Ménagère
Apple
USDA Pomological Watercolor Collection
Ménagère
Origin / History
Ménagère is an old German variety (Beach). Thomas also calls it German, and Elliott calls it foreign. Downing received the fruit from Mr. Manning, who, Downing believed, had it from Germany. Beach's earliest American references are Manning, 1838, and Manning in the Magazine of Horticulture, 1841.
In England it is known under the name Mere de Menage. Certain English and French pomologists recognize the name Ménagère only as a synonym. Beach holds that so many American writers have described the variety under this name that it is now best recognized as the American name, particularly since German, French, and English pomologists are not agreed upon any one name for it. Beach calls it but little grown in this country.
Tree
A moderate grower, upright in form. Twigs very short to below medium in length, very slender to medium in thickness, sometimes somewhat bowed and geniculate. Internodes long, or very long in the more slender limbs. Bark dull brownish red, in some specimens with an undertone of olive-green, uniformly overlaid with a thick scarf-skin, slightly pubescent. Lenticels inconspicuous, only moderately numerous, medium; the larger ones roundish elliptical, the smaller narrow. Buds medium in size, moderately projecting, rather fleshy, acute, not pubescent, slightly adhering to the bark or free.
Beach finds the tree slow about coming into bearing. He says it usually bears some fruit every year but is unproductive, and the fruit drops badly.
Fruit
Size: Large to very large; most authors call it very large, Elliott alone simply large.
Form: Flat; oblate to oblate conic, very much flattened. Regularly formed, though Beach finds it pretty regular or somewhat ribbed, with sides often unequal.
Stem: Very short (Beach).
Cavity: Acute, shallow to rather deep, moderately broad, marked with outspreading patches and flecks of russet (Beach).
Calyx: Medium, closed or partly open; lobes long and reflexed. Calyx tube rather narrow, funnel-form, extending to the core. Stamens basal (Beach).
Basin: Somewhat abrupt, rather narrow, moderately deep, often irregular (Beach).
Skin: Pale yellow, with a faint blush or sometimes a little red on the side exposed to the sun.
Dots: Scattering, light brown (Beach).
Flesh and flavor: Flesh white, coarse-grained, tolerably to moderately juicy, subacid. Downing rates it "Good." Beach calls it "fair in flavor and quality" and "only fair in quality."
Core and seeds: Core small, axile. Cells symmetrical, closed. Core lines clasping the funnel cylinder (Beach).
Season
The recorded season runs from September into spring. Elliott and Downing give September to January. Beach gives October to January, adding that under favorable conditions some portion of the fruit may be kept till spring.
Uses
Downing calls it "only fit for cooking," and Thomas lists it for cooking. Beach calls it "suitable only for exhibition purposes" and undesirable either for dessert or culinary use, being coarse-grained and only fair in quality.
Subtypes / Variants
Not described in source.
Other
Not described in source.
Book Sources
Described in 4 period pomological works
Nursery Catalog Sources
Found in 7 catalogs (1845–1913) from Illinois, Massachusetts
- Winship's Nursery (Brighton Nurseries , operated by the Winship family), Brighton (Boston) , Massachusetts — 1845 — listed as Menagerie
- Central Experimental Farm , Dominion Department of Agriculture, Agassiz, British Columbia (under test; Bulletin No. 3, Second Series) — 1900 — listed as Capp Mammoth
- Benjamin Buckman (personal inventory) , Farmingdale , Illinois — 1901 — listed as Capp Mammoth
- Benjamin Buckman (personal inventory) , Farmingdale , Illinois — 1901
- Benjamin Buckman (personal inventory) , Farmingdale , Illinois — 1901 — listed as Teller
- Benjamin Buckman (personal inventory) , Farmingdale , Illinois — 1913 — listed as Capp Mammoth
- Benjamin Buckman (personal inventory) , Farmingdale , Illinois — 1913 — listed as Teller
View original book sources (4)
— F.R. Elliott, The Western Fruit Book (1865)Menagere. Menagerie. Foreign. Large, flat, pale yellow. September to January.
— A.J. Downing, The Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900)Menagere.
We received this fruit from Mr. Manning, who, we believe, had it from Germany ; it is only fit for cooking.
Fruit very large, regularly formed, but very much flattened, pale yellow, with sometimes a little red in the sun. Flesh tolerably juicy, Good. September to January.
— John J. Thomas, The American Fruit Culturist (1903)Menagere. Very large, flat, pale yellow—cooking. German.
— S.A. Beach, The Apples of New York, Vol. 1 (1905)MÉNAGÈRE.
References. 1. Manning, 1838:56. 2. Manning, Mag. Hort., 7:46. 1841. 3. Downing, 1845:117. 4. Thomas, 1849:157. 5. Elliott, 1854:174. 6. Hooper, 1857:597. 7. Warder, 1867:726. 8. Downing, 1869:273. 9. Leroy, 1873:435. 10. Barry, 1883:340. 11. Hogg, 1884:146. 12. Bunyard, Jour. Roy. Hort. Soc., 1898:356. 13. Van Deman, Rural N. Y., 58:278. 1899. 14. Beach and Clark, N. Y. Sta. Bul., 248:132. 1904. 15. Ragan, U. S. B. P. I. Bul., 56:196. 1905.
Synonyms. Capp Mammoth (13). Combermere Apple (11). Dame de Menage (9). Femme de Menage (9). Flanders Pippin (11). Gros Rambour d'Hiver (9). Haus Mutterchen (9). Livre (9). Menage (15). Menagere (9). Menagerie (5, 15). Mere de Menage (8, 11, 12). Mere de Menage (9, 15). Pfund (9). Teller (9).
A very large apple suitable only for exhibition purposes. It is undesirable either for dessert or culinary use, being coarse-grained and only fair in quality. The tree is slow about coming into bearing, usually bears some fruit every year but is unproductive and the fruit drops badly.
Historical. This is an old German variety which is known in England under the name Mere de Menage (9, 11, 12). The name Menagere is recognized by certain English and French pomologists only as a synonym, but the variety has been described by so many American writers under this name that it is now best to recognize it as the American name, particularly since German, French and English pomologists are not agreed upon any one name for the variety. It is but little grown in this country.
Tree. Tree a moderate grower. Form upright. Twigs very short to below medium in length, very slender to medium in thickness, sometimes somewhat bowed and geniculate; internodes long or in the more slender limbs very long. Bark dull brownish-red with an undertone of olive-green in some specimens, uniformly overlaid with a thick scarf-skin, slightly pubescent. Lenticels inconspicuous, only moderately numerous, medium, the larger ones roundish elliptical, the smaller, narrow. Buds medium in size, moderately projecting, rather fleshy, acute, not pubescent, slightly adhering to bark or free.
Fruit. Fruit large to very large. Form oblate to oblate conic, pretty regular or somewhat ribbed; sides often unequal. Stem very short. Cavity acute, shallow to rather deep, moderately broad and marked with outspreading patches and flecks of russet. Calyx medium, closed or partly open; lobes long and reflexed. Basin somewhat abrupt, rather narrow, moderately deep, often irregular. Skin pale yellow with faint blush on the exposed side. Dots scattering, light brown. Calyx tube rather narrow, funnel-form, extending to the core. Stamens basal. Core small, axile; cells symmetrical, closed; core lines clasping the funnel cylinder. Flesh white, coarse-grained, moderately juicy, subacid, fair in flavor and quality. Season October to January; under favorable conditions some portion of the fruit may be kept till spring.