Northern Sweet
AppleNorthern Sweet
Origin / History
Northern Sweet is from Vermont. Downing places its origin on the farm of the late Nathan Lockwood, of St. George, Chittenden County, and Budd and Hansen give St. George. Warder calls the origin unknown, only "supposed to be Vermont." Beach says it is supposed to be a native of Chittenden County.
It was brought to notice about 1849 by Jonathan Battey, of Keeseville, Clinton County, N. Y. Battey stated that it had then been cultivated in the vicinity of its origin for about fifty years. The earliest reference Beach lists is the Cultivator of 1849. Battey's 1850 account in the Horticulturist gave the variety under both Northern Sweet and Northern Golden Sweet. Emmons, in the Natural History of New York (1851), entered it as Northern Golden Sweet.
Warder calls it "not generally nor extensively cultivated." Beach says it has probably been grown more in the Champlain valley than in any other section of New York. He adds that it is still occasionally listed by nurserymen but is now seldom planted.
Tree
Tree healthy and productive, "sufficiently healthy and productive" in Warder's words. A moderate grower, hardy, an early and abundant bearer (Elliott). Spreading; young wood reddish, smooth. Needs high culture for the perfect development of the whole crop (Downing).
Fruit
Size: Medium to large. Elliott, Downing, and Thomas call it medium; Warder and Budd and Hansen call it large.
Form: Roundish and flattened, roundish oblate, or globular and somewhat flattened (Elliott, Downing, Warder). Thomas and Budd and Hansen call it roundish conic. Angular (Budd and Hansen), angular or regular (Warder), occasionally ribbed and angular (Elliott).
Stem: Medium to long; rather stout, swollen at the base (Elliott).
Cavity: Shallow to moderate, rather wide to wide, regular, obtuse, with radiate russet (Budd and Hansen). Green within (Warder).
Calyx: Small (Downing), long (Warder), closed or nearly closed. Budd and Hansen call it open, with divergent segments. Calyx tube funnel-shaped, large; stamens median (Budd and Hansen).
Basin: Narrow, abrupt. Deep (Warder) or shallow (Budd and Hansen). Regular (Warder), or slightly furrowed, corrugated, ribbed and angular (Elliott, Downing, Budd and Hansen).
Skin: Smooth (Warder). Yellow, from very pale yellow (Warder) and whitish yellow (Budd and Hansen) to rich yellow (Elliott). Blushed or cheeked with red: carmine red (Elliott), crimson (Beach), bronze (Budd and Hansen). Elliott finds the cheek often present; Downing and Beach sometimes, Warder rarely.
Dots: Minute, numerous, obscure, russet and whitish (Budd and Hansen), with white bases (Warder).
Flesh and flavor: Flesh white or whitish, with yellow veinings (Budd and Hansen). Fine (Beach), tender, juicy; Warder calls it breaking. Flavor sweet, "very sweet" (Warder), "rich" (Downing; Thomas). Verdicts run from "good" (Budd and Hansen) and "pretty good" (Warder) through "very good" (Thomas; Beach) and "excellent" (Downing) to nearly "best" (Elliott).
Core and seeds: Core medium (Downing), or very small, closed, almost clasping (Warder). Closed, with round, slit cells (Budd and Hansen). Seeds numerous, short (Warder); plump (Budd and Hansen).
Season
Autumn, from September into November. Downing and Budd and Hansen give September and October. Beach gives midautumn, and Thomas gives autumn. Warder gives September in Northern Indiana and Illinois. Elliott alone gives November.
Uses
Warder gives its use as baking. Beach calls it a good apple for the home orchard but not desirable for commercial purposes, and Budd and Hansen also call it desirable for the home orchard. Downing pronounces it "not profitable."
Subtypes / Variants
Not described in source.
Other
Beach's references include a colored plate (No. 50) and a figure in Emmons (1851) and a colored plate in Hoffy, North American Pomologist (1860). They also include figures in Battey's 1850 Horticulturist article and in Leroy (1873).
Book Sources
Described in 6 period pomological works
Nursery Catalog Sources
Found in 2 catalogs (1901–1913) from Illinois
- Benjamin Buckman (personal inventory) , Farmingdale , Illinois — 1901
- Benjamin Buckman (personal inventory) , Farmingdale , Illinois — 1913
View original book sources (6)
— F.R. Elliott, The Western Fruit Book (1865)Northern Sweet. Northern Golden Sweet. From Vermont. Tree, moderate grower, hardy, early abundant bearer. Fruit, medium, roundish flattened, occasionally ribbed and angular ; rich yellow, often carmine red cheek ; calyx, nearly closed ; basin, slightly furrowed ; stem, rather stout, swollen at base ; cavity, shallow ; flesh, white, tender, sweet ; nearly "best." November.
