Jersey Sweet. AMERICAN.

In some parts of the country this is a favorite baking apple but its great productiveness renders it small, and makes it rather a stock apple. Tree vigorous, round-headed; Shoots short-jointed and red; Foliage abundant.

Fig. 63.—JERSEY SWEET.

Fruit medium, regular, globular-oblate, sometimes rather conical, (according to Elliott & Downing, roundish-ovate, but the drawing given by the latter is globular); Surface smooth, yellow, nearly covered with red, mixed, striped and splashed carmine, more or less distinctly; Dots generally minute. Basin medium to wide, regular; Eye small, generally closed. Cavity wide, regular or wavy, rather deep, brown, and in Michigan often green; Stem medium to long, green. Core wide, regular, partially open in some specimens, but generally closed; Seeds numerous, wide, pointed, plump; Flesh pale yellow, tender, fine grained, juicy; Flavor very sweet, aromatic and rich; Use, the dessert, for those who like sweet apples, but especially valued for baking and for feeding stock. Season August to October.

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

Jersey Sweeting.

Origin unknown. Tree moderately vigorous, forming a handsome round head, productive. Young wood dark reddish brown, downy.

A very popular Apple in the Middle States, where it is not only highly valued for the dessert, but, owing to its saccharine quality, it is planted largely for the fattening of swine.

Fruit medium size, roundish ovate, tapering to the eye. The calyx is small, closed, very slightly sunk, in a small plaited basin. Stalk an inch long, in a rather narrow cavity. Skin thin, greenish yellow, washed and often entirely covered with stripes of pale and dull red. Flesh white, fine-grained, and exceedingly juicy, tender, and sprightly. Good to very good. Young wood stout, and short-jointed. This apple commences maturing about the last of August, and continues ripening till frost.

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

JERSEY SWEET.

REFERENCES. 1. Downing, 1845:87. 2. N. Y. Agr. Soc. Trans., 1846:190. 3. Cole, 1849:110. 4. Thomas, 1849:145. fig. 5. Barry, 1851:284. 6. Emmons, Nat. Hist. N. Y., 3:25. 1851. 7. Waring, 1851:26. 8. Elliott, 1854:86. fig. 9. Hooper, 1857:48. 10. Ib., 1857:107, 111. 11. Am. Pom. Soc. Cat., 1862. 12. Horticulturist, 17:104, 150. 1862. 13. Warder, 1867:395. 14. Fitz, 1872:153. 15. Lyon, Mich. Hort. Soc. Rpt., 1890:292. 16. Bailey, An. Hort., 1892:242. 17. Hoskins, Rural N. Y., 53:278. 1894. 18. Mich. Sta. Bul., 118:60. 1895. 19. Ib., 143:200. 1897. 20. Ib., 205:45. 1903. 21. Budd-Hansen, 1903:105. 22. Beach and Clark, N. Y. Sta. Bul., 248:126. 1904.

SYNONYMS. American (13). JERSEY SWEET (5, 7, 10, 12, 13, 16, 18, 21). JERSEY SWEETING (1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 9, 14, 17).

An early autumn apple of medium size. It does not always color well but under favorable conditions it is highly colored, rich in flavor, tender and excellent in quality for either dessert or culinary uses. It is one of the best of the sweet apples of its season for planting for home use in New York but it has proved unsatisfactory as a commercial sort because it ripens at a time when there is little demand for fruit of this kind, is not a good keeper, is apt to be scabby and does not always color well. The tree is hardy, moderately long-lived, comes into bearing young and bears nearly every year, yielding moderate to good or sometimes heavy crops. The fruit comes in season late in August or early in September and ripens in succession during a period of several weeks; often some portion may be kept till early winter, but its commercial limit in ordinary storage is September or early October (22).

Historical. Origin unknown. Elliott calls it an American variety (8). It is pretty well known in different parts of New York state, but is now rarely found except in old orchards. It is commonly listed by nurserymen (16) but is now seldom or never planted except occasionally for home use.

TREE.

Tree rather large, moderately vigorous to vigorous; branches long, moderately stout, filled with spurs. Form upright to roundish, open. Twigs moderately long, straight, slender; internodes long. Bark brown, lightly streaked with scarf-skin; pubescent near tips. Lenticels scattering, medium to small, oblong, not raised. Buds medium size, plump, obtuse, appressed, pubescent.

FRUIT.

