Northwestern Greening
Apple
USDA Pomological Watercolor Collection
Northwestern Greening
Origin and History
Originated in Waupaca County, Wisconsin, and introduced in 1872 by E. W. Daniels. It has been widely disseminated throughout the northern portions of the apple belt where very hardy trees are desired, though it had been planted but little in New York as of 1905. Its chief recommendation over Rhode Island Greening is its superior hardiness, making it worthy of cultivation in districts where the climate is too severe for that variety.
Tree
Tree vigorous, with moderately long, stout, crooked branches. Form upright becoming quite roundish or spreading, inclined to droop, dense. Twigs moderately long, curved, stout, with large terminal buds; internodes medium to long. Bark clear reddish-brown, lightly mottled with scarf-skin, lightly pubescent. Lenticels quite numerous, medium to large, oval or elongated, raised, very conspicuous, pale and contrasting clearly with the bright smooth bark. Buds large, broad, plump, obtuse, free, projecting, slightly pubescent.
The tree is hardy and a fine erect grower in the nursery, and a good strong grower in the orchard. It does not come into bearing very early but eventually becomes productive and is a reliable biennial cropper.
Fruit
Size and Form: Fruit medium to large, or very large, variable in size and form. Form commonly roundish but varying to oblong or oblate, often inclined to conic, more or less irregular, sometimes elliptical, sometimes ribbed. Attractive in color for a green or yellowish apple, but apt to be variable in size and not uniform in shape.
Stem: Medium to short.
Cavity: Rather small to large, acute to acuminate, moderately narrow to wide, deep, often compressed or lipped, often with outspreading russet.
Calyx: Variable, small to large, closed or open. Calyx tube moderately wide, conical or approaching urn-shape. Stamens median.
Basin: Small to large, narrow to wide, usually abrupt, moderately deep, furrowed and wrinkled.
Skin: Smooth, somewhat waxy, clear pale yellow or greenish, sometimes faintly blushed. Prevailing effect clear yellow or greenish.
Dots: Varying from small to large and irregular, usually whitish and submerged, sometimes gray with russet point.
Flesh: Tinged with yellow, medium in texture, crispness, and firmness, juicy, with slight aroma, mild subacid.
Core and Seeds: Core medium or above, usually axile or nearly so; cells usually symmetrical, closed or sometimes open; core lines meeting or somewhat clasping. Carpels broadly roundish, truncate at base, narrowing toward the apex, mucronate, but slightly emarginate if at all. Seeds very small, variable in shape; often some are abortive. A serious fault: the flesh within the core lines is apt to be corky and discolored.
Flavor and Quality
As a dessert apple, ranks fair to good in quality. It cooks evenly and quickly and when cooked has a fine yellow color, but is not of high flavor or quality, being much inferior in this respect to Rhode Island Greening.
Season and Storage
A large part of the fruit does not reach prime condition before January. The rate of loss in common storage is high in November and sometimes in December, moderate through the winter, and gradually rising to high or very high in the closing weeks of its season. A considerable portion of the fruit remains sound at the close of winter, and some may keep till June.
Uses
Cooking and dessert. Preferred as a cooking apple for its even, quick cooking and fine yellow color when cooked; less suited to dessert use, ranking only fair to good.
[NOTE: The Lowther, Encyclopedia of Practical Horticulture (1914) entry reads only as a coded tabular abbreviation — "L re G VG b W 2* 7* 1*" — without column headers provided. This appears to encode size, color, quality, bearing habit, season, and ratings, but cannot be reliably decoded without the table key. No additional detail has been extracted from this source.]
Book Sources
Described in 2 period pomological works
Nursery Catalog Sources
Found in 22 catalogs (1893–1932) from Illinois, Missouri, Oregon, Washington
- Milwaukie-Canby Nurseries , Canby, OR (and Milwaukie, OR) — 1893
- Multnomah Nurseries , Russellville , Oregon — 1894
- Cotta Nursery (J.V. Cotta) , Carroll County , Illinois — 1895
- Stark Bros. Nurseries & Orchards Co. , Louisiana , Missouri — 1896
- Stark Bros. Nurseries & Orchards Co. , Louisiana , Missouri — 1898
- Washington Nursery Co. , Toppenish , Washington — 1901
- Phoenix Nursery Company (W. E. Rossney , President; Sidney Tuttle, Vice-President), Bloomington , Illinois — 1904
- Stark Bros. Nurseries & Orchards Co. , Louisiana , Missouri — 1906
- Carlton Nursery Co. , Carlton , Oregon — 1909
- Washington Nursery Company , Toppenish , Washington — 1909
- Stark Bros. Nurseries & Orchards Co. , Louisiana , Missouri — 1910
- Stark Bros. Nurseries & Orchards Co. , Louisiana , Missouri — 1911
- Pacific Nursery Company , Portland , Oregon — 1912
- Stark Bros. Nurseries & Orchards Co. , Louisiana , Missouri — 1912
- Vineland Nurseries Company , Clarkston , Washington — 1912
- Washington Nursery Company , Toppenish , Washington — 1912
- Union Nurseries , J.B. Weaver & Sons, Union , Oregon — 1915
- Stark Bros. Nurseries & Orchards Co. , Louisiana , Missouri — 1918
- Oregon Nursery Co. , Orenco , Oregon — 1920
- Christopher Nurseries / John Stewart & Sons , Christopher , Washington — 1920
- Benedict Nursery Co. , Portland , Oregon — 1921
- Stark Bro's Nurseries , Louisiana , Missouri — 1932
View original book sources (2)
— S.A. Beach, The Apples of New York, Vol. 1 (1905)NORTHWESTERN GREENING.