— John A. Warder, American Pomology: Apples (1867)Northern Sweet.
Origin unknown; supposed to be Vermont. Tree sufficiently healthy and productive. Not generally nor extensively cultivated.
Fruit large, globular, somewhat flattened, angular or regular; Surface smooth, very pale yellow, rarely blushed; Dots minute, with white bases.
Basin deep, abrupt, regular; Eye long, closed.
Cavity rather wide, regular, green; Stem medium.
Core very small, closed, almost clasping; Seeds numerous, short; Flesh whitish, breaking, juicy; Flavor very sweet; Quality pretty good; Use, baking; Season, September, in Northern Indiana and Illinois. Downing says "rich and excellent; September and October."
— A.J. Downing, The Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900)Northern Sweet.
Northern Golden Sweet. Golden Sweet.
Origin, on the farm of the late Nathan Lockwood, of St. George, Chittenden Co., Vt. Tree healthy, spreading, and productive, but needs high culture for the perfect development of the whole crop. Young wood reddish, smooth.
Fruit medium, roundish oblate, yellow, sometimes with a blush. Stalk rather long, in a moderate cavity. Calyx small and closed, in a narrow, abrupt, corrugated basin. Flesh white, tender, juicy, sweet, rich, and excellent. Core medium. September, October. Not profitable.
— John J. Thomas, The American Fruit Culturist (1903)Northern Sweet. Medium, roundish-conic, yellow; sweet, rich, very good. Autumn. Vermont.
— S.A. Beach, The Apples of New York, Vol. 2 (1905)NORTHERN SWEET.
REFERENCES. 1. Cultivator, 6:353. 1849. 2. Battey, Horticulturist, 4:316. 1850. fig. 3. Jeffreys, Ib., 4:413. 1850. 4. Barry, 1851:285. 5. Emmons, Nat. Hist. N. Y., 3:42. 1851. col. pl. No. 50 and fig. 6. Mag. Hort., 20:241. 1854. 7. Elliott, 1854:149. 8. Downing, 1857:177. 9. Gregg, 1857:45. 10. Hoffy, N. A. Pom., 1860. col. pl. 11. Am. Pom. Soc. Cat., 1862. 12. Warder, 1867:632. 13. Leroy, 1873:502. fig. 14. Thomas, 1875:508. 15. Lyon, Mich. Hort. Soc. Rpt., 1881:316. 16. Bailey, An. Hort., 1892:245. 17. Waugh, Vt. Sta. An. Rpt., 14:302. 1901. 18. Budd-Hansen, 1903:138.
SYNONYMS. Golden Sweet (8, 10, 13). NORTHERN GOLDEN SWEET (5). Northern Golden Sweet (2, 7, 8, 13). Northern Golden Sweeting (10). NORTHERN SWEET (1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18). NORTHERN SWEETING (9).
Fruit yellow or sometimes with a crimson cheek. Flesh whitish, fine, tender, juicy, sweet, very good; season midautumn. It is a good apple for the home orchard but not desirable for commercial purposes.
Historical. Supposed to be a native of Chittenden county, Vermont. Brought to notice by Jonathan Battey, Keeseville, Clinton county, N. Y., about 1849, who stated that it had then been cultivated in the vicinity of its origin for about fifty years (2). It has probably been grown more in the Champlain valley than in any other section of the state. It is still occasionally listed by nurserymen (16) but is now seldom planted.
— J.L. Budd & N.E. Hansen, American Horticultural Manual, Part II: Systematic Pomology (1914)Northern Sweet. — Origin, St. George, Vermont; desirable for the home orchard.
Fruit large, roundish conical, angular; surface whitish yellow with bronze blush; dots obscure, numerous, minute, russet and whitish, cavity shallow, regular, wide, obtuse, with radiate russet; stem, medium to long; basin narrow, ribbed, angular, abrupt, shallow; calyx open; segments divergent. Core closed; cells round, slit; tube funnel-shaped, large; stamens median; seeds plump; flesh white, with yellow veinings, sweet, good. September, October.