NO. 10. MAIDENS BLUSH.

This is an apple of large size, and great beauty; exhibiting a lively contrast: a yellow ground, with a bright red cheek, whence it derives its name, given to it by Samuel Allinson Esq. late of Burlington, who first brought it into notice: the form is flat, the skin smooth, the flesh white, tender and sprightly, remarkably light and fitted for drying, for which it is preferred to any apple of the season: the stalk is short, and grows in a deep hollow, as does the eye—the fruit ripens in August, and continues in perfection till the end of September, and is fit both for pies and the table: the tree is uncommonly handsome, as well as vigorous in its growth, forming a fine open and spreading head; it bears abundantly and constantly, and is a very popular apple in the Philadelphia market.

— William Coxe, A View of the Cultivation of Fruit Trees (1817)

Maiden's Blush. American. Tree a rapid grower, forming a fine spreading head; succeeds, so far as producing annually and abundantly, in all soils; much the best, however, in those termed "limestone clay." Valued for cooking, for drying, and salable in market on account of its handsome appearance. Fruit, medium to large; form, roundish flattened; color, clear lemon yellow, with red cheek, varying from faint blush to rich crimson; stem, short; calyx, closed; basin, medium, abrupt; core, medium; flesh, white, fine-grained, tender, sprightly, rather sharp sub-acid unless fully ripened. September and October.

— F.R. Elliott, The Western Fruit Book (1865)

Maiden's Blush.

This beautiful and profitable fruit has received the unqualified approbation of thirteen out of the eighteen States that have reported to the American Pomological Society. It is a native of New Jersey, and is still held in high repute there as a market apple. The tree is hardy, vigorous, spreading and productive, beginning to bear quite early.

Fruit medium, to large, regular, flat and very handsome; Surface very smooth, polished, of a pale waxen yellow and blushed with bright carmine; Dots minute.

Basin shallow, regular or wavy; Eye small, closed.

Cavity wide, wavy; Stem medium to short.

Core regular, closed, meeting the eye; Seeds numerous, brown; Flesh white, breaking, fine grained, juicy; Flavor acid, aromatic, and to most palates not agreeable at the dessert, but very good when cooked, and requiring but a short time to be reduced to a delicious pulp of light color. This apple is also used for drying and makes a very light colored product, that is much admired by dealers. Season September and October, but may be used in the kitchen during August.

Fig. 77.—Maiden's Blush.

Bachelor's Blush appears to be a variety of the above; found in Burlington County, New Jersey, and exhibited before the American Pomological Society at the Rochester meeting in 1864, by Wm. Parry, as a valuable and distinct variety. Having examined the trees as they grew together in the orchard, the resemblance to Maiden's Blush was very apparent. The fruit is larger, and for market purposes is considered more profitable. The two may be different, but are very much alike.

— John A. Warder, American Pomology: Apples (1867)

Maiden's Blush.

A remarkably beautiful Apple, a native of New Jersey, and first described by Coxe. It begins to ripen about the 20th of August, and continues until the last of October. It has all the beauty of color of the pretty little Lady Apple, and is much cultivated and admired, both for the table and for cooking. It is also very highly esteemed for drying.

Maiden's Blush.

This variety forms a handsome, rapid-growing tree, with a fine spreading head, and bears large crops. It is very valuable as a profitable market sort.

Fruit of medium size, very regularly shaped, and a little narrower towards the eye. Skin smooth, with a delicate waxen appearance, pale lemon yellow in the shade, with a brilliant crimson cheek next the sun, the two colors often joining in brilliant red. Stalk short, planted in a rather wide deep hollow. Basin moderately depressed. Calyx closed. Flesh white, tender, sprightly, pleasant subacid. Good.

— A.J. Downing, The Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900)

Maiden's Blush.* Rather large, oblate, smooth, and regular; with a fine, evenly shaded red cheek or blush on a clear pale yellow ground; stalk short; cavity rather wide; basin moderate, even; flesh white, fine-grained, tender, pleasant sub-acid, but not rich. Mid-autumn. Tree spreading. Although deficient in richness, it is valued for its fair, tender, and beautiful fruit, and uniform productiveness. Fig. 400. Valuable at the West. New Jersey.

— John J. Thomas, The American Fruit Culturist (1903)

MAIDEN BLUSH.

