Jefferies.

This delicious autumn apple originated in Chester County, Pennsylvania, and was first described by the ad-interim committee of the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society; also in the Farm Journal, for 1853, by David Townsend, of Westchester, Pa.

Tree healthy, sufficiently vigorous, shoots slender, foliage bright green; productive, early bearer.

Fruit full medium, oblate, regular; Surface smooth, yellow, mixed and splashed crimson; Dots large, scattered, yellow.

Basin wide, regular; Eye small, closed.

Cavity medium, regular, brown; Stem medium to long.

Core small, closed, regular, clasping; Seeds numerous, large, brown; Flesh yellow, breaking, fine-grained, juicy; flavor sub-acid, aromatic, delicious; Quality very good, for table and market, during August, September and October.

— John A. Warder, American Pomology: Apples (1867)

Jefferis.

Origin, Chester Co., Pa. Growth moderate, very productive. A fair and handsome fruit of excellent quality, in use all of September. Young wood light reddish brown, smooth.

Fruit medium, oblate, inclining to conic, yellow, shaded and splashed with crimson, and thickly covered with large whitish dots. Stalk very short, inserted in a rather large cavity. Calyx closed, set in a round open basin. Flesh white, tender, juicy, with a rich, mild, subacid flavor. Very good. September.

— A.J. Downing, The Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900)

JEFFERIS.

References. 1. Thomas, 1849:149. 2. Mag. Hort., 18:491. 1852. 3. Am. Pom. Soc. Cat., 1854. 4. Elliott, 1854:139. 5. Mag. Hort., 21:62. 1855. 6. Gregg, 1857:44. 7. Downing, 1857:183. fig. 8. Hooper, 1857:479. 9. Mag. Hort., 24:109. 1858. 10. Hoffy, N. A. Pom., 1860. col. pl. 11. Horticulturist, 17:104, 150. 1862. 12. Warder, 1867:440. fig. 13. Barry, 1883:338. 14. Van Deman, U. S. Pom. Rpt., 1888:570. 15. Lyon, Mich. Hort. Soc. Rpt., 1890:292. 16. Bailey, An. Hort., 1892:242. 17. Burrill and McCluer, Ill. Sta. Bul., 45:309, 323. 1896. 18. Powell, Del. Sta. Bul., 38:18. 1898. 19. Macoun, Can. Dept. Agr. Rpt., 1901:96. 20. Beach, Western N. Y. Hort. Soc. Rpt., 1901:76. 21. Budd-Hansen, 1903:105. 22. Bruner, N. C. Sta. Bul., 182:21. 1903. 23. Farrand, Mich. Sta. Bul., 205:45. 1903. 24. Powell and Fulton, U. S. B. P. I. Bul., 48:145. 1903. 25. Beach and Clark, N. Y. Sta. Bul., 248:126. 1904.

Synonyms. Everbearing (20). Grantham (17). Jefferies (10, 12, 14, 17, 20). Jefferis (3, 4, 7, 13, 15, 16, 18, 19, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25). Jeffries (1, 2, 5, 6, 8, 9, 11).

Fruit of medium size, yellow, blushed and splashed with red; flesh tender, mild subacid, delicious. It begins to ripen in September and continues in season till early winter. Commercial limit October (25). It is an excellent variety for the home orchard but not for commercial planting because it ripens unevenly, is apt to be deficient in size and is not especially attractive in color. The tree is a moderately vigorous grower, hardy, healthy, comes into bearing moderately early and is a reliable cropper yielding full crops biennially.

Historical. Originated with Isaac Jefferies, Newlin township, Chester county, Pa. It was named after the originator by the Committee of the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society which awarded this variety the premium for the best seedling apple exhibited in 1848 (10).

Tree.

Tree medium size, moderately vigorous. Form upright to roundish, open. Twigs short, straight, slender; internodes long. Bark brown mingled with olive-green, lightly streaked with scarf-skin; slightly pubescent. Lenticels scattering, small, oblong, not raised. Buds small, plump, obtuse, free, pubescent.

Fruit.

Fruit small to medium, very uniform in size and shape. Form roundish oblate often inclined to conic, regular or obscurely ribbed. Stem medium length, thick to moderately slender. Cavity acute to acuminate, medium in depth to deep, medium to broad, symmetrical, russeted but slightly if at all. Calyx small to medium, closed or partly open; lobes short, rather broad, acute. Basin moderately shallow to rather deep, moderately wide, somewhat abrupt, smooth or nearly so, symmetrical. Skin thin, tough, greenish-yellow or pale yellow more or less blushed and mottled with moderately dull red overlaid with narrow splashes and stripes of carmine. Dots small, scattering, inconspicuous, submerged or russet. Calyx tube narrow, conical to funnel-shape. Stamens marginal to median. Core small, axile, or nearly so; cells slightly open; core lines somewhat clasping or meeting. Carpels elliptical to somewhat obovate, emarginate, sometimes tufted. Seeds numerous, medium to rather large, wide, long, flat, very irregular, obtuse. Flesh yellowish-white, firm, fine, crisp, tender, very juicy, mild subacid, very good. Season September to January.

