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Mann

Apple

Mann

Origin / History

Mann originated as a chance seedling in the orchard of Judge Mooney of Granby, Oswego County, New York, where it was formerly called the Deiltz. Hedrick dates the origin to about 1870. A Dr. Mann introduced it into Niagara County. Beach records that the Western New York Horticultural Society named the apple Mann on the suggestion of Elisha Moody of Lockport. Hedrick writes that Dr. Mann "gave it his name." The variety was planted under test at the Central Experimental Farm, Agassiz, British Columbia, in spring 1890.

Beach (1905) calls it a hard, green, late-keeping apple, "decidedly inferior to Rhode Island Greening in quality." He gives its great merits as the productiveness of the tree and the smoothness, uniformity, and superior keeping and shipping qualities of the fruit. In his day it was not grown extensively in any portion of New York but was still being planted to a limited extent by commercial growers.

Hedrick (1922) writes that "by virtue of several good qualities, Mann gained a high reputation a quarter of a century ago." He calls the apples "of the Rhode Island Greening type" and "but mediocre in quality." With the advent of better care of orchards and of better shipping and transportation facilities, the need for a general-purpose apple of this type began to wane, and Mann "was doomed to lose the commercial importance it had acquired." He gives it as most commonly grown in New York.

Tree

Tree medium to large, moderately vigorous to vigorous; a strong grower at Agassiz. Hardy, healthy, and productive. Beach finds it superior to Rhode Island Greening and Baldwin in hardiness.

Downing and Thomas call it an upright grower. Downing adds rather slender branches forming a round head. Budd and Hansen and the Agassiz station call it a spreading grower. Beach describes the form as at first decidedly upright and rather dense, becoming decidedly spreading after bearing heavy crops, with the laterals inclined to droop.

Twigs medium to long, nearly straight, rather slender to moderately stout; internodes short. Bark more or less dark dull brown overspread with grayish green and streaked with gray scarf-skin, slightly pubescent near tips. Lenticels numerous, dull, not very conspicuous, above medium to below in size, roundish, slightly raised. Buds medium to rather short, plump, obtuse, appressed, pubescent, deeply set in bark (Beach).

Downing and Budd and Hansen call it an early and annual bearer, and Thomas an annual bearer. Beach finds it a little slow about coming into bearing. He calls it usually a reliable cropper, yielding good to heavy crops biennially, or in some localities almost annually. In many cases the crops are so heavy that the percentage of loss in undersized fruit is rather high and the trees are damaged by the breaking of the limbs. At Agassiz it was a moderate bearer.

Fruit

Size: Medium to large, the sources clustering at medium to large or large, with Budd and Hansen giving above medium. Lowther's station table alone gives medium. Pretty uniform in size (Beach).

Form: Roundish oblate, symmetrical, regular or nearly regular, sometimes faintly ribbed; pretty uniform in shape. Beach describes it as roundish, somewhat inclined to oblate, and usually pretty regular; Budd and Hansen call it oblate.

Stem: Short, rather small; short to medium and usually not exserted (Beach).

Cavity: Acuminate or acute, regular, deep, somewhat furrowed. Beach gives the width as rather narrow to moderately wide; Downing calls the cavity medium or quite large. Russeting runs from a trace (Budd and Hansen) or sometimes a slight russeting (Downing) to usually russeted, often with outspreading broken russet (Beach).

Calyx: Small to medium. Generally closed (Downing, Budd and Hansen); closed or partly open (Beach). Segments connivent (Budd and Hansen); lobes medium in length, acute. Calyx tube moderately wide, cone-shaped (Beach); conical or funnel-shaped (Budd and Hansen). Beach places the stamens below median to basal; Budd and Hansen place them median.

Basin: Regular or usually pretty symmetrical; furrowed and wrinkled, or slightly wrinkled and slightly corrugated; somewhat abrupt (Beach); medium deep (Budd and Hansen). Width rather narrow to moderately wide (Beach), or rather large to wide (Downing, Budd and Hansen).

Skin: Moderately thick, tough, smooth. At first deep green, very green in early winter. Beach writes that it "does not always have a good clear green color, being sometimes streaked more or less with a network of russet." Late in the season, when fully ripe, it develops a pronounced deep yellow; greenish yellow at Agassiz. The exposed side carries a brownish-red cheek or shade, often present. In Beach's account this blush often partly overspreads the fruit and is tinged with a shade of olive-green. Other colorings are a whitish, often brownish, pink blush (Budd and Hansen), a red wash on the cheek in the sun (Agassiz), and simply red (Lowther's table). Budd and Hansen find that it lacks attractive color.

Dots: Numerous, distinct, large, conspicuous, thickly or freely sprinkled; light, gray, or whitish. Areolar, whitish with russet or dark russet centers. Downing finds only a few areolar.

