Milden

Milden or Milding.

Origin, Alton, New Hampshire; tree hardy, a strong, vigorous, upright grower, forming a large round head; very productive alternate years, of large fair fruit, which is highly esteemed where known for market and family use.

Fruit large, oblate, slightly conic, slightly angular; skin smooth, whitish yellow, shaded, striped, splashed and mottled with light and dark bright rich red nearly over the whole surface, and a few light dots; stalk rather short, slender; cavity broad, deep, sometimes thinly russeted; calyx closed or nearly so; basin broad, moderately deep, furrowed; flesh whitish yellow, rather coarse, brittle, tender, juicy, sprightly subacid, slightly aromatic; core medium. December, January.

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

MILDEN

REFERENCES. 1. Am. Pom. Soc. Cat., 1873. 2. Downing, 1876:58 app. fig. 3. Bailey, An. Hort., 1892:244. 4. Munson, Me. Sta. Rpt., 1893:133. 5. Ib., 1896:71. 6. Thomas, 1897:645. 7. Beach, W. N. Y. Hort. Soc. Rpt., 1900:36. 8. Munson, Me. Sta. An. Rpt., 18:89. 1902. 9. Budd-Hansen, 1903:127. 10. Powell and Fulton, U. S. B. P. I. Bul., 48:49. 1903. 11. Beach and Clark, N. Y. Sta. Bul., 248:132. 1904.

SYNONYM. MILDING (3, 5, 7, 8, 9). Milding (2, 4, 6, 10, 11).

When well grown Milden is an apple of desirable size, good appearance and pretty good quality. The skin is smooth and glossy and the color is predominantly bright red over an attractive pale yellow or whitish background. It is highly esteemed in portions of New England (5, 8), and is there being planted to some extent both for home use and commercial purposes. It is an excellent nursery tree and a good grower in the orchard. It is hardy, healthy, comes into bearing quite young and is a reliable cropper, yielding good crops biennially. There is some loss from drops, but the fruit averages pretty uniform in size with a rather low percentage of culls. So far as tested in this state it appears to be pretty reliable and satisfactory in color and quality and suitable for general market purposes and culinary use. It is evidently worthy of testing as a commercial variety, particularly in the more elevated and northern portions of the state. In the southeastern part of the state it would probably be classed as a late autumn variety, but as grown at this Station it becomes an early winter or midwinter variety (11).

Historical. Milden is a variety of comparatively recent introduction. It originated at Alton, New Hampshire (2).

TREE. Tree large, vigorous. Form upright becoming roundish, rather dense. Twigs below medium to short, straight, moderately stout; internodes short to long. Bark very dark olive-green somewhat tinged with reddish-brown streaked with scarf-skin; pubescent. Lenticels quite numerous, small to medium, roundish, slightly raised. Buds prominent, below medium to large, broad, plump, obtuse, free, pubescent.

FRUIT. Fruit rather large; fairly uniform in size and shape. Form oblate, sometimes inclined to conic, pretty regular, often faintly ribbed; sides sometimes unequal. Stem short to medium, pubescent. Cavity acute to acuminate, deep, rather wide, symmetrical or somewhat furrowed, often russeted and with outspreading russet rays. Calyx large, pubescent; lobes long, acuminate, closed or partly open. Basin obtuse to somewhat abrupt, usually rather shallow, moderately wide, often compressed or furrowed. Skin waxy, rather thin, tough. Well-colored specimens are beautifully mottled with bright red and striped and splashed with bright carmine over a pale yellow background. Sometimes the red deepens to a solid blush. Dots inconspicuous, few, gray or russet. Calyx tube rather large, long, cone-shape or somewhat funnel-form, meeting the core. Stamens median. Core distant, medium or below, abaxile; cells pretty symmetrical, usually open; core lines clasping. Carpels roundish to elongated ovate, acuminate, slightly emarginate, tufted. Seeds variable in size and shape, often about medium size, moderately narrow, obtuse to acute; often some are abortive.

Flesh whitish tinged with yellow, firm, crisp, breaking, moderately coarse, very juicy, subacid, good.

Season November to January or February; it may remain apparently sound till spring but after midwinter it deteriorates in texture and flavor.

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

Milden or Milding. Size: L. Form: fl. Quality: VG. Use: b. Season: W.

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

Milden. (Milding.) Large, oblate, yellow and red; good. Early winter.

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