— S.A. Beach, The Apples of New York, Vol. 2 (1905)

Jefferis

Fruit of medium size, yellow, blushed and splashed with red. Flesh tender, mild, subacid, delicious. It begins to ripen in September and continues in season till early winter. As a commercial apple, it is not good later than the last of October, in the Northern states, and it ripens earlier in the Middle and Southern states. It is a good variety for the home orchard, but not for commercial planting, because it ripens unevenly, is likely to be deficient in size, and is not specially attractive in color. The tree is rather a vigorous grower, hardy, healthy, comes into bearing moderately early and is a reliable cropper.

Historical. This variety originated with Isaac Jefferis, Newlin township, Chester county, Pennsylvania. It was named after the originator by the committee of the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society which awarded this variety the premium for the best seedling apple exhibited in 1848.

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

Jefferis. From Chester Co., Pa. Tree, moderate grower, upright habit, constant and abundant bearer. Fruit, roundish flattened, pale yellow, striped and stained with red, becoming dark in the sun, dotted with white spots and russet at stem ; stem, half inch, slender ; cavity, narrow, deep ; calyx, nearly closed, woolly ; basin, deep, regular ; flesh, white, crisp, tender, juicy ; best." September and October.

— F.R. Elliott, The Western Fruit Book (1865)

Jefferis. Medium or rather large, round oblate; yellow, red, and deep red, striped; stalk very short, slender; cavity and basin deep; flesh yellowish white, remarkably tender and juicy; flavor very pleasant. Ripens first of autumn. Fig. 390. Origin, West Chester, Pa. Hardy far north.

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

Jefferis. — Origin, Chester Co., Pennsylvania; tree a moderate grower, productive.

Fruit medium or rather large, roundish oblate, very regular; surface clear waxen yellow, handsomely shaded, striped and splashed dark crimson; dots numerous, large, whitish; cavity rather large, regular, acuminate with slight trace of russet; stem medium to long; basin wide; smooth, abrupt, medium deep; calyx closed; segments flat convergent, large, leafy. Core small, closed, clasping; cells obovate, slit; tube funnel-shaped; stamens median; seeds numerous, long-pointed; flesh yellowish white, very juicy, tender, aromatic, mild subacid, very good. September, October.

— J.L. Budd & N.E. Hansen, American Horticultural Manual, Part II: Systematic Pomology (1914)

JEFFERIS.

Jefferis is one of the best fall apples fruits tender, pleasantly acidulous, rich, delicious. The trees, too, are satisfactory in all respects. But the apples ripen unevenly, are not attractive in color, and lack both size and uniformity, qualities which condemn the variety for any but the home orchard, where it is most deserving of a place.

Jefferis originated with Isaac Jefferis, Chester County, Pennsylvania, and is first recorded in 1848. It is grown in all of the eastern states.

Tree of medium size, vigorous, upright, open. Fruit small, uniform in size and shape, round-oblate, conic, regular or obscurely ribbed; stem of medium length, thick; cavity acute, medium in depth, broad, symmetrical; calyx small, closed or open; lobes short, broad, acute; basin shallow to deep, wide, abrupt, smooth, symmetrical; skin thin, tough, pale yellow, blushed and mottled with dull red overlaid with narrow splashes and stripes of carmine; dots small, scattering, inconspicuous, submerged or russet; calyx-tube narrow, conical; stamens marginal; core small, axile; cells open; core-lines clasping; carpels elliptical, emarginate, sometimes tufted; seeds numerous, large, wide, long, flat, very irregular, obtuse; flesh yellowish-white, firm, fine, crisp, tender, very juicy, mild, subacid; very good; September to January.

— U.P. Hedrick, Cyclopedia of Hardy Fruits (1922)

Multiple station reports recorded for the variety Jefferis. From C & O Nurs. Co., Wenatchee, Wash.; Station No. A33325; reporting station WyC (U.S. Horticultural Field Station, P.O. Box 1250, Cheyenne, Wyoming). Reporting station PaU (Agricultural Experiment Station, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania). High quality, matures Aug.; reporting station IlU (Agricultural Experiment Station, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois). AES, Geneva, N.Y., 1958; reporting station OrC (Agricultural Experiment Station, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon). From Stark Bros. Nurs., Louisiana, Mo.; seedling; fruit small, oblate, red; flavor good; Station No. OhW. Origin in Pa. ca. 1840; D. Wilson Nurs., Marshalltown, Ia., 1958; fruit medium or small, round oblate, slightly incline to conical; skin thin, tough, pale yellow with dull red blush; flesh yellow-white, firm, fine, crisp, very juicy, very good; Sept.-Jan.; tree medium size, moderately vigorous; reporting station NyG (Agricultural Experiment Station, Department of Pomology, Geneva, New York). From Lloyd Bennett, East Walla Walla, Wash.; Station No. AP-H-95, M-759; reporting stations WaP (Agricultural Research Service, Irrigation Experiment Station, Prosser, Washington) and WaM* (Moxee Quarantine Station, Moxee, Washington).

— H.H. Fisher (USDA ARS), A Survey of Apple Clones in the United States (1963)