Jacobs Sweet
Apple
USDA Pomological Watercolor Collection
Jacobs Sweet
Origin/History
Originated by Charles Sumner Jacobs, Medford, Massachusetts, about 1860. It has been but sparingly disseminated in New York state. In form, color, and texture it somewhat resembles Bough Sweet.
Tree
Tree medium to large, vigorous. Form spreading. Not a very satisfactory grower in the nursery but in the orchard it is vigorous, comes into bearing moderately young, and is almost an annual bearer often yielding rather heavy crops. Twigs short to rather long, rather stout, straight or slightly curved; internodes medium to short. Bark clear light brownish-red with some olive-green, lightly mottled with scarf-skin; rather pubescent. Lenticels rather inconspicuous, rather scattering, small, elongated, sometimes raised. Buds lightly attached to the bark or free, medium or below, very prominent, fleshy, broad, obtuse, pubescent.
Fruit
Size: Above medium to large or very large. Thomas (1903) describes it as medium to large.
Form: Beach describes the form as roundish often inclined to conic, sometimes slightly oblate, pretty symmetrical. Thomas (1903) describes it as roundish-oblate.
Stem: Medium to short.
Cavity: Rather wide, moderately deep to deep, acute or approaching acuminate, sometimes slightly furrowed or compressed, seldom russeted.
Calyx: Medium, closed or partly open.
Basin: Often abrupt, usually round, medium in width and depth.
Skin: Tough, somewhat waxen, rather glossy, clear yellow or greenish, often with a bright blush. Beach describes the dots as obscure, whitish or russet. Thomas (1903) describes the dots as numerous and large, greenish, and characterizes the blush as occasional rather than frequent.
Flesh/Flavor: Whitish tinged with yellow (Thomas describes the flesh simply as white), moderately firm, moderately coarse, very tender, crisp, juicy, slightly aromatic, very sweet, good. The fruit is very tender and liable to crack and spot.
Core/Seeds: Calyx tube cone-shape or somewhat funnel-form. Stamens median to basal. Core rather large, somewhat abaxile; cells pretty symmetrical, open or partly closed; core lines slightly clasping. Carpels large, roundish to broadly obovate. Seeds numerous, medium, acute.
Season
October to March or April. Variable in season but commonly in season about with Pumpkin Sweet or Tompkins King. Commercial limit varies from October to December or later in cellar storage and from January to March in cold storage. Thomas (1903) gives November to late winter. The fruit rots on the tree and also in storage; it is an unreliable keeper.
Uses
One of the best sweet apples of its season for baking. Recommended for the home orchard but not for general commercial planting.
Other
A large showy apple. Described by Thomas (1903) as "an excellent winter sweet."
Book Sources
Described in 2 period pomological works
Nursery Catalog Sources
Found in 2 catalogs (1896–1913) from New Jersey, New York
- The Lovett Company , Little Silver , New Jersey — 1896
- Samuel Fraser , Geneseo , New York — 1913
View original book sources (2)
— S.A. Beach, The Apples of New York, Vol. 1 (1905)JACOBS SWEET.
REFERENCES. 1. Manning, Mass. Hort. Soc. Rpt., 1880:235. 2. Ib., Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt., 1885:28. 3. Bailey, An. Hort., 1892:242. 4. Beach, N. Y. Sta. An. Rpt., 14:253. 1895. 5. Ib., West. N. Y. Hort. Soc. Rpt., 1896:52. 6. Manning, Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt., 1899:185. 7. Budd-Hansen, 1903:105. 8. Rural N. Y., 62:771. 1903. fig. 9. Powell and Fulton, U. S. B. P. I. Bul., 48:45. 1903. 10. Beach and Clark, N. Y. Sta. Bul., 248:126. 1904.
SYNONYMS. JACOBS (4, 5, 9). JACOB'S SWEET (1, 2, 3). Jacobs Sweet (9). JACOB'S WINTER SWEET (3). Jacobs' Winter Sweet (4).
A large showy apple, green or yellowish often with bright blush. In form, color and texture it somewhat resembles Bough Sweet. It is one of the best sweet apples of its season for baking. The fruit is very tender and liable to crack and spot. It rots on the tree and also in storage. It is an unreliable keeper and rather variable in season but commonly is in season about with Pumpkin Sweet or Tompkins King. Its commercial limit varies from October to December or later in cellar storage and from January to March in cold storage (9, 10). The tree is not a very satisfactory grower in the nursery but in the orchard it is vigorous, comes into bearing moderately young and is almost an annual bearer often yielding rather heavy crops. It is recommended for the home orchard but not for general commercial planting.
Historical. Originated by Charles Sumner Jacobs, Medford, Massachusetts, about 1860 (1, 2). It has been but sparingly disseminated in New York state.
TREE.
Tree medium to large, vigorous. Form spreading. Twigs short to rather long, rather stout, straight or slightly curved; internodes medium to short. Bark clear light brownish-red with some olive-green, lightly mottled with scarf-skin; rather pubescent. Lenticels rather inconspicuous, rather scattering, small, elongated, sometimes raised. Buds lightly attached to the bark or free, medium or below, very prominent, fleshy, broad, obtuse, pubescent.
FRUIT.
Fruit above medium to large or very large. Form roundish often inclined to conic, sometimes slightly oblate, pretty symmetrical. Stem medium to short. Cavity rather wide, moderately deep to deep, acute or approaching acuminate, sometimes slightly furrowed or compressed, seldom russeted. Calyx medium, closed or partly open. Basin often abrupt, usually round, medium in width and depth. Skin tough, somewhat waxen, rather glossy, clear yellow or greenish, often with a bright blush. Dots obscure, whitish or russet. Calyx tube cone-shape or somewhat funnel-form. Stamens median to basal. Core rather large, somewhat abaxile; cells pretty symmetrical, open or partly closed; core lines slightly clasping. Carpels large, roundish to broadly obovate. Seeds numerous, medium, acute. Flesh whitish tinged with yellow, moderately firm, moderately coarse, very tender, crisp, juicy, slightly aromatic, very sweet, good.
Season October to March or April.
— John J. Thomas, The American Fruit Culturist (1903)Jacobs Sweet.* Tree vigorous, spreading; fruit medium to large, roundish-oblate; light yellow with numerous large greenish dots, occasionally blushed; flesh white, crisp, somewhat coarse, but good. November to late winter. An excellent winter sweet. Medford, Mass.