Hubbardston

HUBBARDSTON.

REFERENCES. 1. Kenrick, 1832:47. 2. Manning, 1838:62. 3. Mag. Hort., 7:45. 1841. 4. Downing, 1845:113. 5. Mag. Hort., 14:545. 1848. fig. 6. Ib., 15:63. 1849. 7. Thomas, 1849:166, 167. fig. 8. Emmons, Nat. Hist. N. Y., 3:65. 1851. col. pl. 51 and 74. 9. Hovey, 1:67. 1852. col. pl. fig. 10. Am. Pom. Soc. Cat., 1852. 11. Hooper, 1857:46. 12. Oberdieck, Ill. Handb. der Obstk., 8:137. 13. Warder, 1867:600. fig. 14. Mag. Hort., 34:27. 1868. 15. Leroy, 1873:497. fig. 16. Barry, 1883:347. 17. Lyon, Mich. Hort. Soc. Rpt., 1890:292. 18. Wickson, 1891:244. 19. Bailey, An. Hort., 1892:241. 20. Green, Rural N. Y., 57:802. 1898. 21. Eneroth-Smirnoff, 1901:363. 22. Budd-Hansen, 1903:100. fig. 23. Can. Hort., 26:89. 1903. fig. 24. Powell and Fulton, U. S. B. P. I. Bul., 48:44. 1903. 25. Beach and Clark, N. Y. Sta. Bul., 248:125. 1904.

SYNONYMS. AMERICAN BLUSH (20). American Blush (25). American Nonpareille (15). Hubbardston (18). HUBBARDSTON NONSUCH (1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 13, 14, 16, 19, 21, 22). Hubbardston Nonsuch (15, 23, 24, 25). John May (15). NONPAREILLE DE HUBBARDSTON (15). NONSUCH (18). Nonesuch (24, 25). Orleans (25). SONDERGLEICHEN VON HUBBARDSTON (12). Van Vleet.

Hubbardston is an excellent variety for commercial planting and deserves to be better known among New York fruit growers. It varies remarkably under different conditions of soil and climate not only in vigor of tree but in certain fruit characters also, such as size, color, degree of smoothness or russeting of the skin and in the quality and flavor of the flesh. The fact that it has come to have various local names in different parts of the state is doubtless partly due to this variability. It is now generally conceded that American Blush, Van Vleet and Orleans are identical with Hubbardston, or at the most are but selected strains of that variety. In many parts of the state Hubbardston is one of the most profitable varieties of its season, ripening as it does between the perishable early autumn varieties and the late ripening winter apples. It has generally sustained the reputation of coming into bearing at an early age and yielding heavy crops as often as every other year and in many places it is almost an annual bearer. It is apt to be productive to a fault, and for this reason should receive extra attention to keep the soil fertile and the foliage well protected from insects and diseases. When grown upon its own trunk the body is sometimes injured by severe winters. The tree also is somewhat susceptible to attacks of the apple canker. For these reasons it is doubtless best for one who wishes to grow Hubbardston to plant some hardier and more vigorous variety such as the Northern Spy, and the following year topwork the trees to Hubbardston. Under favorable conditions the tree is a vigorous grower and the fruit is fair, smooth, uniform, of good size and pretty good color. The quality is excellent for dessert but less satisfactory for culinary use except very early in the season before the fruit loses acidity.

Its commercial limit in cellar storage does not extend much later than December. It is a very uncertain keeper and in cold storage should go out in late fall or early winter although sometimes it has been held in good condition till spring. Fruit of this variety grown in Central and Western New York usually is somewhat smaller and keeps better than that grown in the lower Hudson valley. It appears that its keeping quality is correlated to some extent with the size of the fruit. If there is only a medium crop on the tree and the fruit is large it goes down quicker than if the crop is heavier and the individual fruits smaller and firmer. Fruit of good color also has good keeping quality, other things being equal, but poorly colored fruit soon deteriorates in flavor and quality (25). When the trees are allowed to become greatly overloaded, as they often do where the apples are not thinned, there is apt to be a considerable portion of undersized and poorly colored fruit. There is also some loss from the early dropping of the fruit particularly where picking is too long delayed. Hubbardston reaches edible maturity in October and holds its flavor well till December or January, but after that time its quality usually deteriorates rapidly. It may often be kept in edible condition through the winter even in cellar storage but seldom with prime flavor.

