Kentish Fillbasket

Apple

Kentish Fillbasket

Origin / History

An old English variety of unknown origin (Bunyard). An immense English fruit, properly named, much admired by those who like great size and beauty of appearance (Downing). It has been sparingly cultivated in portions of New York state for many years and has been grown to some extent also in Ontario (Beach, citing Woolverton 1897). According to Hogg the Kentish Fillbasket of Miller, Forsyth and Rogers is a different variety, evidently being the Kentish Codlin or common old English Codlin — a lemon-yellow apple in season from August to October; the Kentish Fillbasket of Buel (1826) appears to be the same as that of Forsyth (1803) (Beach). Bunyard notes it as "an old and good apple, now seldom grown."

Tree

The tree grows strongly and bears well (Downing); a strong grower and a fair cropper, though not recommended for planting in New York (Beach). Growth vigorous; fertility good (Bunyard). Leaf roundish, nearly flat, dark, finely and sharply serrate (Bunyard).

Fruit

Size. Very large — frequently four and a half inches in diameter (Downing); 4 by 3¼ inches (Bunyard); very large overall (Elliott, Thomas, Beach).

Form. Roundish, slightly ribbed or irregular (Downing); oblate or roundish, ribbed broadly and obscurely if at all, irregular, fairly uniform (Beach); flattened, round, angular (Bunyard); roundish (Elliott, Thomas).

Stem. Not exserted, short, medium in thickness (Beach); medium (Bunyard).

Cavity. Acute to somewhat acuminate, deep, broad, symmetrical or somewhat furrowed, green or more often with outspreading russet (Beach); wide and deep (Bunyard).

Calyx / Eye. Small to rather large, closed or partly open; lobes broad, obtuse to acute (Beach). Eye closed (Bunyard). Calyx tube wide, conical; stamens basal to nearly median (Beach).

Basin. Pretty abrupt, moderately deep to deep, medium in width to wide, sometimes a little furrowed or wrinkled (Beach); very deep and wide, russeted (Bunyard).

Skin. Thin, tough, smooth, somewhat waxy (Beach). Color yellowish green in the shade but pale yellow in the sun, with a brownish red blush on the sunny side, slightly streaked or spotted with darker red (Downing); yellowish with brownish blush (Elliott); yellow, slightly streaked (Thomas); pale yellow with thin brownish blush often deepening to red, somewhat mottled and splashed with carmine — prevailing effect yellow somewhat striped with red (Beach); greenish-yellow with distinct red stripes and flush (Bunyard). Dots small, usually not conspicuous, dark brown or grayish or submerged and whitish (Beach).

Flesh / Flavor. Tender (Elliott); tender, juicy, with a subacid, sprightly flavor; rated Good (Downing); sub-acid, used for cooking (Thomas); whitish, firm, moderately coarse, crisp, rather tender, juicy, brisk subacid, rated good (Beach); tender, greenish-white, acid (Bunyard). The flavor is tolerable, and it is an excellent cooking apple (Downing); a very large, handsome, late autumn apple, desirable for cooking but not for dessert use (Beach); classed as culinary (Bunyard).

Core / Seeds. Core abaxile, medium to large; cells often unsymmetrical and open, sometimes closed; core lines nearly meeting. Carpels broadly ovate, mucronate, not emarginate, somewhat tufted. Seeds medium or below, plump, acute (Beach).

Season

October to January (Elliott, Thomas); October to January (Downing); October to December (Beach); November to January (Bunyard).

Uses

Cooking / culinary (Elliott implied by sub-acid table, Thomas, Beach, Bunyard); an excellent cooking apple (Downing); desirable for cooking but not for dessert use (Beach).

Subtypes / Variants

None described as distinct strains of Kentish Fillbasket itself. Beach notes that the "Kentish Fillbasket" name has been historically misapplied — Hogg considered the Kentish Fillbasket of Miller, Forsyth, and Rogers to be a different variety (the Kentish Codlin / common old English Codlin, a lemon-yellow apple in season August to October), and Buel's Kentish Fillbasket appears to match that of Forsyth rather than the true variety described here.

Other

Downing's volume contains a separate entry for "Potter's Large" (a name elsewhere listed as a synonym of Kentish Fillbasket), describing it as: "A very large English sauce apple, roundish oblong conical, obscurely ribbed, greenish yellow, with a blush red in the sun, and many red and gray dots. Flesh white, subacid. October to December." Whether Downing intended this as a distinct variety or as a separately catalogued treatment of the same apple is not clarified in the source.

Book Sources

Described in 5 period pomological works

Beach, The Apples of New York Vol. 2 (1905)
Bunyard, A Handbook of Hardy Fruits (1920) — listed as KENTISH FILL BASKET
Downing, Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900) — listed as Kentish Fill-Basket
Elliott, The Western Fruit Book (1865) — listed as Kentish Fill Basket
Thomas, The American Fruit Culturist (1903) — listed as Kentish Fill-Basket

Nursery Catalog Sources

Found in 4 catalogs (1900–1913) from England, Illinois

George Bunyard & Co. , Royal Nurseries, Maidstone, Kent , England — 1900
Benjamin Buckman (personal inventory) , Farmingdale , Illinois — 1901
James Veitch & Sons , Ltd., Royal Exotic Nursery, Chelsea, London (also Coombe Wood, Langley, and Feltham) , England — 1911
Benjamin Buckman (personal inventory) , Farmingdale , Illinois — 1913

View original book sources (5)

Kentish Fill Basket. Potter's Large Grey Seedling, | Lady de Grey's. Foreign. Large, roundish, ribbed, yellowish, brownish blush; flesh, tender. October, January.

