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Missouri Pippin

Apple
USDA watercolor illustration of Missouri Pippin

USDA Pomological Watercolor Collection

Missouri Pippin

Origin and History

The Missouri Pippin originated on the farm of Brinkley Hornsby (Downing gives the name as "Brink Hornsby") in Kingsville, Johnson County, Missouri, from seed planted about 1840. Shortly after the Civil War it began to be disseminated outside the locality of its origin, and its cultivation spread with such rapidity that within a few years it was being extensively planted in Missouri, Kansas, Illinois, and adjacent states. The qualities that recommended it to fruit growers of that region were its good degree of hardiness and vigor, the ease with which it is propagated in the nursery, and particularly its habit of bearing early and abundantly.

During the early years of fruit production in the prairie sections of the Middle West, this variety was more often seen than any other. In time, however, it was found that the trees were inclined to overbear, with the result that a large percentage of the fruit frequently failed to attain good marketable size. The tree was also found to be short-lived; in the Mississippi Valley, orchards more than twenty years old are seldom profitable, and the fruit quality declines with age. By the time of the Encyclopedia of Practical Horticulture (1914), comparatively few of the variety were being planted. Beach (1905) notes it was used chiefly as a filler for planting between rows of permanent trees, and considers it quite doubtful whether its fruit would commonly develop to good marketable size in New York even under the most favorable conditions of the southeastern portion of the state.

It is regarded with favor by fruit dealers because of its attractive appearance and good keeping quality. There has been some complaint of its scalding in storage (Powell and Fulton, 1903), but Beach considers this fault not serious enough to materially affect its popularity.

Tree

Vigor and habit: Downing describes the tree as hardy and a strong upright, rather spreading grower. Beach and Lowther characterize it as moderately vigorous — a conflict worth noting, possibly reflecting the tree's decline as it ages. All sources agree on its upright form becoming roundish or spreading with age.

The tree is characteristic on account of its numerous, slender twigs and general crab-like appearance, with long, slender, curved branches. It is an early and abundant annual bearer.

Twigs: Moderately long, straight, slender; internodes short.

Bark: Dark brown, mottled with heavy scarf-skin, pubescent.

Lenticels: Scattering, medium, oval to oblong, raised.

Buds: Deeply set, small, plump, obtuse, appressed, slightly pubescent.

Fruit

Size and form: Beach and Lowther describe the fruit as medium in size, roundish, somewhat inclined to conic. Downing gives a conflicting description — medium to large, roundish oblate, slightly oblique, somewhat flattened at the ends — which differs substantially from Beach's "inclined to conic." Both descriptions are preserved here as the discrepancy may reflect variation between strains or growing regions.

Stem: Beach and Lowther describe it as medium in length, rather slender. Downing gives it as short and small — another conflict.

Cavity: Acute to nearly acuminate, moderately wide, rather deep, faintly russeted (Beach, Lowther). Downing describes it as large and deep, conflicting somewhat with "moderately wide."

Calyx: Medium in size, closed or nearly so; lobes moderately long, rather narrow. Downing notes it may be closed or half open. Calyx tube funnel-form with wide limb, sometimes broadly conical. Stamens median.

Basin: Medium to deep, rather wide, abrupt, usually somewhat wrinkled (Beach). Downing describes it as rather abrupt, deep, slightly corrugated — essentially consistent.

Skin: Thick, tough, smooth, rather glossy, thinly coated with grayish bloom. The ground color is pale greenish or yellow (Downing: pale whitish yellow), overspread with bright red striped with purplish red (Downing: shaded, striped, and splashed with light and dark red). Highly colored specimens are almost of a solid red color, often quite dark in the sun. Dots conspicuous; Beach describes them as russet or rather large and pale gray; Downing as many large and small light and gray dots.

Flesh: Downing describes the flesh as whitish, a little coarse, crisp or breaking, moderately juicy, subacid, and good. Beach's more detailed account gives it as tinged somewhat with yellow, firm, medium to rather fine-grained, not very tender, not very juicy, briskly subacid, fair to good in quality. These descriptions conflict on color (whitish vs. tinged with yellow), texture (a little coarse vs. medium to fine-grained), and juiciness (moderately juicy vs. not very juicy).

