Kerry Pippin
Apple
Kerry Pippin
Origin / History
Kerry Pippin is an Irish variety, Irish "as its name indicates," of which "nothing is definitely known of its origin" (Herefordshire Pomona). It was introduced through the instrumentality of Mr. Robertson, the nurseryman of Kilkenny (Herefordshire Pomona). Bunyard says it was raised in Ireland and received in England in 1819, and he cites Ronalds, p. 6. Elliott marks it "Foreign." The Herefordshire Pomona ranks it "an early dessert apple of the highest excellence."
Tree
Hardy, attaining about the middle size, well adapted for grafting on the paradise stock and for growing either as a dwarf or espalier (Herefordshire Pomona). The Herefordshire Pomona calls it a fine grower and Bunyard calls the growth medium. It is a good bearer according to the Herefordshire Pomona and Veitch's catalog; Bunyard gives fertility moderate. Leaf oval, slightly upfolded, coarsely curved serrate (Bunyard).
Fruit
Size: Small to medium. Most accounts call it medium or middle size. The Herefordshire Pomona gives below the medium size, and Bunyard gives small to medium, 2 by 2¼ inches.
Form: Oval to roundish oval. The Herefordshire Pomona gives oval, sometimes roundish oval. Bunyard calls it roundish oval and regular. Downing describes it as a little flattened at the eye.
Stem: Slender, three quarters of an inch long, obliquely inserted by the side of a fleshy protuberance (Herefordshire Pomona). Bunyard calls it short.
Cavity: Small (Herefordshire Pomona); very shallow, or the stem often on the level (Bunyard).
Calyx: Closed. Small, with broad, erect, and acuminate segments (Herefordshire Pomona).
Basin: Shallow, generally surrounded with five prominent plaits (Herefordshire Pomona).
Skin: Smooth and shining. Greenish yellow at first, changing as it ripens to a fine clear pale yellow; Veitch's catalog calls the fruit gold-colored. Tinged with a slight flush and streaked or striped with red on the side next the sun. The Herefordshire Pomona adds that sometimes, when fully exposed, one half of the surface is covered with bright shining crimson, streaked with deeper crimson, and that the shaded side is marked with some traces of delicate russet.
Dots: Not described in source.
Flesh and flavor: Yellow (Downing, Bunyard) or yellowish white (Herefordshire Pomona). Firm and crisp, very crisp in Bunyard's account; Downing calls it tender and crisp. Juicy to very juicy. Flavor rich, sugary, brisk and aromatic (Herefordshire Pomona). Downing gives a sugary flavor and Veitch's catalog calls it richly flavored. Bunyard calls it aromatic and brisk, "a good fruit of the sub-acid type."
Core and seeds: Not described in source.
Season
September and October. Veitch's catalog says it keeps well.
Uses
A dessert apple, early in season.
Subtypes / Variants
Not described in source.
Other
Not described in source.
Book Sources
Described in 4 period pomological works
Nursery Catalog Sources
Found in 8 catalogs (1845–1917) from England, Massachusetts
- Winship's Nursery (Brighton Nurseries , operated by the Winship family), Brighton (Boston) , Massachusetts — 1845
- Kelway & Son , Langport, Somerset , England — 1897
- George Bunyard & Co. , Royal Nurseries, Maidstone, Kent , England — 1900
- Central Experimental Farm , Dominion Department of Agriculture, Agassiz, British Columbia (under test; Bulletin No. 3, Second Series) — 1900
- James Veitch & Sons , Ltd., Royal Exotic Nursery, Chelsea, London (also Coombe Wood, Langley, and Feltham) , England — 1911
- Thomas Rivers & Son , Sawbridgeworth, Hertfordshire , England — 1913
- George Bunyard & Co. , Royal Nurseries, Maidstone, Kent , England — 1914
- George Bunyard & Co. , Royal Nurseries, Maidstone, Kent , England — 1917
View original book sources (5)
— F.R. Elliott, The Western Fruit Book (1865)KERRY PIPPIN. Edmonton's Aromatic. Foreign. Medium, roundish oval, yellow, streaked with red; flesh, firm, crisp. September, October.
— Woolhope Naturalists Field Club, The Herefordshire Pomona (1885)
- KERRY PIPPIN.
[Syn.: Edmonton; Aromatic Pippin.]
This is an Irish variety, as its name indicates, and nothing is definitely known of its origin. It was introduced through the instrumentality of Mr. Robertson, the nurseryman of Kilkenny.
Description.—Fruit; below the medium size, oval, sometimes roundish oval. Skin; smooth and shining, greenish yellow at first, but changing as it ripens to a fine clear pale yellow colour, tinged and streaked with red on the side next the sun, but sometimes when fully exposed, one half of the surface is covered with bright shining crimson, streaked with deeper crimson; it is marked on the shaded side with some traces of delicate russet. Eye; small and closed, with broad, erect, and acuminate segments, set in a shallow basin, which is generally surrounded with five prominent plaits. Stock; slender, three quarters of an inch long, obliquely inserted in a small cavity, by the side of a fleshy protuberance. Flesh; yellowish white, firm, crisp, and very juicy, with a rich, sugary, brisk and aromatic flavour.
The tree is a fine grower, hardy, and a good bearer, attaining about the middle size. It is well adapted for grafting on the paradise stock, and being grown either as a dwarf or espalier.
The Kerry Pippin is an early dessert apple of the highest excellence. It is in season during September and October.
— A.J. Downing, The Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900)Kerry Pippin.
Edmonton's Aromatic Pippin.
An Irish dessert Apple.
Fruit middle size, oval, a little flattened at the eye. Flesh yellow, tender, crisp, with a sugary flavor. September and October.
— E.A. Bunyard, A Handbook of Hardy Fruits (1920)KERRY PIPPIN. Ronalds, p. 6. (Edmonton, Aromatic Pippin.) Dessert, September, small to medium, 2 by 2¼, roundish oval, regular. Colour, greenish-yellow with slight flush and red stripes. Flesh, very crisp, yellow, aromatic, brisk and juicy. Eye, closed, in a shallow basin. Stem, short in a very shallow cavity, or often on level. Growth, medium; fertility moderate. Leaf, oval, slightly upfolded, coarsely curved serrate. Origin, raised in Ireland and received in England in 1819. A good fruit of the sub-acid type.
— James Veitch & Sons, Veitch's Fruit Trees (1911) (1911)medium size, gold-coloured, richly flavoured, a good bearer and keeps well.