Monmouth Pippin

Origin/History

A native of Monmouth County, New Jersey. It has long been known in cultivation and is found in scattering localities from the Middle West to the Atlantic, but in none of them is it grown extensively (Beach). Beach classifies it as an apple of the Rhode Island Greening class, not equal to that variety in quality but more attractive in color, being often distinctly blushed with a lively pinkish-red. It was still offered by nurserymen and planted to a limited extent as of the early 1900s (Beach).

Tree

Tree of medium size, moderately vigorous, with branches short, stout, and crooked (Beach). Form roundish spreading, somewhat open (Beach). Downing describes the growth as moderate and upright, while Elliott states it is of healthy, vigorous growth. Productive (Downing); Elliott concurs, stating it is very productive. A reliable cropper, bearing good crops biennially or almost annually, though under ordinary cultivation hardly as vigorous as could be desired (Beach). The tree appears to be hardy and long-lived, coming into bearing moderately young (Beach).

Twigs short to medium, straight, moderately stout or rather slender; internodes short to medium. Bark dark reddish-brown mingled with olive-green, lightly streaked with scarf-skin, heavily pubescent. Lenticels scattering, small to medium, oblong, slightly raised. Buds small to medium, obtuse to acute, appressed, very deeply set in the bark, somewhat pubescent (Beach). Young shoots dark olive (Downing).

Fruit

Size: Above medium to large. Warder and Thomas describe it as rather large; Downing and Elliott as large; Beach as above medium to large.

Form: Oblate to roundish, somewhat inclined to conic, flattened at the base, somewhat irregular, often obscurely ribbed; sides often unequal (Beach). Downing describes it as oblate, a little inclining to conic, obscurely five-angled, slightly flattened at base and crown. Warder describes it as roundish or flattened, regular. Elliott gives roundish flattened, sometimes roundish conical. Thomas gives roundish-oblate.

Stem: Short to medium, rather thick (Beach). Warder gives short and thick. Downing and Elliott give rather short. Downing notes it is inserted in a large, slightly russeted cavity.

Cavity: Moderately large, acute to sometimes acuminate, deep, rather broad, somewhat furrowed or compressed, smooth or russeted, sometimes with outspreading russet rays (Beach). Warder describes it as wide, regular or wavy, brown. Downing notes a large, slightly russeted cavity. Elliott gives deep and regular.

Calyx: Large, leafy, pubescent, open or partly closed; lobes often reflexed and separated at the base (Beach). Downing gives partially closed. Elliott gives medium, with segments woolly and often nearly closed. Warder describes the eye as large and closed.

Basin: Large, rather wide and deep, abrupt, often distinctly furrowed and wrinkled (Beach). Downing gives deep, abrupt, and corrugated. Elliott gives wide, abrupt, deep, much plaited. Warder, in contrast, describes the basin as shallow and regular.

Skin: Moderately thin, tough, smooth toward the base, the upper half often roughened with russet dots or with capillary russet lines which become concentric toward the calyx. Color lively green marbled with yellow or becoming pale yellow as the season advances, faintly shaded with red or in highly colored specimens blushed with lively pinkish-red (Beach). Downing gives pale yellow with a beautiful warm cheek and numerous russet dots. Elliott gives pale greenish yellow with blush-red cheeks, small, raised, rough, brown specks, with a shade of light green suffused around them underneath the skin. Thomas gives light greenish yellow with a fine red cheek. Warder gives smooth, greenish yellow, blushed and marbled, with minute green dots. Dots variable, rather numerous, usually greenish and areolar with brown russet point, often elongated about the cavity (Beach).

Calyx Tube: Large, wide, conical or urn-shape with fleshy pistil point projecting into the base. Stamens median to basal (Beach).

Core and Seeds: Core rather small, slightly abaxile with hollow cylinder in the axis; cells usually symmetrical and closed; core lines meeting or somewhat clasping. Carpels roundish or inclined to roundish obcordate, mucronate, slightly tufted. Seeds few, long, somewhat acute, somewhat tufted (Beach). Warder gives core medium, closed, clasping, with seeds numerous, pointed, brown. Elliott gives core small and compact, with seeds oblong ovate, abundant. Sources disagree on seed quantity: Beach says few, while Warder and Elliott say numerous and abundant respectively.

Flesh and Flavor: Decidedly tinged with yellow, firm, moderately coarse, somewhat crisp, tender, juicy, brisk subacid but becoming mild, aromatic, good to very good (Beach). Downing gives juicy, fine, brisk, aromatic subacid, rating it very good to best. Thomas gives crisp, juicy, mild subacid, with a good rich flavor. Elliott gives yellowish white, rather coarse-grained, breaking tender, moderately juicy, subacid, with considerable aroma or perfume. Warder gives white, breaking, fine-grained, juicy, acid, rating it good for cooking only. Sources disagree on flesh color (Warder: white; Beach: decidedly tinged with yellow; Elliott: yellowish white), on texture (Downing and Warder: fine/fine-grained; Beach and Elliott: moderately coarse/rather coarse-grained), and on quality rating (Warder: good for cooking only; Downing: very good to best; Beach: good to very good).

Season

Keeping quality varies much in different years (Beach). Sometimes it may be held in good condition through the winter or into the spring, but more often its commercial limit in ordinary storage hardly extends beyond November; in cold storage the season may extend till June (Beach). In ordinary storage the percentage of loss often becomes high early in the winter, but sometimes not before March (Beach). Downing gives November to March. Warder gives December to February. Elliott gives December to February, and often till April. Thomas says it keeps through winter.

Uses

Beach describes it as a good apple for the home orchard but not recommended for general commercial planting, though in favorable localities it would probably prove profitable. The fruit of marketable grades is smooth and attractive in appearance, but there may be a considerable loss in low-grade fruit (Beach). It appears to be much less subject to scald than Rhode Island Greening (Beach). Warder rates it good for cooking only.

Subtypes/Variants

Not described in source.

Other

Description absent from prose; variety present in variety-characteristic table (Lowther, Encyclopedia of Practical Horticulture, 1914):

Monmouth (12)........ L | fl | yr | VG | b | W | 4* | 5* |