Milam
Apple
USDA Pomological Watercolor Collection
Milam
Origin / History
Origin uncertain. Elliott classes it as American. Hedrick says it has been grown since the middle of the nineteenth century. Beach's references begin with Phoenix (1850) and Kennicott (1852) in the Horticulturist, and they include the American Pomological Society's catalog of 1862.
Warder calls it "another little southern favorite, to be found by almost every cabin in parts of the West." He says whole orchards were planted with sprouts from the mother trees "among the people to whom the art of grafting was an unheard of mystery," and that it was by then distributed by nurserymen all over the country. It sprouts readily and very freely from the roots. Thousands of trees were propagated from sprouts (Beach, citing Phoenix and Warder), and Hedrick says it was formerly propagated chiefly in this way.
Elliott (1865) wrote that it "continues to have its friends South and West," but held that "it should be superseded, for it is unworthy." Downing calls it much grown in some sections at the West. Thomas says it is widely cultivated at the West and Southwest on account of its hardiness, productiveness, and good keeping qualities, although not of high flavor. Budd and Hansen call it "an old favorite Southern and Southwestern variety."
Beach (1905) says it was formerly quite popular in some portions of the Middle West, where nurserymen still propagated it, though it was not then planted as much as formerly. He adds that it had never been grown much in New York state and remained practically unknown among New York fruit growers. Hedrick (1922) says it is grown only in the South and Middle West, and that in some sections there it is a favorite for home use. Lowther's table enters it under "Northern Division 1," also reported in another division.
Tree
Moderately vigorous and thrifty, with long, slender, curved branches. Head round or upright spreading, rather dense, twiggy. Shoots reddish and foliage rather dark (Warder). Beach describes the twigs as above medium to long, slightly curved, and rather slender, with internodes long to medium. He gives the bark as dark brownish red mingled with olive green, streaked with grayish scarf-skin, and heavily pubescent toward the tips. His lenticels are quite numerous, small to rather large, roundish or elongated, and slightly raised. His buds are small to medium, broad, plump, obtuse to somewhat acute, free, and pubescent.
Very productive and an annual bearer. Warder calls it an early bearer. Beach says that in favorable localities it becomes productive when the tree is mature. Thomas credits its hardiness, but says it does not succeed well farther North.
Fruit
Size: Small to medium, or rather small; Lowther's table gives medium.
Form: Roundish to roundish conic or conical, or short ovate (Beach). Regular to very regular, not ribbed. Lowther's table gives round.
Stem: Medium to long, moderately slender; pubescent (Beach).
Cavity: Acute, regular, moderately deep, moderately wide. Smooth and green, or partly covered with thin brownish russet. Warder calls it brown, and Budd and Hansen call it russeted.
Calyx: Medium-sized, closed, pubescent. Segments divergent (Budd and Hansen). Beach gives the calyx tube as conical to somewhat funnel-form with a short truncate cylinder; Budd and Hansen call it funnel-shaped. Beach gives the stamens as basal, Budd and Hansen as median.
Basin: Below medium in size, narrow to medium in width, somewhat abrupt, moderately shallow to very shallow. Gently furrowed or wavy (Beach, Warder), often leather-cracked. Budd and Hansen describe it as regular and nearly smooth.
Skin: Moderately thin, rather tender, smooth. Ground greenish, greenish yellow, yellow, or dull yellow. Shaded, washed, or covered with red, dull red, or dull brownish red, marbled and striped. Warder calls the stripes indistinct; Budd and Hansen call them obscure and add splashes. In highly colored specimens the red deepens to crimson in the sun. Beach says it has something of the appearance of a highly colored Rails. Hedrick calls it very similar to Rails, differing chiefly in its more highly colored fruits.
Dots: Many, distinct, conspicuous, prominent, gray and russet, often areolar with a russet point. Budd and Hansen call them variable. Warder found them small and scattered.
Flesh and flavor: White or slightly tinged with yellow; Elliott calls it greenish. Juicy, crisp, a little coarse. Warder and Beach call it tender; Downing, Thomas, and Budd and Hansen call it rather firm. Flavor mild, pleasant subacid, moderate, "not rich" (Downing, Budd and Hansen). Warder calls it "mild sub-acid or sweet, agreeable and refreshing, but without any decided character." Thomas says it is not of high flavor. Most authors rate the quality good; Elliott alone calls the flesh "insipid."
Core and seeds: Core rather small, ovate, axile or nearly so, clasping, covering the eye. Warder calls the core closed; Budd and Hansen call it slightly open. Cells symmetrical, round, entire, closed. Carpels elongated, obovate, mucronate, slightly emarginate if at all, slightly tufted (Beach). Seeds many, medium or above, plump, acute or pointed, slightly tufted, some imperfect.
