Late Strawberry
Apple
Late Strawberry
Origin / History
The origin of Late Strawberry is given variously across sources. Warder (1867) states the origin "appears to be unknown." Elliott (1865) describes it as "American: originated Western New York." Downing (1900), Budd & Hansen (1914), and Hedrick (1922) agree more specifically that it originated at Aurora, New York — Downing notes "on lands formerly owned by Judge Phelps," and Hedrick places it in Aurora, Cayuga County, New York. Hedrick adds that the variety "was first described in 1848." Thomas (1903) gives the origin simply as "New York."
Hedrick (1922) notes that the variety's reputation has suffered because of confusion in nomenclature, with several distinct sorts being grown under this name. Beach (1905) confirms this, observing that the name "Strawberry" has been applied to many different varieties of apple. Hansen (1902) reports that specimens received from Minnesota under the name "Vulcan" appear to be Late Strawberry. Fisher (1963) records that Late Strawberry was received from Wheelock Wilson Nursery, Marshalltown, Iowa, and reported by station NyC.
Hedrick (1922) characterizes it as "one of the best dessert apples of its season," but "an apple only for the home orchard," debarred from commercial plantation because of the small size of the fruit and the long period of maturity, which makes several pickings necessary. Fisher (1963) likewise notes "Several pickings required. Unsuitable for commercial growing." Warder (1867) mentions a similar fruit — the Frank or Chenango Strawberry — which is by some preferred to this.
Tree
Warder (1867): upright, productive, thrifty; leaves serrate. Downing (1900): vigorous, upright, spreading, hardy; young wood smooth, reddish brown; a regular and early bearer. Budd & Hansen (1914): vigorous, upright, spreading, productive, an early bearer. Thomas (1903): young trees of remarkably thrifty growth; leaves sharply serrate, which at once distinguishes them from the crenate leaves of the Early Strawberry; very productive. Hedrick (1922): medium to large, vigorous, upright-spreading, hardy, healthy, long-lived, yielding regularly and heavily.
Fruit
Size: Sources vary. Warder (1867), Elliott (1865), Lowther (1914), Thomas (1903), Budd & Hansen (1914), and Fisher (1963) all describe the fruit as medium; Elliott qualifies it as "medium, or rather below." Hedrick (1922) describes the fruit as small, uniform in size and shape.
Form: Roundish, inclining to or slightly conical, sometimes obscurely or faintly ribbed (Warder, Downing, Thomas, Budd & Hansen). Warder adds "angular, furrowed." Lowther (1914) gives form simply as "round." Budd & Hansen describe it as "regular, roundish, slightly conical, sometimes obscurely ribbed, truncated." Hedrick describes it as "round or oblong-conic, sometimes strongly ribbed, irregular."
Stem / Stalk: Slender; long (Warder, Budd & Hansen, Hedrick), rather long and curved (Downing, Budd & Hansen), or about an inch long (Thomas). Elliott: "slender, medium length."
Cavity: Warder: acute, wavy, irregular. Elliott: open, regular. Downing: large, deep, slightly russeted. Budd & Hansen: large, deep, acute, with thin stellate russet. Hedrick: acuminate, deep, broad, furrowed, sometimes with thin radiating streaks of light russet mingled with carmine.
Calyx / Eye: Warder: eye medium, closed. Elliott: calyx small, nearly closed. Budd & Hansen: calyx half open; segments erect convergent. Hedrick: calyx large, open; lobes often separated at base, short, acute, erect or reflexed.
Basin: Warder: folded, irregular. Elliott: shallow, slightly ribbed. Downing: abrupt, corrugated. Thomas: ribbed. Budd & Hansen: abrupt, narrow, wavy, ribbed. Hedrick: deep, wide, abrupt, furrowed and wrinkled.
Skin / Color / Surface: Warder: surface smooth, waxen-yellow, mixed and striped scarlet; dots minute, indented. Elliott: light and dark red, streaked, and, in the sun, the dark red prevailing, and with a bloom like a plum. Downing: whitish, striped and splashed with light and dark red, and often covered with a thin bloom. Lowther (1914): yellow-red. Thomas: nearly whole surface with small broken streaks of light and dark red. Budd & Hansen: surface polished, yellowish white, almost wholly covered with light and dark splashes and crimson and red, often overlaid with thin bloom, a showy fruit. Hedrick: pale yellow often almost entirely overspread with bright red, dotted and streaked with purplish-carmine; dots inconspicuous, light colored; prevailing effect bright striped red. Fisher (1963): pale yellow overspread or striped and splashed with light and dark red.