Historical. Hubbardston is a native fruit which had its origin in Hubbardston, Massachusetts. As early as 1832 Kenrick referred to it as one of the most desirable varieties known in cultivation in Eastern Massachusetts (1). Although it has long been widely disseminated in New York there are many localities where it is yet unknown and many others where it has been introduced within recent years. The planting of it for commercial purposes is gradually increasing.

TREE.

Tree vigorous, sometimes large, but if it is allowed to overbear and is not properly fed it is more often moderately vigorous and of medium size. Form erect to roundish, somewhat spreading, rather dense. Twigs medium or rather long, spreading or erect, moderately stout, somewhat crooked, pubescent; internodes below medium to short. Bark dull olive-green with tinge of reddish-brown and mottled with thin gray scarf-skin. Lenticels scattering, conspicuous, medium to small, round or oblong, raised, becoming laterally compressed on the older bark. Buds medium, broad, obtuse, appressed, pubescent. Leaves medium to rather small, rather narrow and inclined to become incurved.

FRUIT.

Fruit above medium to large, sometimes very large. Form roundish ovate or slightly oblong to roundish inclined to conic, characteristically rounded toward the cavity, usually symmetrical, often obscurely ribbed. The crop is usually pretty uniform in size and shape but there is considerable variability in the fruit with crops of different seasons and different localities. Stem short to very short. Cavity rather deep, acute, symmetrical, sometimes slightly furrowed, usually russeted. Calyx small to large, open to nearly closed; when large the lobes are usually reflexed and separated at the base exposing the yellowish calyx tube. Basin moderately narrow to rather wide, shallow and somewhat obtuse to moderately deep and abrupt, distinctly furrowed, often marked with concentric flecks of russet in and about the basin. Skin sometimes quite smooth but more often roughened with dots, flecks and fine veins of russet and sometimes covered with faint bloom. Color yellow or greenish blushed and mottled with red which varies from dull brownish to clear bright red, and is more or less marked with deep carmine. Dots pale or russet, often large and irregular, especially conspicuous on the red portions of the fruit. Prevailing effect in highly colored specimens attractive red, mingled with more or less of yellow.

Calyx tube medium in length, broad, cone-shape. Stamens median. Core medium or rather small, more or less abaxile; cells usually pretty symmetrical, closed or partly open; core lines meeting or somewhat clasping. Carpels broadly roundish, slightly emarginate, tufted. Seeds numerous, medium to rather small, rather short, plump, acute, light brown. Flesh whitish slightly tinged with yellow, moderately firm, breaking, rather fine-grained, tender, moderately crisp, juicy, aromatic, rich, at first sprightly but becoming mild subacid mingled with sweet, very good to best.

Season October to January.

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

Hubbardston (H.'s Nonsuch).. L re yr VG b W 18* 12* ......

— Granville Lowther (ed.), Encyclopedia of Practical Horticulture (1914)

Hubbardston.* Large, round-ovate, largest at the middle, nearly regular; color with small broken stripes and numerous dots of light rich red on a rich yellow ground; stalk three-fourths to one inch long; cavity acute, russeted; calyx open, basin ribbed; flesh yellowish, very rich, slightly sub-acid, with a strong mixture of a rich sweet flavor, excellent. Early winter. A famous New England sort—fine at the North and Northwest. Shoots rather slender, gray. A native of Hubbardston, Mass. Loses flavor by keeping. Coming into favor as a commercial sort.

— John J. Thomas, The American Fruit Culturist (1903)