Lansingburgh
Apple
USDA Pomological Watercolor Collection
Lansingburgh
[NOTE: Source text may be incorrect — Downing's (1900) fruit description breaks off mid-word at "yellow, largely overspread with gray-"; only the size, form, yellow ground, and the start of the overspread color can be salvaged.]
Origin / History
Origin untraced; a long-keeper, old, and long common about Cincinnati and along the Ohio River (Warder). Beach says it appears to have been first brought to notice in Ohio, and Thomas also assigns it to Ohio, listing it as "New." Budd and Hansen give the origin as New York. The earliest of Beach's references is Hooper (1857).
Grown to some extent in the Middle West (Beach, after Bailey). Beach calls it but little known in New York, where it is sometimes called Rock or Red Rock, and does not recommend it for planting in that state. Planted at the Central Experimental Farm, Agassiz, British Columbia, in the spring of 1894.
Tree
Tree upright, vigorous or moderately vigorous; Downing and Budd and Hansen call it upright, spreading. Warder describes it as "brushy and thorny, looking like a wilding." A vigorous grower at Agassiz.
Twigs medium or below, rather stout, nearly straight; internodes short. Bark dull brownish red overlaid with thick scarfskin, giving a grayish-brown effect, slightly pubescent. Lenticels rather numerous but not conspicuous, small to medium, the larger ones roundish. Buds medium, acute, somewhat pubescent, appressed (Beach).
Moderately productive (Downing); a fair bearer (Budd and Hansen).
Fruit
Size: Medium to above medium; most authors call it medium.
Form: Roundish oblate or round-flat, sometimes a little inclined to conic, obscurely ribbed, often with sides unequal, pretty uniform in shape. Thomas calls it roundish conic. Warder calls it conical, angular, and oblique, where Beach calls it nearly symmetrical.
Stem: Short to medium.
Cavity: Acute, deep, broad, rough with brown or russeted. Beach calls it symmetrical or slightly furrowed, sometimes compressed; Warder calls it irregular.
Calyx: Warder gives the eye as small and closed. Beach gives the calyx as medium and open, with lobes short, broad, and obtuse; calyx tube long, cone-shaped or funnel-form with a wide limb.
Basin: Furrowed and wrinkled, plaited or folded. Warder calls it deep; Beach calls it shallow to medium in depth, medium to wide, obtuse to somewhat abrupt.
Skin: Thick, very tough, rather dulled with a faint bloom (Beach). Warder calls the surface smooth, Beach slightly rough.
Ground green and yellow or greenish yellow, becoming very rich yellow. Bronzed and blushed, deeply blushed or mottled with red, striped and splashed with dark carmine. The ripe fruit is rich yellow and carmine, the blush carmine. In Budd and Hansen and the Agassiz station it is mostly to nearly covered with grayish red, dull grayish red at Agassiz. Thomas gives yellow with a handsome red cheek. Warder says an indistinct gray striping makes the ripe fruit appear striped yellow. Prevailing effect red or striped red.
Dots: Gray with green bases, or green or yellow with a gray or russet center, often areolar. Warder calls them minute and indented; Beach calls them rather conspicuous.
Flesh and flavor: Flesh white (Agassiz) or tinged with green or yellow; very firm, compact, crisp, rather coarse, breaking, moderately tender, rather dry. Flavor mild subacid, becoming somewhat sweet or sweetish. Thomas calls it "moderately rich," and Warder calls the flavor "negative."
Quality from "scarcely good" to good. Beach's description gives fair to good, and Lowther's table and the Agassiz station rate it good. Warder calls it "scarcely good," and Beach, citing Hooper, Warder, and Van Deman, calls it "not good in quality."
Core and seeds: Core medium to small, oval, closed; core lines somewhat clasping. Carpels round approaching round cordate, emarginate, mucronate, slightly tufted (Beach). Seeds numerous, large or rather large, wide, flat, obtuse, slightly tufted.
Season
A long keeper. The recorded season runs from December into May or June. Most authors give winter, or late winter and spring, with the fruit keeping through spring. Warder uses it in the kitchen all winter and finds it "ornamental and eatable March to May, or later."
Uses
Market and cooking. Beach calls it suitable only for culinary use and for market. Warder adds an ornamental use.
Subtypes / Variants
Not described in source.
Other
Not described in source.
Book Sources
Described in 6 period pomological works
- Beach, The Apples of New York Vol. 1 (1905) — listed as Lansingburg
- Warder, American Pomology: Apples (1867)
- Downing, Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900)
- Budd & Hansen, Systematic Pomology (1914) — listed as Lansingburg
- Lowther (ed.), Encyclopedia of Practical Horticulture (1914) — listed as Lansingburg
- Thomas, The American Fruit Culturist (1903) — listed as Lansingburg
Nursery Catalog Sources
Found in 4 catalogs (1894–1901) from Missouri
- The Vineland Nurseries (Kelsey & Co. , Proprietors), St. Joseph, Missouri (Office: 13th and Atchison Sts., 2 Blocks East of the Citizens St. Car Line) — 1894
- Central Experimental Farm , Dominion Department of Agriculture, Agassiz, British Columbia (under test; Bulletin No. 3, Second Series) — 1900
- Central Experimental Farm , Dominion Department of Agriculture, Agassiz, British Columbia (under test; Bulletin No. 3, Second Series) — 1900 — listed as Red Rock
- Mountain Grove Nurseries (Tippin & Moore , Proprietors; Geo. T. Tippin, J. W. Tippin, J. C. Moore), Mountain Grove , Missouri — 1901
View original book sources (7)
— John A. Warder, American Pomology: Apples (1867)Lansingburgh.