Flesh / Flavor: Warder: yellow, very tender, fine-grained, very juicy; flavor sub-acid, aromatic, refreshing, vinous; quality best. Elliott: yellowish white, tender, juicy, sub-acid. Downing: yellowish white, tender, juicy, pleasant vinous, subacid; very good. Thomas: yellowish white, slightly fibrous, very tender and juicy, with a fine, very agreeable, sub-acid flavor. Budd & Hansen: yellowish white, tender, juicy, pleasant, vinous, subacid, very good. Hedrick: yellow, fine, crisp, tender, juicy, sprightly, aromatic, subacid; very good. Lowther (1914): quality very good. Fisher (1963): very good dessert quality.
Core / Seeds: Warder: core medium, regular, closed; seeds large. Elliott: core medium; seeds large, full. Budd & Hansen: core closed; cells obovate, entire; tube funnel-shaped, narrow, open to core; stamens marginal; seeds very large, roundish, flattened. Hedrick: calyx-tube wide, conical; stamens basal; core small, axile to abaxile; cells closed or open; core-lines meeting; carpels obovate; seeds large, flat, obtuse.
Season
Warder: August and September. Elliott: October. Downing: October, December. Thomas: ripens early in autumn, and often keeps till winter. Lowther: early autumn. Budd & Hansen: October, December. Hedrick: September to December. Fisher: September–December. Hedrick emphasizes that the long period of maturity makes several pickings necessary; Fisher concurs.
Uses
Warder: dessert especially; quality best. Lowther: both kitchen and market. Thomas: one of the best early autumn apples; succeeds well in the West. Hedrick: one of the best dessert apples of its season; an apple only for the home orchard; debarred from commercial plantation because of the small size of the fruit and the long period of maturity. Fisher: very good dessert quality; unsuitable for commercial growing.
Subtypes / Variants
Not described in source, though Warder (1867) notes a similar but distinct fruit — the Frank or Chenango Strawberry — which by some is preferred to Late Strawberry. Hedrick (1922) and Beach (1905) note that several distinct sorts have been grown under the name "Late Strawberry" due to nomenclatural confusion.
Other
Lowther (1914) reports the variety as adapted to more than one of the three divisions ("III* — variety reported as adapted to more than one of the three divisions"). Thomas (1903) illustrated the variety as Fig. 386; Hedrick (1922) as Fig. 32. Thomas distinguishes Late Strawberry's sharply serrate leaves from the crenate leaves of the Early Strawberry as an at-once distinguishing character. Hansen (1902) reports that specimens received from Minnesota under the name "Vulcan" appear to be Late Strawberry.
Book Sources
Described in 10 period pomological works
- Warder, American Pomology: Apples (1867)
- Budd & Hansen, Systematic Pomology (1914)
- Beach, The Apples of New York Vol. 2 (1905)
- Fisher, A Survey of Apple Clones in the United States (1963)
- Downing, Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900)
- Lowther (ed.), Encyclopedia of Practical Horticulture (1914)
- Hedrick, Cyclopedia of Hardy Fruits (1922)
- Thomas, The American Fruit Culturist (1903)
- Elliott, The Western Fruit Book (1865) — listed as Autumn Strawberry
- Hansen, A Study of Northwestern Apples (1902) — listed as Vulcan
Nursery Catalog Sources
Found in 25 catalogs (1884–1921) from California, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Washington
- Felix Gillet , Barren Hill Nursery, Nevada City , California — 1884 — listed as Autumn Strawberry
- William H. Moon Co. , Morrisville, Bucks County , Pennsylvania — 1890 — listed as Autumn Strawberry
- Rogers Nursery Co. , Moorestown , New Jersey — 1893 — listed as Autumn Strawberry
- Multnomah Nurseries , Russellville , Oregon — 1894 — listed as Autumn Strawberry
- The Vineland Nurseries (Kelsey & Co. , Proprietors), St. Joseph, Missouri (Office: 13th and Atchison Sts., 2 Blocks East of the Citizens St. Car Line) — 1894 — listed as Autumn Strawberry