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

Kentish Fill-Basket.

Potter's Large Seedling. Lady de Grey's.

An immense English fruit, properly named, and much admired by those who like great size and beauty of appearance. The flavor is tolerable, and it is an excellent cooking Apple. The tree grows strongly, and bears well.

Fruit very large —frequently four and a half inches in diameter— roundish, slightly ribbed or irregular. Color yellowish green in the shade, but pale yellow in the sun, with a brownish red blush on the sunny side, slightly streaked or spotted with darker red. Flesh tender, juicy, with a subacid, sprightly flavor. Good. October to January.

[Additional entry in this volume: "Potter's Large", pp. 335–335]

Potter's Large. Potter's Large Apple. Potter's Large Seedling. A very large English sauce Apple, roundish oblong conical, obscurely ribbed, greenish yellow, with a blush red in the sun, and many red and gray dots. Flesh white, subacid. October to December.

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

Kentish Fill-Basket. Very large, roundish, yellow, slightly streaked; sub-acid—cooking. October, January. English.

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

KENTISH FILLBASKET.

REFERENCES. 1. Kenrick, 1832:95. 2. Downing, 1845:114. 3. Thomas, 1849:168. 4. Emmons, Nat. Hist. N. Y., 3:62. 1851. 5. Elliott, 1854:172. 6. Hooper, 1857:49. 7. Warder, 1867:723. 8. Hogg, 1884:120. 9. Green, Country Gentleman, 1885:840. 10. Ib., Can. Hort., 11:8. 1888. 11. Bailey, An. Hort., 1892:242. 12. Woolverton, Ont. Fr. Stas. An. Rpt., 4:3. 1897. 13. Bunyard, Jour. Roy. Hort. Soc., 1898:354.

SYNONYMS. KENT FILLBASKET (13). KENTISH FILBASKET (3). KENTISH FILLBASKET (1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12). Lady de Grey's (2, 5, 8). Potter's Large (8). Potter's Large Grey Seedling (5). Potter's Large Seedling (2).

A very large, handsome, late autumn apple, desirable for cooking but not for dessert use. Tree a strong grower and a fair cropper. Not recommended for planting in New York. According to Hogg (8) the Kentish Fillbasket of Miller, Forsyth and Rogers is a different variety being evidently the Kentish Codlin or common old English Codlin, a lemon-yellow apple which is in season from August to October. The Kentish Fillbasket of Buel¹ appears to be the same as that of Forsyth.²

Historical. This is an old English variety. It has been sparingly cultivated in portions of New York state for many years and has been grown to some extent also in Ontario (12).

FRUIT. Fruit very large. Form oblate or roundish, ribbed broadly and obscurely if at all, irregular, fairly uniform. Stem not exserted, short, medium in thickness. Cavity acute to somewhat acuminate, deep, broad, symmetrical or somewhat furrowed, green or more often with outspreading russet. Calyx small to rather large, closed or partly open; lobes broad, obtuse to acute. Basin pretty abrupt, moderately deep to deep, medium in width to wide, sometimes a little furrowed or wrinkled. Skin thin, tough, smooth, somewhat waxy, pale yellow with thin brownish blush often deepening to red, somewhat mottled and splashed with carmine. Dots small usually not conspicuous, dark brown or grayish or submerged and whitish. Prevailing effect yellow somewhat striped with red. Calyx tube wide, conical. Stamens basal to nearly median. Core abaxile, medium to large; cells often unsymmetrical and open, sometimes closed; core lines nearly meeting. Carpels broadly ovate, mucronate, not emarginate, somewhat tufted. Seeds medium or below, plump, acute. Flesh whitish, firm, moderately coarse, crisp, rather tender, juicy, brisk subacid, good. Season October to December.

¹ Buel, N. Y. Bd. Agr. Mem., 1826:477. ² Forsyth, 1803:511.

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

KENTISH FILL BASKET. Ronalds, p. 9. G., Weisser Kentischer Pepping. (Lady de Grey's, Potter's Large.) Culinary, November to January, very large, 4 by 3¼, flattened, round, angular. Colour, greenish-yellow with distinct red stripes and flush. Flesh, tender, greenish-white, acid. Eye, closed, in a very deep and wide russeted basin. Stem, medium in a wide deep cavity. Growth, vigorous; fertility, good. Leaf, roundish, nearly flat, dark, finely and sharply serrate. Origin, unknown. An old and good apple, now seldom grown.

— E.A. Bunyard, A Handbook of Hardy Fruits (1920)

KENTISH FILL BASKET Kent Fillbasket Kentish Filbasket Kentish Fill Basket Kentish Fill-Basket Lady de Grey's Potter's Large Potter's Large Apple Potter's Large Grey Seedling Potter's Large Seedling