calls it a profitable market fruit through most of the West and Southwest.
Subtypes / Variants
Not described in source.
Other
Hedrick figures the fruit at half natural size (Fig. 25, "X½").
[NOTE: Source text may be incorrect — the Budd & Hansen (1914) passage is a fragment that straddles an adjacent entry, the "Haas." heading falling in the middle of another variety's description. Its white bloom, few distinct dots, stellate russet, small core, round entire cells, acid flesh and August season do not match the other descriptions of Haas.]
The material preceding the "Haas." heading reads: "covered with white bloom; dots distinct, few, white; cavity regular, rather narrow, with stellate russet; stem short; basin narrow, abrupt, smooth; calyx closed, small; segments erect convergent. Core small; cells round, small, entire; tube funnel-shaped; stamens median-".
The material following the heading reads: "seeds long-pointed; flesh whitish, juicy, tender, acid, good; use kitchen and market only. August."
Book Sources
Described in 6 period pomological works
- Beach, The Apples of New York Vol. 2 (1905)
- Lowther (ed.), Encyclopedia of Practical Horticulture (1914)
- Hansen, A Study of Northwestern Apples (1902)
- Hedrick, Cyclopedia of Hardy Fruits (1922)
- Downing, Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900) — listed as Gros Pommier
- Budd & Hansen, Systematic Pomology (1914)
USDA Nomenclature (1905)
From W.H. Ragan, Nomenclature of the Apple, USDA Bulletin No. 56
Possibly identical with: Buckingham
Nursery Catalog Sources
Found in 30 catalogs (1850–1921) from Alabama, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Washington
- Azell Bowditch (Nursery / Fruit Catalog) , Boston , Massachusetts — 1850
- Huntsville Wholesale Nurseries (Jessie S. Moss , Proprietor; W.F. Heikes, Manager), Huntsville , Alabama — 1886
- 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 Hass
- William H. Moon Co. , Morrisville, Bucks County , Pennsylvania — 1890
- Missouri Nursery Co. , Louisiana , Missouri — 1891
- Rogers Nursery Co. , Moorestown , New Jersey — 1893
- Milwaukie-Canby Nurseries , Canby, OR (and Milwaukie, OR) — 1893
- The Vineland Nurseries (Kelsey & Co. , Proprietors), St. Joseph, Missouri (Office: 13th and Atchison Sts., 2 Blocks East of the Citizens St. Car Line) — 1894
- J.V. Cotta (Cotta Nursery) , Carroll County , Illinois — 1898
- Reading Nursery , Jacob W. Manning, Proprietor, Reading , Massachusetts — 1898
- Brown Brothers Co. , Continental Nurseries, Rochester, NY (also operated from Toronto, Canada) — 1899
- 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
- Benjamin Buckman (personal inventory) , Farmingdale , Illinois — 1901
- Brown Brothers Co. , Continental Nurseries, Rochester, NY (also operated from Toronto, Canada) — 1901
- Phoenix Nursery Company (W. E. Rossney , President; Sidney Tuttle, Vice-President), Bloomington , Illinois — 1904
- Stark Bros. Nurseries & Orchards Co. , Louisiana , Missouri — 1906
- Wm. J. Corse (successor to Robert Sinclair / Sinclair Nurseries) , Baltimore , Maryland — 1909
- Washington Nursery Company , Toppenish , Washington — 1909
- Stark Bros. Nurseries & Orchards Co. , Louisiana , Missouri — 1910
- Galbraith Nursery Co. (DeWitt Hansen , Pres.-Mgr.), Fairbury , Nebraska — 1911
- Stark Bros. Nurseries & Orchards Co. , Louisiana , Missouri — 1911
- Stark Bros. Nurseries & Orchards Co. , Louisiana , Missouri — 1912
- Pacific Nursery Company , Portland , Oregon — 1912
- Vineland Nurseries Company , Clarkston , Washington — 1912
- Washington Nursery Company , Toppenish , Washington — 1912
- Union Nurseries , J.B. Weaver & Sons, Union , Oregon — 1915
- Benedict Nursery Co. , Portland , Oregon — 1921
- North-Western Nurseries , Walla Walla , Washington
View original book sources (7)
— A.J. Downing, The Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900)Gros Pommier.