Flesh and flavor: Yellowish to yellow; yellowish white at Agassiz. Juicy to moderately juicy, firm and crisp. Beach finds it at first very hard and firm, later becoming moderately tender and somewhat crisp; Downing calls it half tender. Budd and Hansen call it fine-grained and Downing half fine, while Beach calls it moderately coarse. Flavor mild, pleasant subacid.

Thomas, Budd and Hansen, and the Agassiz station rate it "good." Downing gives "good to very good" and Lowther's table "very good." Beach gives "fair to good," and Hedrick calls it "but mediocre in quality."

Core and seeds: Core small to below medium (Beach); medium (Downing). Usually axile or nearly so (Beach); closed and sessile (Budd and Hansen). Cells pretty symmetrical, ovate or elliptical (Budd and Hansen), usually closed, sometimes open. Beach gives core lines meeting or slightly clasping. In his description the carpels are smooth, broad, narrowing toward base and apex or approaching truncate at the base, but slightly emarginate if at all. Seeds numerous, medium or above, wide, plump, obtuse to acute, dark.

Season

A late keeper. The recorded season runs from January into April, and to May in cold storage. Most authors carry it to March or April, with Downing giving January to April. Budd and Hansen give late winter and Lowther's table winter. Beach gives the commercial limit as March or April in ordinary storage and May in cold storage. At Agassiz the season was January and February.

Uses

Valuable for market and cooking, and a fair table fruit (Downing); a kitchen and market apple (Lowther). The fruit keeps and ships well. Beach records that the trade used it to some extent as a substitute for Rhode Island Greening late in the season, when it often brings good prices. Hedrick classes it as a general-purpose apple.

Subtypes / Variants

Not described in source.

Other

Lowther's table records Mann from 3 reporting stations in the Northern Division, and as also reported in another division.

Book Sources

Described in 6 period pomological works

Nursery Catalog Sources

Found in 27 catalogs (1884–1921) from Alabama, California, Illinois, Nebraska, Oregon, Virginia, Washington

View original book sources (7)

Manx.

A chance seedling in the orchard of Judge Mooney, of Granby, N. Y. Tree hardy, an upright grower, with rather slender branches, forming a round head; an early and annual bearer, a late keeper, valuable for market and cooking, and a fair table fruit.

Fruit medium to large, roundish oblate, nearly regular; skin deep yellow when fully ripe, often with a shade of brownish red where exposed, and thickly sprinkled with light and gray dots, a few being areole; stalk short, rather small; cavity medium or quite large, sometimes slightly russeted; calyx generally closed; basin rather large, slightly corrugated; flesh yellowish, half fine, half tender, juicy, mild pleasant subacid; good to very good; core medium. January, April.

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

Mann.* Fruit large, roundish oblate; yellow, with a brownish-red cheek; mild, juicy, good. Tree an upright grower and annual bearer. Keeps till April. New York.

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

MANN.

REFERENCES. 1. Downing, 1872:21 app. fig. 2. Am. Pom. Soc. Cat., 1877:10. 3. Moody, Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt., 1881:124. 4. Barry, 1883:349. 5. Moody, Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt., 1885:27. 6. Thomas, 1885:517. 7. Can. Hort., 11:113. 1888. 8. Lyon, Mich. Hort. Soc. Rpt., 1890:294. 9. Bailey, An. Hort., 1892:244. 10. Woolverton, Out. Fr. Stas. An. Rpt., 5:18. 1898. figs. 11. Ib., 6:35. 1899. 12. Macoun, Can. Dept. Agr. Bul., 37:44. 1901. 13. Munson, Me. Sta. Bul., 82:95. 1902. 14. Budd-Hansen, 1903:123. 15. Powell and Fulton, U. S. B.P.I. Bul., 48:48. 1903. 16. Beach and Clark, N. Y. Sta. Bul., 248:131. 1904.

SYNONYM. Deiltz (3).

A hard, green, late-keeping apple used by the trade to some extent as a substitute for Rhode Island Greening late in the season when it often brings good prices. It is decidedly inferior to Rhode Island Greening in quality and does not always have a good clear green color, being sometimes streaked more or less with a network of russet. Its great merits are the productiveness of the tree and the smoothness, uniformity and superior keeping and shipping qualities of the fruit. The tree is superior to Rhode Island Greening and Baldwin in hardiness (5, 8) and usually is a reliable cropper, yielding good to heavy crops biennially or in some localities almost annually. It is a little slow about coming into bearing. In many cases the crops are so heavy that the percentage of loss in undersized fruit is rather high and the trees are damaged by the breaking of the limbs.

Historical. Originated as a chance seedling in the orchard of Judge Mooney of Granby, Oswego county, N. Y. (1), where it was formerly called the Deiltz. It was introduced into Niagara county by Dr. Mann, and on the suggestion of Elisha Moody of Lockport the Western New York Horticultural Society named the apple Mann (3). It is not grown extensively in any portion of the state but it is still being planted to a limited extent by commercial growers.

