Kentish Fillbasket
AppleKentish Fillbasket
Origin/History
An old English variety of unknown origin. Described as "Foreign" by Elliott (1865) and "English" by Thomas (1903). 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, 1905). Bunyard (1920) notes it as "an old and good apple, now seldom grown." According to Hogg (1884, cited in Beach), 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 Buel (1826) appears to be the same as that of Forsyth (1803).
Tree
The tree grows strongly and bears well (Downing); a strong grower and a fair cropper (Beach). Bunyard describes growth as vigorous and fertility good. Not recommended for planting in New York (Beach).
Leaf: Roundish, nearly flat, dark, finely and sharply serrate (Bunyard).
Fruit
Size: Very large — frequently four and a half inches in diameter (Downing); Bunyard gives dimensions as 4 by 3¼ inches.
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).
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: Small to rather large, closed or partly open; lobes broad, obtuse to acute (Beach). Bunyard describes the eye as closed.
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. 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); 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: Flesh tender, juicy, with a subacid, sprightly flavor; good (Downing). Whitish, firm, moderately coarse, crisp, rather tender, juicy, brisk subacid, good (Beach). Tender, greenish-white, acid (Bunyard). Downing characterizes the flavor as "tolerable"; Beach notes it is desirable for cooking but not for dessert use.
Core/Seeds: 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 (Beach).
Season
October to January (Downing, Elliott, Thomas); October to December (Beach); November to January (Bunyard). A late autumn apple.
Uses
An excellent cooking apple; culinary use (Downing, Beach, Bunyard). Desirable for cooking but not for dessert (Beach). Much admired by those who like great size and beauty of appearance (Downing).
Subtypes/Variants
Not described in source.
Other
Not described in 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)
— A.J. Downing, The Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900)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.
— S.A. Beach, The Apples of New York, Vol. 2 (1905)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.
— F.R. Elliott, The Western Fruit Book (1865)Kentish Fill Basket. Potter's Large Grey Seedling, | Lady de Grey's. Foreign. Large, roundish, ribbed, yellowish, brownish blush; flesh, tender. October, January.
— John J. Thomas, The American Fruit Culturist (1903)Kentish Fill-Basket. Very large, roundish, yellow, slightly streaked; sub-acid—cooking. October, January. English.
— E.A. Bunyard, A Handbook of Hardy Fruits (1920)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.