Gros Pomier. Fall Queen, or Haas. Haas. Maryland Queen. Horse of some. Hoss.
Originated on the grounds of Gabriel Cerre many years since, adjoining the then village of St. Louis (now city), Mo. It was at first called Gros Pommier, but now generally Fall Queen or Haas, and we retain this, as it is most commonly used. It is very popular through most of the West and Southwest as a profitable market fruit, and for family use. Tree hardy, very vigorous, upright, forming a beautiful symmetric head; an early, annual, and abundant bearer.
Fruit medium to large, oblate, slightly conical, angular or slightly ribbed; skin smooth, pale greenish yellow, shaded nearly over the whole surface with light and dark red, some rather obscure splashes and stripes, and a few light dots; stalk short, small; cavity medium, a little greenish; calyx closed; basin small or medium, slightly corrugated; flesh quite white, fine, often stained next the skin, and sometimes through the flesh, tender, very juicy, vinous, brisk subacid; good to very good; core medium or large. September, October.
— N.E. Hansen, A Study of Northwestern Apples (1902)Haas (Gros. Pomier, Fall Queen)—Origin, near St. Louis, Missouri, tree of very strong, upright growth in nursery and orchard. Tree one of the hardiest of the old list, but not sufficiently hardy at the north. Where hardy it is a good top-grafting stock for Jonathan. R. P. Speer, Cedar Falls, Iowa, reports tree productive on sandy land—Fruit medium or above, roundish oblate, conical, obscurely angular; skin thick, tough, becoming oily; surface yellow, almost or wholly covered with bright crimson, marbled, splashed and striped, a handsome fruit; dots very obscure, few, white, minute; cavity regular, acute, with trace of russet; stem short; basin abrupt, narrow; calyx half open. Core open; cells widely slit; tube funnel-shaped, open to core; stamens median; flesh snow white, often stained red next to skin, juicy, subacid, with a peculiar quince-like texture; quality fair; use culinary. Season late fall.
— S.A. Beach, The Apples of New York, Vol. 2 (1905)HAAS.
REFERENCES. 1. Horticulturist, 25:55. 1870. 2. Downing, 1872:110. app. fig. 3. Barry, 1883:345. 4. Thomas, 1885:512. 5. Can. Hort., 11:69, 73. 1888. 6. Bailey, An. Hort., 1892:240. 7. Woolverton, Ont. Fr. Stas. An. Rpt., 1:24. 1894. 8. Stinson, Ark. Sta. Bul., 43:103. 1896. 9. Munson, Me. Sta. Rpt., 1896:70. 10. Waugh, Vt. Sta. An. Rpt., 14:296. 1901. 11. Munson, Me. Sta. Bul., 82:95. 1902. 12. Dickens and Greene, Kan. Sta. Bul., 106:53. 1902. 13. Hansen, S. D. Sta. Bul., 76:56. 1902. 14. Budd-Hansen, 1903:96. fig. 15. Farrand, Mich. Sta. Bul., 205:44. 1903. 16. Beach and Clark, N. Y. Sta. Bul., 248:123. 1904.
SYNONYMS. FALL QUEEN (2, 3, 7). Fall Queen (4, 5, 14, 16). Gros Pomier (2, 14). Gros Pommier (2). HAAS (5, 6, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16). Haas (2, 3, 7). HASS (8). Horse, of some (2). Hoss (1). Hoss (2).
Fruit of good medium size and very attractive bright red color but only fair in quality. With some growers it has proved profitable because the tree comes into bearing young and is very thrifty, hardy and productive, but on account of the inferior quality of its fruit doubtless it will be eventually wholly supplanted by better kinds.
Historical. Originated on the grounds of Gabriel Cerré, St. Louis, Mo. (2). It has been widely disseminated throughout the Middle West and Southwest where it is recognized as one of the hardiest of American apples. In New York it has been planted to a limited extent only and its cultivation is not increasing.
TREE.
Tree large, very vigorous with long, slender branches. Form at first comparatively tall and upright but becoming spreading or roundish. Twigs long, curved, slender with large terminal buds; internodes long. Bark brown or reddish-brown, lightly streaked with scarf-skin; pubescent. Lenticels quite numerous, medium size, oval, not raised. Buds medium to large, broad, plump, obtuse, free, pubescent.
