Moore's Sweet
AppleMoore's Sweet
Origin / History
Originated with J. B. Moore, Concord, Massachusetts. Beach cites the New England Farmer of 1829, under the name "Moore's Sweeting," as the earliest notice. Cole in 1849 spoke of it as a new variety, though by Beach's account it had been brought to notice at least twenty years previously. Budd and Hansen give it simply as "of American origin."
Warder (1867) calls it a "valuable winter sweet apple," "much cultivated throughout the West on account of its productiveness, and the amount of nutriment it furnishes to both man and animals." Downing judges it "not a first-class Apple," yet "a very profitable and valuable one for all cooking or stock-feeding purposes." Beach (1905) reports that in some portions of New York it has been valued particularly because it is an excellent keeper and acceptable in quality for culinary use. He adds that it is not grown extensively in any locality and is now seldom planted in that state, but is still occasionally offered by nurserymen.
Tree
Tree medium to large (Beach), moderately vigorous (Downing, Beach) to vigorous (Warder), and healthy (Warder). Form open, upright, becoming roundish and somewhat spreading; Warder calls it spreading and round, with branches sufficiently open. Branches short, stout, crooked. Twigs short, straight or somewhat geniculate, rather stout, with large terminal buds; internodes medium to short. Shoots dark olive (Warder). Bark olive-green tinged with reddish-brown, streaked with gray scarf-skin, pubescent near tips. Lenticels inconspicuous, scattering, small, roundish. Buds prominent, large to below medium, broad, plump, free, slightly pubescent. Foliage large, dark green (Warder).
Very productive. Comes into bearing rather young. Usually a good cropper, producing rather heavy crops biennially, or in some cases almost annually (Beach).
Fruit
Size: Medium to large; Downing and Lowther give medium. Beach calls it "of pretty good size." He describes the fruit as fairly uniform, and in his technical description as uniform in size and shape.
Form: Roundish oblate or globular-oblate; regular (Warder). Beach gives it as roundish, varying from oblate to somewhat conic. He finds it sometimes regular and symmetrical but more often somewhat elliptical or ribbed, with sides slightly unequal.
Stem: Short, rather stout (Warder), usually not exserted (Beach).
Cavity: Acute or acuminate, deep, medium to rather large, moderately narrow to wide, somewhat furrowed. Green or brown (Warder), usually russeted, with outspreading russet rays (Beach).
Calyx: Closed or usually closed. Medium (Warder) to rather small (Beach). Lobes acute, erect or somewhat reflexed. Calyx tube rather small, conical to funnel-form; stamens below median to basal (Beach).
Basin: Narrow to wide, medium in depth. Wavy or folded (Warder, who gives it as wide). Rather small, abrupt, slightly furrowed and wrinkled (Beach, who gives it as narrow to moderately wide).
Skin: Thick, smooth or nearly so. Ground greenish yellow or yellow, the skin rather pale in color (Beach). Largely to entirely covered with dull red, dark dull red, or a red or pinkish-red blush. The red is dulled by a grayish overlay, variously given as gray shading, a slight bloom, or grayish scarf-skin. Warder says this overlay gives the fruit a purple hue. Prevailing effect red; Beach calls the color rather dull red and the general appearance moderately attractive.
Warder describes the red as laid on in "confused stripes"; Budd and Hansen write "obscure stripes." Beach says the grayish scarf-skin often produces the effect of faint stripes over the base, "although the red is not striped."
Dots: Few and scattering, minute (Warder) to small, light-colored or pale russet.
Flesh and flavor: Flesh yellow, yellowish, or tinged with yellow or green. Firm to moderately firm, moderately fine-grained, tender (Beach), dry or rather dry. Flavor sweet to very sweet; rich, pleasant sweet (Downing); Budd and Hansen also call it rich.
Quality "good" (Downing, Beach, Budd and Hansen). Lowther's table gives "very good." Warder alone rates it "inferior, for the dessert."
Core and seeds: Core small or rather small, axile or nearly so. Cells symmetrical, not uniform, closed or sometimes open; Warder calls the core closed. Core lines meeting or clasping. Carpels roundish to elliptical, mucronate, emarginate, somewhat tufted (Beach).
