Missouri Keeper*.

Specimens from Norman J. Colman, Esq., Editor of the Rural World, St. Louis, Missouri. Origin unknown.

Fruit medium to small, round, irregular; Surface smooth, shaded, mixed, striped red; Dots numerous, large, white, distinct.

Basin abrupt, regular; Eye small, closed.

Cavity narrow, regular; Stem medium to short, knobby, thick.

Core regular, closed; Seeds numerous, long, plump, angular; Flesh yellow, breaking, tender, fine-grained, juicy; Flavor sub-acid; Quality good to very good; Use, table, market and kitchen; Season, January to July.

Specimens cut and described on the 25th of June were in perfect condition.

— John A. Warder, American Pomology: Apples (1867)

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. — Origin, Johnson Co., Missouri; tree strong grower and heavy annual bearer.

Fruit medium; form roundish oblate, somewhat conical; surface yellow, mostly covered with light and dark distinct crimson stripes and splashes; dots distinct, white and gray, numerous, large and small; cavity deep, regular, acute; stem short; basin abrupt, deep, nearly smooth; calyx half open; segments divergent. Core small, closed; cells round, entire; tube funnel-shaped; stamens median; seeds short, plump; flesh yellow, with yellowish veinings, pleasant subacid, good. January to April.

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

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)

MISSOURI PIPPIN. Missouri Orange. Missouri Keeper. Missouri Pippin is one of the standard commercial apples in Missouri and neighboring states. The qualities which give it standing are: attractive appearance and long keeping quality in the fruit, and earliness, reliability, and heavy bearing in the trees. The apples are, however, but second-rate in quality and the trees are usually short-lived. The variety fails in the North and East. Missouri Pippin is said to have originated on the farm of Brinkley Hornsby, Kingsville, Missouri, from seed planted about 1840. Tree vigorous, upright-spreading, with long, slender, curved branches, characteristic on account of its numerous, slender twigs. Fruit medium in size, round-conic ; stem medium in length, slender ; cavity acute, wide, deep, faintly russeted ; calyx closed or nearly so ; lobes long, narrow ; basin medium to deep, wide, abrupt, wrinkled ; skin thick, tough, smooth, glossy, thinly coated with bloom ; color pale yellow overspread with bright red, striped with dark red, highly colored specimens almost solid red ; dots conspicuous, russet, or large, pale gray ; calyx-tube funnel-form with wide limb, sometimes broadly conical ; stamens median ; core small, axile, or nearly so ; cells symmetrical, open ; core-lines clasping ; carpels smooth, round-elliptical, sometimes emarginate ; seeds small, obtuse, dark brown ; flesh yellow, firm, fine-grained, brisk subacid ; fair to good in quality ; October to January.

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

Planted Spring 1894. Tree a medium grower. Fruit of medium size, roundish, oblate. Skin greenish yellow, striped and splashed with light and dark red, with a few gray dots. Flesh whitish, juicy, firm, pleasant, quality good. Season early Winter.

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