TREE.

Tree medium to large, moderately vigorous to vigorous. Form at first decidedly upright and rather dense but after bearing heavy crops becomes decidedly spreading with the laterals inclined to droop. Twigs medium to long, nearly straight, rather slender to moderately stout; internodes short. Bark more or less dark dull brown overspread with grayish-green and streaked with gray scarf-skin, slightly pubescent near tips. Lenticels numerous, dull, not very conspicuous, above medium to below, roundish, slightly raised. Buds medium to rather short, plump, obtuse, appressed, pubescent, deeply set in bark.

FRUIT.

Fruit medium to large. Form roundish, somewhat inclined to oblate, symmetrical, usually pretty regular, sometimes faintly ribbed; pretty uniform in size and shape. Stem short to medium, usually not exserted. Cavity acuminate, rather narrow to moderately wide, deep, usually russeted, and often with outspreading broken russet, somewhat furrowed. Calyx small to medium, closed or partly open; lobes medium in length, acute. Basin somewhat abrupt, rather narrow to moderately wide, usually pretty symmetrical, furrowed and wrinkled. Skin moderately thick, tough, at first deep green, often partly overspread with a brownish-red blush tinged with shade of olive-green but late in the season it develops a pronounced yellow color. Dots numerous, large, conspicuous, areolar, whitish with russet center. Calyx tube moderately wide, cone-shape. Stamens below median to basal. Core below medium to small, usually axile or nearly so; cells pretty symmetrical, usually closed, sometimes open; core lines meeting or slightly clasping. Carpels smooth, broad, narrowing towards the base and apex or approaching truncate at the base, but slightly emarginate if at all. Seeds numerous, medium or above, wide, obtuse to acute, dark. Flesh yellowish, moderately coarse, moderately juicy, at first very hard and firm but later becoming moderately tender and somewhat crisp, subacid, fair to good.

Season. Commercial limit March or April in ordinary storage and May in cold storage (16).

— S.A. Beach, The Apples of New York, Vol. 1 (1905)

Mann. — Origin, Granby, New York; tree a vigorous, spreading grower and an early and annual bearer; fruit a late keeper but lacks attractive color. Fruit above medium; form regular, oblate; surface very green in early winter, changing to deep yellow when fully ripe, overlaid with whitish, often with brownish, pink blush; dots distinct, numerous, dark russet centres with whitish base; cavity regular, acute, deep, trace of russet; stem short; basin regular, slightly wrinkled, wide, medium deep; calyx generally closed; segments connivent. Core closed, sessile; cells ovate or elliptical; tube conical or funnel-shaped; stamens median; seeds plump; flesh yellow, firm, juicy, crisp, fine-grained, pleasant subacid, good. Late winter.

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

Mann. Size: medium. Form: roundish oblate. Color: red. Quality: very good. Use: both kitchen and market. Season: winter. Northern Division: 3 stations reporting (also reported in another division).

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

MANN. Fig. 35. By virtue of several good qualities, Mann gained a high reputation a quarter of a century ago. The trees are vigorous, hardy, healthy, and productive, and the fruit keeps and ships well. But the apples, of the Rhode Island Greening type, are but mediocre in quality. With the advent of better care of orchards and of better shipping and transportation facilities, the need for a general purpose apple of this type began to wane, and Mann was doomed to lose the commercial importance it had acquired. The variety originated in the orchard of Judge Mooney, Granby, New York, about 1870, and later was introduced into Niagara County by a Dr. Mann, who gave it his name. It is most commonly grown in New York. Tree medium to large, vigorous, at first upright and dense but after bearing spreading. Fruit medium to large, round-oblate, symmetrical, usually regular, sometimes faintly ribbed, uniform in size and shape; stem short, usually not exserted; cavity acuminate, narrow, deep, usually russeted and often with outspreading broken russet, furrowed; calyx small, closed or partly open; lobes acute; basin abrupt, narrow, usually symmetrical, furrowed and wrinkled; skin thick, tough, green, often with a brownish-red blush tinged with olive-green but late in the season yellow; dots numerous, large, conspicuous, areolar, white with russet center; calyx-tube wide, cone-shape; stamens median; core small, usually axile; cells symmetrical, usually closed, sometimes open; core-lines meeting; carpels smooth, broad, narrowing towards the base and apex; seeds numerous, wide, obtuse, dark; flesh yellow, coarse, juicy, at first hard but becoming tender and crisp, subacid; fair to good; March to April.

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

Planted Spring 1890. Tree a strong and spreading grower, and a moderate bearer of fruit. Fruit large, roundish, oblate. Skin greenish yellow, washed with red, cheek in the sun and freely sprinkled with gray dots. Flesh yellowish white, firm, crisp, juicy, mildly sub-acid, pleasant, quality good. Season January and February.

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