The authors disagree on the seeds. Warder gives them as numerous, plump, pale. Beach gives them as few, medium or above, wide, obtuse, somewhat tufted.
Season
A winter apple, with a recorded season from November into May or June. Most authors carry it from November or December into May. Warder gives December to March and later, keeping very sound. Beach gives November to May or June and calls it an excellent keeper. As grown at his station, its commercial limit in ordinary storage is April.
Uses
A cooking and stock-feeding apple: baking, kitchen use, stock, and market. Warder adds cider and calls it inferior for the dessert.
Subtypes / Variants
Not described in source.
Other
Not described in source.
Book Sources
Described in 6 period pomological works
- Warder, American Pomology: Apples (1867)
- Beach, The Apples of New York Vol. 1 (1905)
- Downing, Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900)
- Lowther (ed.), Encyclopedia of Practical Horticulture (1914)
- Thomas, The American Fruit Culturist (1903)
- Budd & Hansen, Systematic Pomology (1914) — listed as Moore Sweet
Nursery Catalog Sources
Found in 4 catalogs (1845–1913) from Illinois, Massachusetts
- Winship's Nursery (Brighton Nurseries , operated by the Winship family), Brighton (Boston) , Massachusetts — 1845 — listed as Moore's Sweeting
- Benjamin Buckman (personal inventory) , Farmingdale , Illinois — 1901 — listed as Black Sweet
- Benjamin Buckman (personal inventory) , Farmingdale , Illinois — 1901
- Benjamin Buckman (personal inventory) , Farmingdale , Illinois — 1913 — listed as Black Sweet
View original book sources (6)
— John A. Warder, American Pomology: Apples (1867)Moore's Sweeting.
RED SWEET PIPPIN.—BLACK SWEET.
This valuable winter sweet apple is much cultivated throughout the West on account of its productiveness,
Fig. 64.—MOORE'S SWEETING.
and the amount of nutriment it furnishes to both man and animals. Tree vigorous, healthy, spreading, round, with branches sufficiently open; Shoots dark olive; Foliage large, dark green.
Fruit medium to large, globular-oblate, regular; Surface smooth, greenish-yellow, covered with dull red in confused stripes and shaded with gray that gives the fruit a purple hue; Dots minute and few; Skin thick.
Basin wide, wavy or folded; Eye medium, closed.
Cavity wide or acute, deep, green or brown; Stem short, rather stout.
Core small, closed; Seeds numerous, plump, pale; Flesh yellow, dry, firm; Flavor very sweet; Quality inferior, for the dessert; Use, baking, market, stock, cider; Season from December to March and later, keeping very sound.
— A.J. Downing, The Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900)Moore's Sweet.
Sweet Pippin. Polhemus. Red Sweet Pippin. Pound Sweet of some.
Tree moderately vigorous, very productive. Although not a first-class Apple, it is a very profitable and valuable one for all cooking or stock-feeding purposes.
Fruit medium, roundish oblate, dark dull red, with a slight bloom, small light-colored dots. Flesh yellowish, rich, pleasant sweet. Good. Core small. November to May.
— John J. Thomas, The American Fruit Culturist (1903)Kelly's Sweet. See Moore's Sweet.
[Note: The full entry for Moore's Sweet does not appear on page 730. Only a cross-reference from "Kelly's Sweet" pointing to "Moore's Sweet" appears on this page. The actual Moore's Sweet description must be located elsewhere in the book, likely in the M section.]
— S.A. Beach, The Apples of New York, Vol. 1 (1905)MOORE SWEET.
REFERENCES. 1. New England Farmer, 1829. (cited by 17). 2. Cole, 1849:131. 3. Emmons, Nat. Hist. N. Y., 3:91. 1851. 4. Elliott, 1854:159. 5. Downing, 1857:218. 6. Hooper, 1857:61. 7. Warder, 1867:396. fig. 8. Fitz, 1872:175. 9. Am. Pom. Soc. Cat., 1873. 10. Barry, 1883:349. 11. Thomas, 1885:518. 12. Bailey, An. Hort., 1892:245. 13. Burrill and McCluer, Ill. Sta. Bul., 45:333. 1896. 14. Powell and Fulton, U. S. B. P. I. Bul., 48:49. 1903. 15. Budd-Hansen, 1903:132. 16. Beach and Clark, N. Y. Sta. Bul., 248:133. 1904. 17. Ragan, U. S. B. P. I. Bul., 56:202. 1905.