The origin of this long-keeper has not been traced. It has been common about Cincinnati, and along the Ohio River, for many years.
Tree upright, vigorous, brushy and thorny, looking like a wilding.
Fruit medium, conical, angular, oblique, often unequal; Surface smooth, green and yellow, bronzed and blushed, becoming very rich yellow and carmine — an indistinct gray-striping makes the ripe fruit appear to be striped yellow; Dots minute, indented, gray, with green bases.
Basin deep, plaited or folded; Eye small, closed.
Cavity acute, irregular, rough with brown; Stem short.
Core small, oval, closed; Seeds numerous, large; Flesh firm, compact; Flavor mild sub-acid, negative; Quality scarcely good; Use, market, ornamental, cooking; Season in the kitchen all winter — ornamental and eatable March to May, or later.
— A.J. Downing, The Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900)Lansingburgh.
Origin unknown. Tree upright, spreading, vigorous, moderately productive.
Fruit medium, roundish oblate, yellow, largely overspread with gray-
— John J. Thomas, The American Fruit Culturist (1903)Lansingburg. Medium, roundish conic; yellow, with a handsome red cheek; flesh firm, sub-acid, moderately rich—keeps through spring. Ohio. New.
— S.A. Beach, The Apples of New York, Vol. 1 (1905)LANSINGBURG.
REFERENCES. 1. Hooper, 1857:53. 2. Warder, 1867:540. 3. Downing, 1869:249. 4. Am. Pom. Soc. Cat., 1875:10. 5. Thomas, 1885:515. 6. Bailey, An. Hort., 1892:243. 7. Van Deman, Rural N. Y., 58:382. 1899. 8. Budd-Hansen, 1903:113. 9. Ragan, U. S. B. P. I. Bul. 56:173. 1905.
SYNONYMS. LANSINBURG (1). LANSINGBURGH (2, 3). Lansingburgh (9). Lansingburg Pippin (9). Red Rock. Rock Apple (9).
A late-keeping apple which is grown to some extent in the Middle West (6). Warder speaks of it as an old variety common in Cincinnati and along the Ohio river. Suitable only for culinary use and for market. Color greenish becoming rich yellow with a striped appearance and blushed with carmine. It is coarse in texture, sweetish in flavor and not good in quality (1, 2, 7). It is sometimes called Rock or Red Rock in New York.
Historical. An old variety which appears to have been first brought to notice in Ohio (1, 2). It is but little known in New York and is not recommended for planting in this state.
TREE. Tree vigorous or moderately vigorous. Form upright, "brushy and thorny, looking like a wilding" (2). Twigs medium or below, rather stout, nearly straight; internodes short. Bark dull brownish-red overlaid with thick scarfskin, giving a grayish-brown effect, slightly pubescent. Lenticels rather numerous but not conspicuous, small to medium, the larger ones roundish. Buds medium, acute, somewhat pubescent, appressed.
FRUIT. Fruit medium or above. Form roundish oblate sometimes a little inclined to conic, obscurely ribbed, nearly symmetrical, often sides unequal, pretty uniform in shape. Stem medium to short. Cavity acute, deep, broad, symmetrical or slightly furrowed, or sometimes compressed, russeted. Calyx medium, open; lobes short, broad, obtuse. Basin shallow to medium in depth, medium to wide, obtuse to somewhat abrupt, furrowed and wrinkled. Skin thick, very tough, slightly rough, rather dulled with faint bloom, yellow or greenish deeply blushed or mottled with red, striped and splashed with dark carmine. Dots often areolar, green or yellow with gray or russet center, rather conspicuous. Prevailing effect red or striped red. Calyx tube long, cone-shape or funnel-form with wide limb. Core medium to small, closed; core lines somewhat clasping. Carpels round approaching round cordate, emarginate, mucronate, slightly tufted. Seeds rather large, wide, flat, obtuse, slightly tufted. Flesh tinged with green or yellow, very firm, rather coarse, breaking, moderately tender, rather dry, mild subacid, becoming somewhat sweet, fair to good. Season December to May or June.
— J.L. Budd & N.E. Hansen, American Horticultural Manual, Part II: Systematic Pomology (1914)Lansingburg. — Origin, New York; tree upright, spreading, vigorous, thorny, a fair bearer.
Fruit medium, roundish oblate, conical, angular, oblique, often unequal; surface smooth, green and yellow, with bronze blush, mostly covered with grayish red; dots minute, gray, with green bases; cavity acute, uneven, russeted; stem short; basin deep, corrugated; calyx closed. Core closed; seeds many, large; flesh firm, mild subacid, fair to good. Late winter and spring.
— Granville Lowther (ed.), Encyclopedia of Practical Horticulture (1914)Lansingburg: size medium; form round-flat; color red; quality good; use market; season winter.
— Central Experimental Farm, Central Experimental Farm, Agassiz BC — Catalogue of Fruit Trees under Test (Bulletin No. 3, 1900) (1900)Planted Spring 1894. Tree a vigorous grower. Fruit above medium size, roundish oblate. Skin greenish yellow, nearly covered with dull grayish red. Flesh white, crisp, firm, mildly sub-acid, quality good. Season Winter.