Season
Winter, November to March; most authors give December to March, and Warder's season is as short as December and January. Beach's general note gives November to March, his technical description November to January or later, and Hedrick calls it a late winter apple. A good keeper.
Uses
A dessert apple; Warder says that in cooking it lacks flavor. Lowther's table lists it for both kitchen and market use.
Subtypes / Variants
Not described in source.
Other
Figured by Warder (Fig. 146) and Thomas (Fig. 425).
Book Sources
Described in 8 period pomological works
- Warder, American Pomology: Apples (1867)
- Beach, The Apples of New York Vol. 1 (1905)
- Hedrick, Cyclopedia of Hardy Fruits (1922)
- Budd & Hansen, Systematic Pomology (1914)
- Downing, Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900)
- Elliott, The Western Fruit Book (1865)
- Lowther (ed.), Encyclopedia of Practical Horticulture (1914)
- Thomas, The American Fruit Culturist (1903)
USDA Nomenclature (1905)
From W.H. Ragan, Nomenclature of the Apple, USDA Bulletin No. 56
Perhaps is Milam.
Nursery Catalog Sources
Found in 5 catalogs (1893–1913) from Illinois, Washington
- Milwaukie-Canby Nurseries , Canby, OR (and Milwaukie, OR) — 1893
- Central Experimental Farm , Dominion Department of Agriculture, Agassiz, British Columbia (under test; Bulletin No. 3, Second Series) — 1900
- Benjamin Buckman (personal inventory) , Farmingdale , Illinois — 1901
- Vineland Nurseries Company , Clarkston , Washington — 1912
- J. B. Pilkington , Nurseryman, Portland, OR (nurseries near Newberg, forty miles from Portland) — 1913 — listed as The Blair
View original book sources (8)
— F.R. Elliott, The Western Fruit Book (1865)Milam.
Harrigan, | Winter Pearmain, of some.
American. Small to medium, roundish, greenish yellow, striped dull red ; flesh, greenish, insipid, December and March. This variety continues to have its friends South and West. It should be superseded, for it is unworthy.
— John A. Warder, American Pomology: Apples (1867)Milam. BLAIR.—(Rarely.) This is another little southern favorite, to be found by almost every cabin in parts of the West. Whole orchards have been planted with sprouts from the mother trees, among the people to whom the art of grafting was an un-
Fig. 146.—MILAM.
heard of mystery. Now distributed by nurserymen all over the country. Tree moderately vigorous, round-headed, twiggy; shoots reddish; foliage rather dark. Annually productive and an early bearer. Fruit small to medium, conical, regular; Surface smooth, yellow, covered with marbled red, indistinct stripes; Dots small, gray, scattered, prominent. Basin narrow, wavy, leather-cracked; Eye medium, closed. Cavity regular, acute, brown; Stem long. Core ovate, covering the eye, closed; Seeds numerous, some imperfect; Flesh white, tender, crisp, juicy; Flavor mild sub-acid or sweet, agreeable and refreshing, but without any decided character; Quality good; Use, dessert, in cooking it lacks flavor; Season, December, January.
— A.J. Downing, The Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900)Milam. Harrigan. Winter Pearmain of some. Blair. Thomas. Rusty Coat Milam ? Origin uncertain, much grown in some sections at the West, very productive, and keeps well. Fruit medium or below, roundish, greenish, shaded and striped with red. Flesh rather firm, pleasant, subacid, not rich. Good. December, March.
— John J. Thomas, The American Fruit Culturist (1903)Milam. Rather small, roundish; greenish, shaded and striped with red; flesh rather firm, with a pleasant, sub-acid, moderate flavor. A good keeper. Although not of high flavor, it is widely cultivated at the West and Southwest on account of its hardiness, productiveness, and good keeping qualities. Does not succeed well farther North. Fig. 425.
— S.A. Beach, The Apples of New York, Vol. 1 (1905)MILAM.
REFERENCES. 1. Phoenix, Horticulturist, 4:470. 1850. 2. Kennicott, Ib., 7:431. 1852. 3. Elliott, 1854:174. 4. Robey, Horticulturist, 11:89. 1856. 5. Downing, 1857:217. 6. Hooper, 1857:60. 7. Am. Pom. Soc. Cat., 1862. 8. Warder, 1867:503. fig. 9. Downing, 1869:275. 10. Fitz, 1872:158. 11. Barry, 1883:349. 12. Thomas, 1885:236. 13. Lyon, Mich. Hort. Soc. Rpt., 1890:294. 14. Bailey, An. Hort., 1892:244. 15. Budd-Hansen, 1903:127.