Core: Small, axile or nearly so; cells symmetrical, slightly open; core lines clasping. Carpels smooth, roundish elliptical to slightly obovate, sometimes emarginate.

Seeds: Medium to rather small, moderately long and wide, slightly obtuse, dark brown.

Season and Storage

In common storage, the fruit keeps from October to January. In cold storage, January to April (Beach). Downing gives the season simply as January to April, apparently referring to the keeping period.

Uses

Primarily a market apple valued for its attractive color and good keeping quality rather than dessert quality. The flesh is only fair to good — second-rate by pomological standards, and not first-class for dessert use. Well suited to the commercial trade of the Middle West during the variety's period of prominence.

Book Sources

Described in 3 period pomological works

Nursery Catalog Sources

Found in 29 catalogs (1891–1921) from Alabama, Illinois, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oregon, Washington

View original book sources (3)

Missouri Pippin.

Missouri Keeper.

It is said to have originated in the orchard of Brink Hornsby, Johnson County, Mo. Tree hardy, a strong upright, rather spreading grower, an early and abundant annual bearer.

Fruit medium to large, roundish oblate, slightly oblique, somewhat flattened at the ends; skin pale whitish yellow, shaded, striped and splashed with light and dark red, often quite dark in the sun, having many large and small light and gray dots; stalk short, small; cavity large, deep; calyx closed, or half open; basin rather abrupt, deep, slightly corrugated; flesh whitish, a little coarse, crisp or breaking, moderately juicy, subacid; good; core small. January, April.

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

MISSOURI PIPPIN.

References. 1. Warder, 1867:656. 2. Downing, 1872:23 app. 3. Am. Pom. Soc. Cat., 1881:12. 4. Brackett, Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt., 1881:145. 5. Barry, 1883:349. 6. Thomas, 1885:518. 7. Coleman, Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt., 1885:28. 8. Bailey, Am. Hort., 1892:244. 9. Wright, Am. Gard., 17:33. 1896. 10. Powell, Del. Sta. Bul., 38:19. 1898. 11. Macoun, Can. Dept. Agr. Rpt., 1901:97. 12. Dickens and Greene, Kan. Sta. Bul., 106:54. 1902. 13. Budd-Hansen, 1903:130. fig. 14. Bruner, N. C. Sta. Bul., 182:27. 1903. 15. Powell and Fulton, U. S. B. P. I. Bul., 48:49. 1903. 16. Beach and Clark, N. Y. Sta. Bul., 248:132. 1904.

Synonyms. Missouri (15). Missouri Keeper (1). Missouri Keeper (2, 3, 4, 5). Missouri Orange (4). Missouri Pippin (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 14). Missouri Pippin (15).

This is one of the well-known market apples of the Middle West. As grown in that region the tree is short-lived, and in the Mississippi valley in orchards more than twenty years old it is seldom profitable, but it comes into bearing at an early age and is a reliable and heavy cropper. The fruit is of good color but only second rate in quality, and on old trees is inclined to be rather too small for market. It is regarded with favor by fruit dealers because of its attractive appearance and good keeping quality. There has been some complaint of its scalding in storage (16), but this fault does not appear to be serious enough to affect materially its popularity. So far as we have been able to discover it is not grown in New York. It is quite doubtful whether its fruit would commonly develop here to good marketable size even if grown in the southeastern part of New York, where the climatic and soil conditions are more favorable to varieties of this class than they are in the more northern and western portions of the state.

Historical. The Missouri Pippin is supposed to have originated on the farm of Brinkley Hornsby, Kingsville, Johnson county, Missouri, from seed planted about 1840 (2, 4, 7). Shortly after the Civil War it began to be disseminated outside of the locality of its origin and its cultivation spread with such rapidity that in a very few years it was being extensively planted in Missouri, Kansas, Illinois and adjacent states. The good degree of hardiness and vigor which it possesses, the ease with which it is propagated in the nursery, and particularly its habit of bearing early and abundantly were the qualities which recommended it to the fruit growers of that region. During the early years of fruit production in the prairie sections of that country this variety was more often seen than any other. As the trees became older it was found that they were inclined to overbear with a result that frequently a large percentage of the fruit failed to attain good marketable size. Then Missouri Pippin began to wane in popularity and to-day it is used chiefly as a filler for planting between the rows of permanent trees.

