Irish Peach Apple
Apple
Irish Peach Apple
Origin/History
The origin of this apple is not recorded. It was introduced into England by John Darby, Esq., of Addescombe, and Mr. Robertson, of Kilkenny. Elliott (1865) classes it simply as "Foreign." The variety has also been represented in Lindley, Pl. 100, and in Ronalds, Pl. viii. It is figured in the Herefordshire Pomona, Plate XIX.
Tree
The tree is hardy and vigorous. It grows freely and bears abundantly. (Herefordshire Pomona.) Not further described in the other sources.
Fruit
Size and Form: Medium-sized. The Herefordshire Pomona gives dimensions of two and three quarters inches wide by two and a quarter inches high. Shape is described as roundish, somewhat flattened, and slightly angular (Pomona); round or a little flattened (Downing); roundish conical (Elliott) — the sources conflict on whether the fruit is flattened or conical.
Stem: Short, thick, and fleshy, inserted in a pretty deep cavity.
Cavity: Pretty deep.
Calyx: Small and closed.
Basin: Rather deep and knobbed, lined with thick tomentum.
Skin: Smooth. On the shaded side: pale yellowish green, tinged with dull reddish brown, and thickly dotted with green dots (Pomona); yellowish green with small dots (Downing); yellowish (Elliott). On the sun-exposed side: fine lively red, mottled and speckled with yellow spots (Pomona); washed and streaked with brownish red (Downing); streaked with red (Elliott).
Flesh and Flavor: Greenish white (Pomona) to white (Downing) to whitish (Elliott); tender and crisp, abounding in a rich, brisk, vinous and aromatic juice, which at this season is particularly refreshing (Pomona); tender, juicy, and pretty well flavored (Downing); watery (Elliott). Quality assessments conflict markedly: the Herefordshire Pomona calls it an early dessert apple of the finest quality and one of the most excellent summer apples; Downing rates it "Hardly good."
Core/Seeds: Not described in source.
Season
The Herefordshire Pomona and Downing agree on August ripening; Pomona specifies the first week of August, lasting throughout the month. Elliott gives September–October, which conflicts with both other sources.
Uses
An early dessert apple. The fruit is so sweet that when it has fallen fully ripe in hot weather, it readily ferments on the ground, intoxicating the wasps and bees attracted to it by its aromatic scent. (Herefordshire Pomona.)
Subtypes/Variants
Not described in source.
Other
The Herefordshire Pomona notes the fruit has an abundance of rich refreshing juice and describes it as a very beautiful apple.
Book Sources
Described in 3 period pomological works
Nursery Catalog Sources
Found in 5 catalogs (1893–1911) from England, New Jersey
- Rogers Nursery Co. , Moorestown , New Jersey — 1893
- Kelway & Son , Langport, Somerset , England — 1897
- Brown Brothers Co. , Continental Nurseries, Rochester, NY (also operated from Toronto, Canada) — 1899
- George Bunyard & Co. , Royal Nurseries, Maidstone, Kent , England — 1900
- James Veitch & Sons , Ltd., Royal Exotic Nursery, Chelsea, London (also Coombe Wood, Langley, and Feltham) , England — 1911
View original book sources (3)
— Woolhope Naturalists Field Club, The Herefordshire Pomona (1885)Plate XIX. 2. IRISH PEACH. [Syn : Early Crofton.] The origin of this apple is nowhere given. It was introduced into England by John Darby, Esq., of Addescombe, and Mr. Robertson, of Kilkenny. This fruit is represented by Lindley, Pl. 100, and by Ronalds, Pl. viii. Description.—Fruit: middle sized, two and three quarters wide, by two inches and a quarter high ; roundish, somewhat flattened, and slightly angular. Skin : smooth, pale yellowish green, tinged with dull reddish brown, and thickly dotted with green dots on the shaded side, but fine lively red, mottled and speckled with yellow spots on the side exposed to the sun. Eye : small and closed, set in a rather deep and knobbed basin, which is lined with thick tomentum. Stalk : short, thick and fleshy, inserted in a pretty deep cavity. Flesh : greenish white, tender, and crisp, abounding in a rich, brisk, vinous and aromatic juice, which at this season is particularly refreshing. An early dessert apple of the finest quality. It is ripe during the first week in August and lasts all through that month. It is a very beautiful apple and one of most excellent summer apples. It has an abundance of rich refreshing juice, and is so sweet, that it readily ferments on the ground, when it has fallen off ripe in hot weather, intoxicating the wasps and bees attracted to it by its aromatic scent. The tree is hardy and vigorous. It grows freely and bears abundantly.
— A.J. Downing, The Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900)Irish Peach Apple.
Early Crofton.
Fruit of medium size, round or a little flattened, yellowish green, with small dots in the shade, washed and streaked with brownish red in the sun. Flesh white, tender, juicy, and pretty well flavored. Hardly good. August.
— F.R. Elliott, The Western Fruit Book (1865)Irish Peach Apple. Early Crofton. Foreign. Medium, roundish conical, yellowish, streaked with red ; flesh, whitish, watery. September, October.