SYNONYMS. Blair (6, 8, 9). Harrigan (1, 3, 5, 9). Thomas (9). Winter Pearmain of some (1, 3, 5, 9).
A medium sized dessert apple which has something of the appearance of a highly colored Rails. In season from November to March. The tree is thrifty and in favorable localities becomes productive when it is mature. Thousands of trees of this variety have been propagated from sprouts for it sprouts readily from the roots (1, 8).
Historical. Origin uncertain. Warder refers to it as "a little Southern favorite" (8). It was formerly quite popular in some portions of the Middle West where it is still propagated by nurserymen although it is not now planted as much as it was formerly (14). It has never been grown much in New York state and remains practically unknown among New York fruit growers.
TREE. Tree moderately vigorous, with long, slender, curved branches. Form upright spreading or roundish, rather dense. Twigs above medium to long, slightly curved, rather slender; internodes long to medium. Bark dark brownish-red mingled with olive-green and streaked with grayish scarf-skin; heavily pubescent toward the tips. Lenticels quite numerous, small to rather large, roundish or elongated, slightly raised. Buds small to medium, broad, plump, obtuse to somewhat acute, free, pubescent.
FRUIT. Fruit small to medium. Form roundish conic or short ovate, regular, not ribbed. Stem pubescent, medium to long, moderately slender. Cavity acute, moderately deep, moderately wide, smooth and green or partly covered with thin brownish russet. Calyx pubescent, medium in size, closed. Basin below medium in size, somewhat abrupt, moderately shallow, rather narrow to medium in width, gently furrowed. Skin moderately thin, rather tender, smooth, dull yellow or greenish marbled and striped with dull red, in highly colored specimens deepening to crimson in the sun. Dots numerous, conspicuous, gray, often areolar with russet point. Calyx tube conical to somewhat funnel-form with short truncate cylinder. Stamens basal. Core rather small, axile or nearly so; cells symmetrical, closed. Carpels elongated, obovate, mucronate, but slightly emarginate if at all, slightly tufted. Seeds medium or above, plump, acute, slightly tufted. Flesh slightly tinged with yellow, a little coarse, crisp, tender, juicy, mild pleasant subacid, good. Season November to January or later.
— J.L. Budd & N.E. Hansen, American Horticultural Manual, Part II: Systematic Pomology (1914)Milam.—Origin uncertain; an old favorite Southern and Southwestern variety; tree of moderate vigor, round-headed, very productive, and an annual bearer.
Fruit small to medium, conical to roundish conical, very regular; surface smooth, greenish yellow, washed and marbled with dull brownish red, obscurely striped and splashed; dots distinct, many, variable, gray and russet; cavity regular, acute, russeted; stem medium to long; basin very shallow, narrow, regular, nearly smooth, often leather-cracked; calyx closed; segments divergent. Core slightly open, clasping; cells round, entire; tube funnel-shaped; stamens median; seeds many, plump, pointed, some imperfect; flesh white, rather firm, mild pleasant subacid, not rich, good. December to March.
— Granville Lowther (ed.), Encyclopedia of Practical Horticulture (1914)Milam: size medium; form round; color striped or splashed (red); quality good; use both kitchen and market; season winter; Northern Division 1 (also reported in another division).
— U.P. Hedrick, Cyclopedia of Hardy Fruits (1922)MILAM. Blair. Thomas. Milam is a late winter apple very similar to Rails, differing chiefly in its more highly colored fruits. It is grown only in the South and Middle West, in some sections of which it is a favorite for home use. Its origin is not known, but it has been grown since the middle of the nineteenth century. Formerly, the variety was propagated chiefly from sprouts, which spring up very freely. Tree vigorous, upright-spreading, dense, with long, slender, curved branches. Fruit small to medium, round-conic to short-ovate, regular, not ribbed; stem pubescent, medium to long, slender; cavity acute, deep, wide, smooth and green or partly covered with thin russet; calyx pubescent, closed; basin medium in size, abrupt, shallow, narrow to medium in width, gently furrowed; skin thin, tender, smooth, yellow, marbled and striped with dull red, deepening to crimson in the sun; dots numerous, conspicuous, gray, often areolar, with russet point; calyx-tube conical, with short, truncate cylinder; stamens basal; core small, axile; cells symmetrical, closed; carpels elongated, obovate, mucronate, tufted; seeds plump, acute, tufted; flesh yellow, coarse, crisp, tender, juicy, mild subacid; good; November to January.