Fruit medium size. Form roundish ovate inclined to conic or to oblate conic; sides unequal. Stem long to medium length, rather slender. Cavity acute, usually rather deep, varying to shallow, medium in width, occasionally lipped, sometimes slightly russeted. Calyx small, closed; lobes medium to long, narrow, acute to acuminate. Basin rather small, moderately shallow to rather deep, narrow to medium in width, somewhat abrupt, ribbed and wrinkled.

Skin thin, tender, at first greenish-yellow but becoming clear yellow washed and mottled with brownish-red and overlaid with narrow stripes of bright carmine. Dots inconspicuous, greenish, submerged.

Calyx tube narrow, conical to funnel-form, often with fleshy pistil point projecting into the base. Stamens median.

Core medium size or above, axile or nearly so; cells symmetrical, usually closed; core lines clasping the funnel cylinder. Carpels elongated ovate, tufted. Seeds medium to large, variable in length and width, acute to acuminate.

Flesh yellowish, moderately firm, fine, crisp, tender, juicy, sweet, good to very good.

Season September to December.

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

Jersey Sweet. Size: medium. Form: round. Color: yellow-red. Quality: very good. Use: both kitchen and market. Season: early autumn. S. Div.: 5 (reported as adapted to more than one of the three divisions).

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

Jersey Sweeting.

American. Succeeds in all localities, and produces abundantly of fair fruit in all soils—warm, sandy ones giving a closer texture, and more character to the flesh. Shoots, stout, short-jointed, reddish; tree, spreading, round head. For dessert, cooking, or stock, valuable. Is said to decay young; we think incorrect.

Fruit, medium; form, roundish ovate, tapering to the eye; color, greenish yellow, marked and streaked, often nearly covered with stripes of pale and dull red; stem, short; cavity, narrow; calyx, half closed; basin, not deep, sometimes slightly furrowed; flesh, white, fine-grained, juicy, tender, sweet; core, rather open, medium, round ovate; seeds, full, ovate pointed. September and October.

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

Planted Spring 1890. Tree a medium grower. Fruit of medium size, roundish taper to the eye. Skin greenish yellow, nearly covered with dull red. Flesh white, tender, fine grained, very juicy and pleasant, sweet, quality very good. Season September and October.

— Central Experimental Farm, Central Experimental Farm, Agassiz BC — Catalogue of Fruit Trees under Test (Bulletin No. 3, 1900) (1900)

Jersey Sweet.* Size medium, round ovate, often oblong-ovate, somewhat conical; thickly striped with fine red on greenish yellow; stalk one-half to an inch long; cavity rather irregular; basin wrinkled, distinct; flesh whitish, very sweet, juicy and tender, good flavor. Succeeds well in most localities. Early and mid-autumn—immediately follows Golden Sweet. Shoots stout, short jointed; leaves crenate-serrate. New Jersey. Fig. 376.

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

Jersey Sweet. — Origin unknown; tree vigorous, round-headed, very productive. An excellent baking sweet apple for early September.

Fruit medium, roundish ovate, somewhat conical; surface smooth, yellow, nearly covered with mixed red, striped and splashed with darker red; dots mostly minute, with some large russet dots; cavity acute, regular, or wavy, rather deep, brown; stem medium to long; basin narrow, nearly flat, wrinkled; calyx closed, small. Core half open, tube funnel-shaped; stamens marginal; seeds numerous, wide, pointed, plump; flesh whitish, tender, fine-grained, very juicy, aromatic rich, very sweet, very good. Begins to ripen last of August and continues till frost.

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

JERSEY SWEET. Fig. 27. American. In spite of faults, there is much in the fruit of Jersey Sweet to commend it for home use and local markets. Its faults are: susceptibility to the scab-fungus, early decay, and failure to color well in most environments. To offset the faults, the quality is of the best, making a good sweet apple for either dessert or cooking. The tree-characters are excellent. The origin of the variety is unknown, but it has been listed in pomologies since 1845. Tree large, vigorous, upright or round-topped, open; branches long, stout, filled with spurs. Fruit medium in size, round-ovate, conic or oblate-conic, sides unequal; stem long, slender; cavity acute, deep, medium in width, occasionally lipped, russeted; calyx small, closed; lobes long, narrow, acute; basin small, shallow, narrow, abrupt, ribbed and wrinkled; skin fine, tender, yellow washed and mottled with brownish-red and overlaid with narrow stripes of carmine; dots inconspicuous, greenish, submerged; calyx-tube narrow, conical, often with fleshy pistil point projecting into the base; stamens median; core large, axile; cells symmetrical, usually closed; core-lines clasping the funnel cylinder; carpels elongated-ovate, tufted; seeds large, acute; flesh yellow, firm, fine, crisp, tender, juicy, sweet; good to very good; September to December.

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