Horse

[NOTE: Source text may be incorrect — the second description in the Warder (1867) text, introduced by "This southern apple was received from Mr. S. W. Westbrooke, Greensboro', North Carolina," appears to be a separate entry whose heading was lost, and its white flesh and regular, flattened form do not match Warder's Horse; it is kept apart under Other rather than merged into the description below.]

Origin / History

Origin North Carolina according to Thomas and to Budd and Hansen. Downing gives it as "supposed to be North Carolina." Elliott, who describes it under the heading Fall Queen, calls the origin unknown. Warder calls it "another southern favorite, much liked by its western cultivators, especially as a useful family apple." Elliott says it is "valued highly South and West for cooking." Thomas says it is valued at the South and West as a summer cooking and drying apple.

Tree

Vigorous and productive; an early, annual, and abundant bearer. Young wood light reddish brown (Downing).

Fruit

Size: Large. Elliott gives medium to large.

Form: Roundish, varying from oblate to round (Thomas) or from roundish oblate to roundish oval (Budd and Hansen). Somewhat conical (Elliott, Warder) and truncated (Warder). Ribbed (Thomas, Budd and Hansen). Uneven, or in Elliott's words a little irregular.

Stem: Short according to Elliott and Thomas; medium to long according to Warder.

Cavity: Shallow according to Elliott and Thomas. Warder calls it deep, acute, wavy, and brown. Budd and Hansen call it russeted.

Calyx: Eye medium (Warder), closed.

Basin: Abrupt and folded (Warder), plaited and corrugated (Budd and Hansen). Narrow (Elliott). Shallow (Thomas).

Skin: Yellow, sometimes tinged or shaded with red, with small patches of russet. Elliott gives greenish yellow to orange, with a blush in the sun and russet lines about the stem.

Dots: Large, indented, gray and greenish. Scattered (Warder) or few (Budd and Hansen).

Flesh and flavor: Yellow, rather firm, tender, subacid; "pleasant subacid" (Downing). Coarse or rather coarse according to Elliott, Downing, and Thomas. Warder calls it fine, breaking, and juicy. Elliott alone calls the flesh acid. Quality "good" (Warder, Downing).

Core and seeds: Core large. Hollow (Elliott); somewhat open and clasping (Warder); half open (Budd and Hansen). Seeds numerous, medium, plump, brown (Warder).

Season

A summer apple, from the last of July into September. Elliott and Downing place it at the last of July, Downing running into the first of August. Budd and Hansen give August. Warder gives August and September.

Uses

A summer cooking and drying apple, valued for culinary purposes and for drying. Warder lists it for kitchen, market, and drying, and calls it a useful family apple.

Subtypes / Variants

Downing: "There is said to be another Horse Apple, ripening a month or more later; we have not examined it."

Other

Warder's unheaded second description is introduced as "This southern apple was received from Mr. S. W. Westbrooke, Greensboro', North Carolina." Fruit large, round, somewhat flattened, regular; surface smooth, greenish yellow, blushed; dots scattered, white. Basin regular, abrupt; eye small, closed, "very long"; calyx reflexed. Cavity wide, wavy; stem short, slender. Core large, wide, irregular, open, clasping; seeds numerous, angular, plump. Flesh white, fine-grained, tender, juicy; flavor subacid, mild; quality "pretty good." Use table, kitchen, drying. Season September.