FRUIT.
Fruit medium to above. Form oblate a little inclined to conic, somewhat ribbed; sides usually unequal. Stem medium to short, thick, often partly red. Cavity acute to acuminate, deep, broad, usually symmetrical, more or less covered with thin greenish-russet. Calyx small to medium, closed or nearly so; lobes separated at base, short, narrow, acuminate. Basin moderately narrow, rather deep, abrupt, smooth or slightly furrowed and wrinkled.
Skin thin, tough, smooth, yellow, mottled, washed and nearly covered with deep bright red or brownish-red, striped and splashed with deep carmine. Dots small to rather large, inconspicuous, numerous, pale or russet. Prevailing effect red striped with carmine.
Calyx tube very variable, rather long and wide, conical or approaching funnel-form. Stamens median or below.
Core below medium to above, somewhat abaxile; cells symmetrical, open or sometimes closed; core lines clasping. Carpels broadly roundish to elliptical. Seeds dark brown, medium to large, of medium width, plump, acute.
Flesh white, often stained with red, firm, moderately fine, a little tough, moderately juicy to juicy, sprightly subacid, aromatic, a little astringent, poor to fair or sometimes nearly good.
Season October to early winter. In common storage the ordinary commercial limit is November (16).
— J.L. Budd & N.E. Hansen, American Horticultural Manual, Part II: Systematic Pomology (1914)covered with white bloom; dots distinct, few, white; cavity regular, rather narrow, with stellate russet; stem short; basin narrow, abrupt, smooth; calyx closed, small; segments erect convergent. Core small; cells round, small, entire; tube funnel-shaped; stamens median-
Haas.
seeds long-pointed; flesh whitish, juicy, tender, acid, good; use kitchen and market only. August.
— Granville Lowther (ed.), Encyclopedia of Practical Horticulture (1914)Name: Fall Queen (Haas). Size: medium. Form: "obe". Color: yellow-red. Quality: good. Use: both kitchen and market. Season: autumn. Northern Division reporting stations: 4 (also reported in another division). Central Division reporting stations: 4 (also reported in another division). Southern Division reporting stations: 0 (also reported in another division).
— U.P. Hedrick, Cyclopedia of Hardy Fruits (1922)HAAS. Fig. 25. Fall Queen. Haas. Horse, Hoss. Yellow Horse. Because of early bearing, thriftiness, hardiness, and productiveness in tree, Haas has been widely planted in different parts of America, and is still in favor in Texas and other parts of the South. It might be a universal favorite, were it not for the poor quality of the fruit, which has a flavor disagreeable to many. Haas originated over half a century ago on the farm of Gabriel Cerre, St. Louis, Missouri.
- Haas. (X½)
Tree large, very vigorous, tall and upright becoming spreading, with long, slender branches. Fruit medium to large, oblate-conic, ribbed, sides usually unequal; stem short, thick, often partly red; cavity acute, deep, broad, usually symmetrical, covered with thin greenish-russet; calyx small, closed; lobes separated at base, short, narrow, acuminate; basin narrow, deep, abrupt, smooth or furrowed and wrinkled; skin thin, tough, smooth, yellow, mottled, washed and covered with bright red or brownish-red, striped and splashed with carmine; dots large, inconspicuous, numerous, pale or russet; prevailing effect red striped with carmine; calyx-tube variable, long and wide, conical; stamens median; core medium, abaxile; cells symmetrical, open or closed; core-lines clasping; carpels round to elliptical; seeds dark brown, large, plump, acute; flesh white, often stained with red, firm, fine, a little tough, juicy, sprightly subacid, aromatic, a little astringent; poor in quality; October to early winter.
— Central Experimental Farm, Central Experimental Farm, Agassiz BC — Catalogue of Fruit Trees under Test (Bulletin No. 3, 1900) (1900)Planted Spring 1890. Tree a strong and spreading grower. Fruit above medium size, conical. Skin yellow, nearly covered with light and dark red. Flesh white, juicy, not tender, sub-acid, quality medium. Season September and October.