Northampton

Apple

Northampton

Origin / History

A Pennsylvania apple from Northampton County, exact origin unknown (Downing). Valued especially as a table fruit where known (Downing).

Tree

Vigorous, upright, spreading. An early bearer and very productive. It is said the lower half of the tree bears one year and the upper part the next year, and this is more characteristic with trees of some age (Downing).

Fruit

Size: Medium.

Form: Oblate, often depressed.

Stem: Short, slender.

Cavity: Rather large, deep, regular.

Calyx: Closed or nearly so.

Basin: Medium, slightly plaited.

Skin: Smooth, pale whitish yellow, shaded, striped and splashed rather thinly over most of the surface with light and dark red; "red streaked" (Thomas).

Dots: Many, large and small, light, a few areole.

Flesh and flavor: Flesh white, fine, tender, juicy; pleasant mild subacid. Quality "very good" (Downing; Lowther); Thomas rates it "good".

Core and seeds: Core small.

Season

Early winter; October to February.

Uses

Table fruit; grown for family use (Lowther).

Subtypes / Variants

Not described in source.

Other

Not described in source.

Book Sources

Described in 3 period pomological works

Nursery Catalog Sources

Found in 3 catalogs (1900–1913) from Illinois

Central Experimental Farm , Dominion Department of Agriculture, Agassiz, British Columbia (under test; Bulletin No. 3, Second Series) — 1900
Benjamin Buckman (personal inventory) , Farmingdale , Illinois — 1901
Benjamin Buckman (personal inventory) , Farmingdale , Illinois — 1913

View original book sources (3)

Northampton.

A Pennsylvania apple from Northampton County, but exact origin unknown; tree vigorous, upright, spreading, an early bearer, and very productive; it is said the lower half of the tree bears one year and the upper part the next year, and this is more characteristic with trees of some age; valued especially as a table fruit where known.

Fruit medium, oblate, often depressed; skin smooth, pale whitish yellow, shaded, striped and splashed rather thinly over most of the surface with light and dark red, and many large and small light dots, a few areole; stalk short, slender; cavity rather large, deep, regular; calyx closed or nearly so; basin medium, slightly plaited; flesh white, fine, tender, juicy, pleasant mild subacid and very good; core small. October, February.

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

Northampton. Medium, oblate, red streaked; good. Early winter.

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

Northampton is a medium-sized apple of oblate form, rated very good quality, grown for family use.

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

Perle d'Angleterre