Late Strawberry
Apple
USDA Pomological Watercolor Collection
Late Strawberry
Origin / History
American. It originated at Aurora, New York, on lands formerly owned by Judge Phelps (Downing); Hedrick places Aurora in Cayuga County and says the variety was first described in 1848. Elliott places its origin in Western New York, and Thomas assigns it to New York. Elliott enters it under the heading Autumn Strawberry. Warder writes that "the origin of this choice fruit appears to be unknown."
Thomas calls it "one of the best early autumn apples" and says it succeeds well in the West. Hedrick says its reputation has suffered because of confusion in nomenclature, several distinct sorts being grown as Late Strawberry. He holds that "the beauty and high quality of this apple should make it a favorite in orchards planted for choicely good fruit." The Central Experimental Farm, Agassiz, British Columbia, had it under test, planted spring 1893.
Tree
Vigorous, upright, spreading or upright-spreading, hardy. Hedrick gives it as medium to large, healthy, and long-lived. Thrifty (Warder); Thomas says the young trees are of remarkably thrifty growth. At Agassiz it was a moderate grower. Young wood smooth, reddish brown (Downing). Leaves serrate. Thomas calls them sharply serrate, which at once distinguishes the young trees from the crenate leaves of the Early Strawberry.
An early and regular bearer, productive. Thomas calls it very productive, and Hedrick says it yields regularly and heavily. Lowther's division reports mark it III*, reported as adapted to more than one of the three divisions.
Fruit
Size: Small to medium. Medium in most accounts; Elliott gives medium or rather below. Hedrick alone calls it small, uniform in size and shape.
Form: Roundish or round, slightly conical or inclining to conic, sometimes obscurely or faintly ribbed; angular and furrowed (Warder); truncated (Budd and Hansen). Budd and Hansen call the fruit regular. Hedrick calls it irregular, round or oblong-conic, sometimes strongly ribbed. The fruit tested at Agassiz was oblate.
Stem: Slender, rather long to long, curved or often curved. Elliott alone gives medium length; Thomas gives about an inch long.
Cavity: Large or broad, deep, acute or acuminate, furrowed (Hedrick). Slightly russeted, with thin stellate russet or with thin radiating streaks of light russet, which Hedrick says are sometimes mingled with carmine. Elliott calls the cavity open and regular; Warder calls it wavy and irregular.
Calyx: Small to large, closed to open. Elliott gives it small and nearly closed, and Warder gives the eye medium and closed. Budd and Hansen give it half open, segments erect and convergent. Hedrick gives it large and open, lobes often separated at base, short, acute, erect or reflexed. Budd and Hansen give the calyx tube as funnel-shaped, narrow, open to the core, stamens marginal. Hedrick gives it as wide and conical, stamens basal.
Basin: Abrupt; ribbed or slightly ribbed, folded, corrugated, wavy, furrowed and wrinkled; irregular (Warder). Elliott gives it shallow and Budd and Hansen narrow. Hedrick gives it deep and wide.
Skin: Smooth, polished (Budd and Hansen). Ground whitish or yellowish white to pale yellow or waxen-yellow; green in the Agassiz fruit. Nearly or almost wholly covered with small broken streaks, stripes, and splashes of light and dark red, mixed and striped scarlet (Warder), the dark red prevailing in the sun (Elliott). Budd and Hansen describe splashes of crimson and red. Hedrick describes the skin as often almost entirely overspread with bright red, dotted and streaked with purplish-carmine, with a prevailing effect of bright striped red. The Agassiz fruit was striped and splashed with pale red. Lowther's table gives the color as yellow-red.
Often covered with a thin bloom, whitish at Agassiz; Elliott gives "a bloom like a plum." A showy fruit (Budd and Hansen).
Dots: Minute, indented (Warder); inconspicuous, light colored (Hedrick).
Flesh and flavor: Yellowish white, or yellow (Warder, Hedrick). Fine or fine-grained, crisp, tender to very tender, juicy to very juicy; Thomas calls it slightly fibrous. Flavor subacid, pleasant, vinous, refreshing, sprightly, aromatic. Thomas gives "a fine, very agreeable, sub-acid flavor," and Warder "aromatic, refreshing, vinous."
Quality very good in most accounts. Warder rates it "best," and the Agassiz report gives "quality good."
Core and seeds: Core small to medium. Most give it as medium; Hedrick calls it small, axile to abaxile. Regular and closed (Warder); closed (Budd and Hansen). Hedrick gives the cells closed or open, core-lines meeting, carpels obovate. Budd and Hansen give the cells as obovate and entire. Seeds large to very large: large and full (Elliott); very large, roundish, flattened (Budd and Hansen); flat, obtuse (Hedrick).
Season
The recorded season runs from August into December. Early autumn in most accounts, September or October. Downing and Hedrick carry it to December. Thomas says it ripens early in autumn and often keeps till winter. Warder gives the earliest season, August and September. At Agassiz it ripened the last of September. Hedrick says the long period of maturity makes several pickings necessary.
Uses
A dessert apple, for "dessert especially" (Warder). Hedrick calls the true Late Strawberry "one of the best dessert apples of its season," but an apple only for the home orchard. He says it is debarred from commercial plantation because of the small size of the fruit and the long period of maturity. Lowther's table gives its use as both kitchen and market.
Subtypes / Variants
Not described in source.
Other
Warder notes another similar fruit, the Frank or Chenango Strawberry, "which is by some preferred to this." Hansen reports that specimens received from Minnesota under the name Vulcan appear to be Late Strawberry. Beach notes that the name Strawberry has been applied to a great many different varieties of the apple, among them Chenango, Early Strawberry, Richard Graft, and Late Strawberry. Thomas figures the fruit (Fig. 386), as does Hedrick (Fig. 32).
Book Sources
Described in 9 period pomological works
- Warder, American Pomology: Apples (1867)
- Budd & Hansen, Systematic Pomology (1914)
- Downing, Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900)
- Beach, The Apples of New York Vol. 2 (1905)
- 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 24 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
- 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
- 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
- Stark Bros. Nurseries & Orchards Co. , Louisiana , Missouri — 1918 — listed as Strawberry
- Benedict Nursery Co. , Portland , Oregon — 1921 — listed as Autumn Strawberry
View original book sources (10)
— 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.
— 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.
— 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.
— 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.
— 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.
— 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).
— 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.
— Central Experimental Farm, Central Experimental Farm, Agassiz BC — Catalogue of Fruit Trees under Test (Bulletin No. 3, 1900) (1900)Planted Spring 1893. Tree a moderate grower. Fruit of medium size, oblate. Skin green, striped and splashed with pale red, with a whitish bloom. Flesh yellowish white, crisp, tender, juicy, pleasant, sub-acid, quality good. Season, last of September.