REFERENCES. 1. Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt., 1885:27. 2. Rural N. Y., 44:150. 1885. figs. 3. Van Deman, U. S. Pom. Rpt., 1886:271. 4. Bailey, An. Hort., 1892:245. 5. Shepherd, Can. Hort., 16:205. 1893. 6. Ib., 17:84. 1894. 7. Beach, N. Y. Sta. An. Rpt. 14:254. 1895. 8. Hansen, S. D. Sta. Bul., 76:77. 1902. fig. 9. Munson, Me. Sta. An. Rpt., 18:84, 90. 1902. 10. Thomas, 1897:343. 11. Budd-Hansen, 1903:138. fig. 12. Macoun, Can. Dept. Agr. Rpt., 1903:95. 13. Powell and Fulton, U. S. B. P. I. Bul., 48:51. 1903. 14. Beach and Clark, N. Y. Sta. Bul., 248:135. 1904.
SYNONYMS. NORTH WEST GREENING (5, 6). NORTHWESTERN GREENING (1, 3, 4, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 13).
Attractive in color for a green or yellowish apple but apt to be variable in size and not uniform in shape. It is hardier than Rhode Island Greening and on that account some consider it worthy of cultivation in districts where the climate is too severe for the Rhode Island Greening. The fruit has a serious fault in that the flesh within the core lines is apt to be corky and discolored. It cooks evenly and quickly and when cooked has a fine yellow color but is not of high flavor or quality being much inferior in this respect to Rhode Island Greening. As a dessert apple it ranks fair to good in quality. At this Station it has not been a satisfactory keeper in common storage, the rate of loss being high in November and sometimes in December, moderate through the winter and gradually rising to high or very high in the closing weeks of its season. A large part of the fruit does not reach prime condition before January, a considerable portion of it remains sound at the close of the winter and some of it may keep till June. The tree is hardy, vigorous, a fine erect grower in the nursery, and a good strong grower in the orchard. It does not come into bearing very early but eventually becomes productive and is a reliable biennial cropper.
Historical. Originated in Waupaca county, Wisconsin. Introduced in 1872 by E. W. Daniels (1, 11). It has been pretty widely disseminated throughout the northern portions of the apple belt where very hardy trees are desired (1, 4, 5, 8, 11). It has as yet been planted but very little in New York.
TREE.
Tree vigorous with moderately long, stout, crooked branches. Form upright becoming quite roundish or spreading, inclined to droop, dense. Twigs moderately long, curved, stout with large terminal buds; internodes medium to long. Bark clear reddish-brown, lightly mottled with scarf-skin, lightly pubescent. Lenticels quite numerous, medium to large, oval or elongated, raised, very conspicuous, pale and contrasting clearly with the bright smooth bark. Buds large, broad, plump, obtuse, free, projecting, slightly pubescent.
FRUIT.
Fruit medium to large or very large, variable in size and form. Form commonly roundish but varying to oblong or to oblate and often inclined to conic, more or less irregular, sometimes elliptical, sometimes ribbed. Stem medium to short. Cavity rather small to large, acute to acuminate, moderately narrow to wide, deep, often compressed or lipped, often with outspreading russet. Calyx variable, small to large, closed or open. Basin small to large, narrow to wide, usually abrupt, moderately deep, furrowed and wrinkled. Skin smooth, somewhat waxy, clear pale yellow or greenish, sometimes faintly blushed. Dots varying from small to large and irregular, usually whitish and submerged, sometimes gray with russet point. Prevailing effect clear yellow or greenish. Calyx tube moderately wide, conical or approaching urn-shape. Stamens median. Core medium or above, usually axile or nearly so; cells usually symmetrical, closed or sometimes open; core lines meeting or somewhat clasping. Carpels broadly roundish, truncate at base, narrowing toward the apex, mucronate, but slightly emarginate if at all. Seeds very small, variable in shape; often some are abortive. Flesh tinged with yellow, medium in texture, crispness and firmness, juicy, with slight aroma, mild subacid, fair to good.
— Granville Lowther (ed.), Encyclopedia of Practical Horticulture (1914)Northwestern Greening. L re G VG b W 2* 7* 1*