REFERENCES. 1. Coxe, 1817:106. fig. 2. Buel, N. Y. Bd. Agr. Mem., 1826:476. 3. Wilson, 1828:136. 4. Fessenden, 1828:131. 5. London Hort. Soc. Cat., 1831:No. 704. 6. Kenrick, 1832:27. 7. Thacher, 1822:130. 8. Mag. Hort., 11:363, 396. 1835. 9. Downing, 1845:90. fig. 10. Thomas, 1849:157. fig. 11. Cole, 1849:113. fig. 12. Emmons, Nat. Hist. N. Y., 3:40. 1851. col. pl. No. 30 and fig. 13. Barry, 1851:285. 14. Hovey, Mag. Hort., 18:544. 1852. fig. 15. Elliott, 1854:469 app. 16. Hooper, 1857:57. 17. Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt., 1860:240. 18. Warder, 1867:412. fig. 19. Fitz, 1872:143, 164. 20. Hogg, 1884:138. 21. Rural N. Y., 47:713. 1888. 22. Wickson, 1889:244. 23. Lyon, Mich. Hort. Soc. Rpt., 1890:294. 24. Bailey, An. Hort., 1892:243. 25. Can. Hort., 15:65. 1892. 26. Ark. Sta. An. Rpt., 6:55. 1893. 27. Ib., 7:44. 1894. 28. Hoskins, Rural N. Y., 53:279. 1894. 29. Ib., 55:7. 1896. 30. Ill. Sta. Bul., 45:331. 1896. 31. Waugh, Vt. Sta. An. Rpt., 14:299. 1901. 32. Va. Sta. Bul., 130:124. 1901. 33. Am. Pom. Soc. Cat., 1901:18. 34. Powell and Fulton, U. S. B. P. I. Bul., 48:48. 1903. 35. Budd-Hansen, 1903:122. fig. 36. Beach and Clark, N. Y. Sta. Bul., 248:130. 1904.

SYNONYMS. Lady Blush (36). MAIDEN BLUSH (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36). Red Cheek (11).

This is a beautiful apple of pale lemon-yellow color with crimson cheek. The flesh is white, sprightly, not superior in flavor but good in quality. It is valued especially for market and culinary uses. It makes very white evaporated stock. As grown in Western New York it is in season from September to November or December. Later than this although the fruit may appear sound it is deficient in quality. In cold storage its commercial limit appears to be about December 15th. It does not stand heat well before going into storage. It varies greatly in the time of maturing in different seasons. The earlier it matures the less satisfactory is it as a keeper (36). It is recognized as a standard market variety and usually sells above the average prices for varieties of its class. In many localities it has proven a very satisfactory variety for the commercial orchard, because the tree is a fine grower, hardy, pretty long-lived, comes into bearing rather young and is a reliable cropper, yielding good to heavy crops biennially or almost annually. In many cases the fruit does not mature uniformly and there is considerable loss from drops unless more than one picking is made in gathering the crop. Usually the fruit is pretty uniform in size but on unthrifty, old trees or under unfavorable circumstances a considerable amount of the fruit may be too small for market. It is sometimes badly injured by scab but this may readily be prevented by proper treatment.

Historical. Coxe described this variety in 1817 as very popular in the Philadelphia market and the best variety of its season for evaporating. He stated that it was named by Samuel Allinson, of Burlington, N. J., who first brought it to notice. In the American Pomological Society's Catalogue of fruits it is reported as either "wholly successful or successful" in nearly all the important apple-growing districts of the United States (33). It has long been well and favorably known in New York and it is still being planted both for commercial purposes and for home use.

TREE.

Tree medium size, moderately vigorous to vigorous. Form spreading, open. Twigs long, curved, slender; internodes short. Bark brown or reddish-brown, lightly mottled with scarf-skin; slightly pubescent. Lenticels quite numerous, small, round, not raised. Buds medium size, plump, obtuse, free, slightly pubescent.

FRUIT.

Fruit medium or above, sometimes large, uniform in size and shape. Form oblate a little inclined to conic, regular, symmetrical. Stem short to medium, rather slender. Cavity rather large, acute to obtuse, medium to wide, moderately deep to shallow, usually symmetrical, sometimes russeted. Calyx medium size, closed; lobes separated at base, medium length, moderately broad, acute. Basin moderately shallow, medium to wide, obtuse, regular, smooth or slightly furrowed, symmetrical. Skin thin, tough, smooth, pale waxen yellow with crimson blush. Dots numerous, whitish and submerged or areolar. Calyx tube small, narrow, conical to funnel-shape. Stamens median to marginal. Core medium size, axile or somewhat abaxile, broadly elliptical; cells closed or slightly open; core lines meeting or slightly clasping. Carpels very broadly ovate. Seeds medium brown, moderately wide, moderately long, plump, acute. Flesh white or with slight yellow tinge, fine, moderately crisp, tender, very juicy, subacid, good in quality especially for culinary uses. Season September to November or December.