SYNONYMS. Black Sweet (7, 17). Josie Moore (17). Kelley's Sweet (17). MOORE'S LATE SWEET (2, 3). Moore's Late Sweet (17). Moore's Shanty (17). MOORE'S SWEET (8, 10, 12). Moore's Sweet (17). MOORE'S SWEETING (1, 7, 11). Moore's Sweeting (4, 17). MOOR'S SWEETING (6). Polhemus (17). Pound Sweet (of some West 4 and 6, of some 17). Red Sweet Pippin (5, 7, 10, 13, 17, of Indiana 4 and 6). Red Winter Sweet of some (17). SWEET PIPPIN (4). Sweet Pippin (6, 17).
Fruit fairly uniform, of pretty good size and rather dull red color; general appearance moderately attractive. In some portions of the state it has been valued particularly because it is an excellent keeper and acceptable in quality for culinary use. It is in season from November to May or June. As grown at this Station its commercial limit in ordinary storage is April (16). The tree comes into bearing rather young. It is usually a good cropper, producing rather heavy crops biennially, or in some cases almost annually.
Historical. Originated with J. B. Moore, Concord, Massachusetts. Cole in 1849, speaks of it as a new variety (2) but it had been brought to notice at least twenty years previously (1). It is not grown extensively in any locality and is now seldom planted in this state but it is still occasionally offered by nurserymen (12).
TREE.
Tree medium to large, moderately vigorous; branches short, stout, crooked. Form open, upright, becoming roundish and somewhat spreading. Twigs short, straight or somewhat geniculate, rather stout with large terminal buds; internodes medium to short. Bark olive-green tinged with reddish-brown, streaked with gray scarf-skin; pubescent near tips. Lenticels inconspicuous, scattering, small, roundish. Buds prominent, large to below medium, broad, plump, free, slightly pubescent.
FRUIT.
Fruit medium to large, uniform in size and shape. Form roundish, varying from oblate to somewhat conic, sometimes regular and symmetrical but more often somewhat elliptical or ribbed and with sides slightly unequal. Stem short, usually not exserted. Cavity medium to rather large, acuminate, moderately narrow to rather wide, deep, somewhat furrowed, usually russeted and with outspreading russet rays. Calyx rather small, usually closed; lobes acute, erect or somewhat reflexed. Basin rather small, abrupt, narrow to moderately wide, medium in depth, slightly furrowed and wrinkled. Skin smooth or nearly so, rather pale in color being yellow or greenish largely overspread with a red or pinkish-red blush and dulled by grayish scarf-skin which often produces the effect of faint stripes over the base although the red is not striped. Dots pale russet, scattering. Prevailing effect red. Calyx tube rather small, conical to funnel-form. Stamens below median to basal. Core rather small, axile or nearly so; cells symmetrical, not uniform, closed or sometimes open; core lines meeting or clasping. Carpels roundish to elliptical, mucronate, emarginate, somewhat tufted. Seeds few, medium or above, wide, obtuse, somewhat tufted. Flesh tinged with yellow or green, moderately firm, moderately fine-grained, tender, rather dry, sweet, good.
— J.L. Budd & N.E. Hansen, American Horticultural Manual, Part II: Systematic Pomology (1914)Moore Sweet. — Of American origin; tree vigorous, very productive.
Fruit medium to large; form roundish oblate, regular; skin thick; surface smooth, greenish yellow, entirely covered with dull dark red in obscure stripes overlaid with grayish bloom, giving the fruit a purple color; dots minute, few; cavity wide, or acute, deep, green or brown; stem short, rather stout; basin wide, wavy or plaited; calyx closed. Core small, closed; seeds numerous, plump, pale; flesh yellow, rich, dry, firm, very sweet, good. December to May.
— Granville Lowther (ed.), Encyclopedia of Practical Horticulture (1914)Moore's Sweet. Size: medium. Form: roundish oblate. Quality: very good. Use: both kitchen and market. Season: winter.