OAKLAND.

REFERENCES. 1. Garfield, Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt., 1883:120. 2. Am. Pom. Soc. Cat., 1883:12. 3. Lyon, Mich. Hort. Soc. Rpt., 1890:294. 4. Thomas, 1897:647. 5. Farrand, Mich. Sta. Bul., 205:45. 1903. 6. Powell and Fulton, U. S. B. P. I. Bul., 48:51. 1903. 7. Beach and Clark, N. Y. Sta. Bul., 248:135. 1904.

SYNONYM. OAKLAND COUNTY SEEK-NO-FURTHER (1). Oakland County Seek-No-Further (2, 4, 6, 7).

A mildly sweet apple of good medium size, attractive dark red color, pleasant flavor and good quality. In common storage it is in season from late November to midwinter or later; in cold storage it may be held till April (7). The tree is a rather slow grower. As fruited at this Station it comes into bearing rather young and is a reliable cropper, giving full crops biennially. Probably it would be an advantage to top-work this variety on some more vigorous stock.

Historical. This for many years has been a popular variety in Oakland county, Michigan, where it probably originated. In 1883 it was brought to the notice of the American Pomological Society by Charles W. Garfield (1) and was entered upon the list of that Society's Catalogue as a promising variety in Michigan (2). It was dropped from the list when the Catalogue was revised in 1897. In 1903 Farrand (5) stated that in some portions of Michigan it is quite largely planted for commercial purposes. It is practically unknown in New York.

TREE.

Tree a slow grower with moderately long and stout branches. Form open, spreading, becoming rather flat-topped. Twigs short, straight, stout; internodes short. Bark clear brown tinged with olive-green, lightly streaked with scarf-skin, slightly pubescent. Lenticels quite numerous, very small, oval, not raised. Buds small, plump, obtuse, free, slightly pubescent.

FRUIT.

Fruit below medium to large, pretty uniform in size. Form roundish, usually somewhat oblate, sometimes inclined to conic, fairly symmetrical, irregular, often obscurely angular or ribbed. Stem rather slender. Cavity acuminate, moderately wide, moderately deep to deep, angular, sometimes lipped, often partly russeted and with some outspreading russet. Calyx pubescent, rather small, closed. Basin shallow to moderately deep, sometimes abrupt, compressed or furrowed. Skin thin, tough, smooth, pale green or yellow blushed and mottled with dark red, striped with carmine and overspread with thin bloom; highly colored specimens become deep red and almost purplish. Dots medium in size, light, sometimes mingled with flecks of russet. Prevailing color dark red dulled by bluish bloom. Calyx tube rather small, narrow, funnel-form. Stamens median to basal. Core below medium, somewhat abaxile with hollow cylinder at the axis; cells usually symmetrical, partly open or closed; core lines clasping. Carpels smooth, distinctly concave, elliptical, obtusely emarginate, mucronate. Seeds numerous, variable, small to medium, obtuse. Flesh white, very tender, fine-grained, juicy, sweet, crisp, good.

— S.A. Beach, The Apples of New York, Vol. 1 (1905)

Oakland (14) is a medium-sized apple of roundish oblate form with yellow-red skin. Quality is very good. Use is both kitchen and market. Season is winter.

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

Oakland. (Oakland County Seek-no-further.) Medium, roundish-oblate, yellow and red; good. Winter.

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

OAKLAND. Oakland County Seek-no-further. In Michigan, Oakland is prized in many orchards, but it seems not to be grown elsewhere. The apples, while not remarkable, are attractive and so pleasantly flavored that they elicit praise from all who taste them. The trees, though slow in growth, eventually make large specimens which bear abundantly but, as a rule, only biennially. The name commemorates the county in Michigan in which the variety is supposed to have originated. Oakland was first described in 1883.

Tree slow of growth, open, spreading, with long and stout branches. Fruit medium to large, uniform in size, round, usually somewhat oblate, sometimes conic, symmetrical, irregular, often obscurely angular or ribbed; stem slender; cavity acuminate, wide, deep, angular, sometimes lipped, often russeted and with some outspreading russet; calyx pubescent, small, closed; basin shallow, abrupt, compressed or furrowed; skin thin, tough, smooth, yellow blushed and mottled with dark red, striped with carmine and overspread with thin bloom; dots light, sometimes mingled with flecks of russet; prevailing color dark red dulled by the bloom; calyx-tube small, narrow, funnel-form; stamens median; core small, abaxile with hollow cylinder at the axis; cells symmetrical, open or closed; core-lines clasping; carpels smooth, distinctly concave, elliptical, obtusely emarginate, mucronate; seeds numerous, variable, small, obtuse; flesh white, tender, fine-grained, juicy, sweet, crisp; good; November to March.

— U.P. Hedrick, Cyclopedia of Hardy Fruits (1922)