— S.A. Beach, The Apples of New York, Vol. 2 (1905)

Maiden Blush.—Origin, New Jersey; tree vigorous, productive; fruit much esteemed for table, market, cooking, and evaporating.

Fruit rather large, oblate, very regular, slightly conical; surface very smooth, polished, delicate waxen, clear pale yellow, with beautiful deep crimson cheek, the two colors often joining in brilliant red; cavity rather wide, deep, with trace of russet; stem short; basin wide, smooth, medium; calyx closed; segments erect convergent. Core closed; cells ovate; tube short, conical; stamens marginal; flesh white, tender, brisk, pleasant aromatic subacid, not rich, good. September, October.

— J.L. Budd & N.E. Hansen, American Horticultural Manual, Part II: Systematic Pomology (1914)

Maiden's Blush is a medium-sized fruit of round form with yellow skin. Quality is rated good. Its use is both kitchen and market. Season is early autumn. It is reported by 10 stations in the Northern Division; the asterisk indicates the variety is also reported in more than one division of the American Pomological Society. The Central Division and Southern Division columns are blank.

[Additional entry in this volume: "Maiden Blush", pp. 239–239]

Maiden Blush

The Maiden Blush is one of the very best apples for use in September and October. It is pale yellow, with crimson cheeks, flesh white, sprightly and good in flavor when fully ripe. It is a good market variety, especially good for cooking, and usually sells above the average of apples in its season. It does not mature uniformly, and requires several pickings to get the best results.

The tree is moderately vigorous, form spreading, twigs long and curved, internodes short, bark brown or reddish brown, lightly mottled with scarf skin.

Fruit medium or above in size, form oblate, inclined to conic, regular and symmetrical. Stem short, medium, rather slender. Cavity large, acute to obtuse, medium to wide, moderately deep to shallow. Calyx medium sized, closed.

Historical. Coxe described this variety in 1817 as very popular in the Philadelphia market, and the best variety of its season for evaporating. In the American Pomological Society's Catalogue of Fruits it is reported as either wholly successful or successful in nearly all the important apple growing districts of the United States.

— Granville Lowther (ed.), Encyclopedia of Practical Horticulture (1914)

MAIDEN BLUSH. Fig. 34. Lady Blush. Red Cheek. This old favorite, known by fruit-growers in America everywhere for over a century, attained and holds its popularity chiefly by virtue of its distinctive and very handsome crimson-cheeked, lemon-yellow apples. The fruits are unique in form as well as color, each an oblate sphere. The apples are not high enough in quality to relish out of hand, but are very good for cooking, evaporating, and for the markets. The crop does not mature uniformly, is very susceptible to the scab-fungus, and does not keep well in either ordinary or cold storage. The trees are above the mark in most characters. The variety was named by Coxe as very popular in Philadelphia as long ago as 1817. It is probably as widely disseminated in America as any other apple. Tree medium in size, vigorous, spreading, open. Fruit medium, sometimes large, uniform in size and shape, oblate, sometimes conic, regular, symmetrical; stem short, slender; cavity large, acute, medium to wide, shallow, usually symmetrical, sometimes russeted; calyx closed; lobes separated at base, broad, acute; basin shallow, medium to wide, obtuse, regular, smooth or furrowed, symmetrical; skin thin, tough, smooth, pale waxen yellow with crimson blush; dots numerous, white, submerged or areolar; calyx-tube small, narrow, conical; stamens median; core of medium size, axile or somewhat abaxile, broad-elliptical; cells closed or slightly open; core-lines meeting or clasping; carpels broad-ovate; seeds brown, wide, long, plump, acute; flesh white or with yellow tinge, fine, crisp, tender, very juicy, subacid; good; September to November or December.

— U.P. Hedrick, Cyclopedia of Hardy Fruits (1922)

Planted Spring 1890. Tree a strong and spreading grower, and a regular bearer of fruit. Fruit of medium size, oblate, a little tapering at the stem end. Skin a greenish-lemon yellow, with a bright red cheek. Flesh white, tender, sprightly, sub-acid, quality good. Season September and October.

— Central Experimental Farm, Central Experimental Farm, Agassiz BC — Catalogue of Fruit Trees under Test (Bulletin No. 3, 1900) (1900)