- Stark Bros. Nurseries & Orchards Co. , Louisiana , Missouri — 1896
- Reading Nursery , Jacob W. Manning, Proprietor, Reading , Massachusetts — 1898 — listed as Autumn Strawberry
- Brown Brothers Co. , Continental Nurseries, Rochester, NY (also operated from Toronto, Canada) — 1899 — listed as Autumn Strawberry
- Central Experimental Farm , Dominion Department of Agriculture, Agassiz, British Columbia (under test; Bulletin No. 3, Second Series) — 1900 — listed as Autumn Strawberry
- The Dalles Nurseries , The Dalles , Oregon — 1901 — listed as Autumn Strawberry
- Washington Nursery Co. , Toppenish , Washington — 1901 — listed as Autumn Strawberry
- Brown Brothers Co. , Continental Nurseries, Rochester, NY (also operated from Toronto, Canada) — 1901 — listed as Autumn Strawberry
- Benjamin Buckman (personal inventory) , Farmingdale , Illinois — 1901
- Pacific Nursery Company (W. O. Hudson & A. D. Hudson) , Tangent , Oregon — 1903 — listed as Autumn Strawberry
- Phoenix Nursery Company (W. E. Rossney , President; Sidney Tuttle, Vice-President), Bloomington , Illinois — 1904 — listed as Autumn Strawberry
- Milton Nursery Co. (A. Miller & Sons , Proprietors), Milton , Oregon — 1909 — listed as Autumn Strawberry
- Wm. J. Corse (successor to Robert Sinclair / Sinclair Nurseries) , Baltimore , Maryland — 1909 — listed as Autumn Strawberry
- Washington Nursery Company , Toppenish , Washington — 1909 — listed as Autumn Strawberry
- Galbraith Nursery Co. (DeWitt Hansen , Pres.-Mgr.), Fairbury , Nebraska — 1911
- Pacific Nursery Company , Portland , Oregon — 1912 — listed as Autumn Strawberry
- Vineland Nurseries Company , Clarkston , Washington — 1912 — listed as Autumn Strawberry
- Washington Nursery Company , Toppenish , Washington — 1912 — listed as Autumn Strawberry
- Benjamin Buckman (personal inventory) , Farmingdale , Illinois — 1913
- Union Nurseries , J.B. Weaver & Sons, Union , Oregon — 1915 — listed as Autumn Strawberry
- Benedict Nursery Co. , Portland , Oregon — 1921 — listed as Autumn Strawberry
View original book sources (10)
— John A. Warder, American Pomology: Apples (1867)Late Strawberry. AUTUMN STRAWBERRY.
The origin of this choice fruit appears to be unknown. Tree upright, productive, thrifty, leaves serrate. Fruit medium, roundish, conical, angular, furrowed; Surface smooth, waxen-yellow, mixed and striped scarlet; Dots minute, indented. Basin folded, irregular; Eye medium, closed. Cavity acute, wavy, irregular; Stem slender, long. Core medium, regular, closed; Seeds large; Flesh yellow, very tender, fine-grained, very juicy; Flavor sub-acid, aromatic, refreshing, vinous; Quality best; Use, dessert especially; Season, August and September. There is another similar fruit — the Frank or Chenango Strawberry, which is by some preferred to this.
— A.J. Downing, The Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900)Late Strawberry. Late Strawberry. Autumn Strawberry. Origin, Aurora, N. Y., on lands formerly owned by Judge Phelps. Tree vigorous, upright, spreading, hardy. Young wood smooth, reddish brown, a regular and early bearer. Fruit medium, roundish, inclining to conic, sometimes obscurely ribbed. Color whitish, striped and splashed with light and dark red, and often covered with a thin bloom. Stalk rather long, slender, curved. Cavity large, deep, slightly russeted. Basin abrupt, corrugated. Flesh yellowish white, tender, juicy, pleasant vinous, subacid. Very good. October, December.
— S.A. Beach, The Apples of New York, Vol. 2 (1905)STRAWBERRY.
This name has been applied to a great many different varieties of the apple. Those mentioned in this volume are listed below:
Autumn Strawberry, see Late Strawberry. Chenango Strawberry, see Chenango. Early Strawberry. Fall Strawberry, see Late Strawberry. Late Strawberry. St. John's Strawberry, see Early Strawberry. Strawberry, see Chenango, Early Strawberry, Late Strawberry and Richard Graft. Washington Strawberry.