Tree. Tree moderately vigorous with long, slender, curved branches, characteristic on account of its numerous, slender twigs and general crab-like appearance. Form upright becoming roundish or spreading. Twigs moderately long, straight, slender; internodes short. Bark dark brown, mottled with heavy scarf-skin, pubescent. Lenticels scattering, medium, oval to oblong, raised. Buds deeply set, small, plump, obtuse, appressed, slightly pubescent.

Fruit. Fruit medium in size. Form roundish, somewhat inclined to conic. Stem medium in length, rather slender. Cavity acute to nearly acuminate, moderately wide, rather deep, faintly russeted. Calyx medium in size, closed or nearly so; lobes moderately long, rather narrow. Basin medium to deep, rather wide, abrupt, usually somewhat wrinkled.

Skin thick, tough, smooth, rather glossy, thinly coated with grayish bloom; color pale greenish or yellow overspread with bright red striped with purplish red. Highly colored specimens are almost of a solid red color. Dots conspicuous, russet, or rather large, pale gray.

Calyx tube funnel-form with wide limb, sometimes broadly conical. Stamens median.

Core small, axile, or nearly so; cells symmetrical, slightly open; core lines clasping. Carpels smooth, roundish elliptical to slightly obovate, sometimes emarginate. Seeds medium to rather small, moderately long and wide, slightly obtuse, dark brown.

Flesh tinged somewhat with yellow, firm, medium to rather fine-grained, not very tender, not very juicy, briskly subacid, fair to good in quality.

Season in common storage October to January; in cold storage January to April.

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

Missouri Pippin

The Missouri Pippin is one of the well known market apples in the middle states. It originated in Missouri on the farm of Brinkley Hornsby, Kingsville, Johnson county, Missouri, from seed planted about 1840. Shortly after the Civil War it began to be disseminated outside of the locality of its origin, and its cultivation spread with such rapidity that in a few years it had been planted in Missouri, Kansas, Illinois and adjacent states. The good degree of hardiness and vigor which it possesses, the ease with which it is propagated in the nursery, and particularly the habit of bearing early and abundantly, were the qualities which recommended it to the growers of this section. However, the fruit is not first-class for dessert, and when commercial fruit growing came to be an important industry it was found that it was not a profitable variety as compared with other commercial fruits. It was also discovered that the tree was short lived, and would seldom bear a good quality of fruit after the age of 20 years. The popularity of the Missouri Pippin, therefore, rapidly waned, and at this date comparatively few of this variety are being planted.

Tree moderately vigorous with long, slender, curved branches, characteristic on account of its numerous slender twigs and general crab-like appearance. Form upright, becoming roundish or rather spreading. Bark dark brown, mottled with heavy scarf skin, pubescent. Fruit medium in size. Form roundish, somewhat inclined to conic. Stem medium in length, rather slender. Cavity acute to nearly acuminate, moderately wide, rather deep, faintly russeted. Calyx medium in size, closed or nearly so. Skin thick, tough, rather glossy, thinly coated with grayish bloom. The color ranges from a greenish or pale yellow, to red striped and deep red. Season October to January.

— Granville Lowther (ed.), Encyclopedia of Practical Horticulture (1914)
Aberdeen Accidental Alleghany Big Hill Buckman's Red Buckman’s Red Carolina Spice Carolina Spiee Chaltram Pippin Chatbam Pippin Chatham Pippin Cheatan Pippin Cheataw Edward Shantee Forsyth's Seedling Forsyth’s Seedling Gowden Graham ’s Red Warrior Graham's Red Warrior Graham’s Red Warrior Hollman Jackson Red Jackson's Red Jackson’s Red Leanham Missouri Missouri Keeper Missouri Orange Missouri Red Mobbs Red Hazel Ruckman's Red Ruckman’s Red Summerour Trenham Walb Wall Wander Winter Horse Winter Rose World's Wonder World’s Wonder Nickajack Missouri Keeper Berry Red Winter Pearmain