— Granville Lowther (ed.), Encyclopedia of Practical Horticulture (1914)Late Strawberry. Size: medium. Form: round. Color: yellow-red. Quality: very good. Use: both kitchen and market. Season: early autumn. Division reports: III* (variety reported as adapted to more than one of the three divisions).
— F.R. Elliott, The Western Fruit Book (1865)Autumn Strawberry. Late Strawberry, | Strawberry, American : originated Western New York. Size, medium, or rather below ; form, roundish : color, light and dark red, streaked, and, in the sun, the dark red prevailing, and with a bloom like a plum; stem, slender, medium length ; cavity, open, regular ; calyx, small, nearly closed ; basin, shallow, slightly ribbed : flesh, yellowish white, tender, juicy, sub-acid; core, medium; seeds, large, full. October.
— N.E. Hansen, A Study of Northwestern Apples (1902)Vulcan-Specimens under this name received from Minnesota appear to be Late Strawberry (Autumn Strawberry).
— John J. Thomas, The American Fruit Culturist (1903)Late Strawberry.* (Strawberry, Autumn Strawberry.) Size medium; roundish, slightly conical, sometimes faintly ribbed; nearly whole surface with small broken streaks of light and dark red; stalk slender, about an inch long; basin ribbed; flesh yellowish white, slightly fibrous, very tender and juicy, with a fine, very agreeable, sub-acid flavor. Young trees of remarkably thrifty growth, leaves sharply serrate, which at once distinguishes them from the crenate leaves of the Early Strawberry. Ripens early in autumn, and often keeps till winter. Very productive. Fig. 386. One of the best early autumn apples. Succeeds well in the West. New York.
— J.L. Budd & N.E. Hansen, American Horticultural Manual, Part II: Systematic Pomology (1914)Late Strawberry (Autumn Strawberry).— Origin, Aurora, New York; tree vigorous, upright, spreading, productive, an early bearer. Fruit medium, regular, roundish, slightly conical, sometimes obscurely ribbed, truncated; surface polished, yellowish white, almost wholly covered with light and dark splashes and crimson and red, often overlaid with thin bloom, a showy fruit; cavity large, deep, acute, with thin stellate russet; stem long, slender, curved; basin abrupt, narrow, wavy, ribbed; calyx half open; segments erect convergent. Core closed; cells obovate, entire; tube funnel-shaped, narrow, open to core; stamens marginal; seeds very large, roundish, flattened; flesh yellowish white, tender, juicy, pleasant, vinous, subacid, very good. October, December.
— U.P. Hedrick, Cyclopedia of Hardy Fruits (1922)LATE STRAWBERRY. Fig. 32. Autumn Strawberry. Fall Strawberry. The true Late Strawberry is one of the best dessert apples of its season. It is, however, an apple only for the home orchard. Its reputation has suffered because of confusion in nomenclature, several distinct sorts being grown as Late Strawberry. The variety is debarred from commercial plantation because of the small size of the fruit and the long period of maturity, which makes several pickings necessary. The beauty and high quality of this apple should make it a favorite in orchards planted for choicely good fruit. The variety originated at Aurora, Cayuga County, New York, and was first described in 1848. Tree medium to large, vigorous, upright-spreading, hardy, healthy, long-lived, yielding regularly and heavily. Fruit small, uniform in size and shape, round or oblong-conic, sometimes strongly ribbed, irregular; stem long, slender, often curved; cavity acuminate, deep, broad, furrowed, sometimes with thin radiating streaks of light russet mingled with carmine; calyx large, open; lobes often separated at base, short, acute, erect or reflexed; basin deep, wide, abrupt, furrowed and wrinkled; skin pale yellow often almost entirely overspread with bright red, dotted and streaked with purplish-carmine; dots inconspicuous, light colored; prevailing effect bright striped red; calyx-tube wide, conical; stamens basal; core small, axile to abaxile; cells closed or open; core-lines meeting; carpels obovate; seeds large, flat, obtuse; flesh yellow, fine, crisp, tender, juicy, sprightly, aromatic, subacid; very good; September to December.
— H.H. Fisher (USDA ARS), A Survey of Apple Clones in the United States (1963)Late Strawberry was received from Wheelock Wilson Nursery, Marshalltown, Iowa. Fruit is medium, attractive, pale yellow overspread or striped and splashed with light and dark red. Very good dessert quality. September–December. Several pickings required. Unsuitable for commercial growing. Reported by station NyC.