Oel Austin
Apple
Oel Austin
Origin / History
Received at this station from A. F. Clark, Raymondville, St. Lawrence county, in 1896. At that time the original tree, 16 to 18 inches in diameter, was standing neglected in an old pasture. Mr. Clark began to propagate the variety about 1891. He believes it is a seedling of Stone, a variety highly esteemed locally in St. Lawrence county. Locally it is known as Austin.
Stone was erroneously identified by a leading pomologist for Mr. Clark as Bethel. For this reason, the account given by Heiges in the United States Pomological Report of 1894 states that Oel Austin is a seedling of Bethel. Stone and Bethel both belong to the Blue Pearmain group but are quite distinct varieties.
Tree
Tree rather vigorous, a good thrifty grower. Form upright, somewhat spreading, rather dense. Twigs medium to long, rather slender to moderately stout, nearly straight, somewhat pubescent; internodes short. Bark clear olive-green tinged with reddish-brown and mottled with gray scarf-skin. Lenticels rather numerous, small, scattering, round, raised but slightly if at all. Buds small, obtuse, appressed, pubescent. Said to be very hardy in St. Lawrence county.
Fruit
Size: Fruit small to above medium.
Form: Broadly ovate to roundish conic, faintly ribbed, nearly regular, symmetrical, uniform.
Stem: Pubescent, medium to long, moderately slender.
Cavity: Small, acuminate, moderately shallow, narrow, sometimes russeted, symmetrical.
Calyx: Medium to small, open to nearly closed; lobes short, narrow, pubescent, converging and somewhat reflexed. Calyx tube rather narrow, conical or approaching funnel-form. Stamens median.
Basin: Moderately abrupt, shallow, narrow, slightly furrowed or wrinkled.
Skin: Thin, yellow nearly overspread with dull, purplish-red and striped with purplish-carmine.
Dots: Numerous, russet, sunken.
Flesh and flavor: Yellowish-white, sometimes tinged with red next the skin, firm, fine-grained, crisp, juicy, mild subacid, fair to good.
Core and seeds: Core abaxile, medium to large; cells open; core lines meeting or, when the calyx tube is funnel-form, clasping the funnel cylinder.
Season
In season from November to March or April.
Uses
Fair to good in quality according to the flesh description. It may prove desirable for the home orchard in those sections of the state where superior hardiness is a prime requisite.
Subtypes / Variants
Not described in source.
Other
An attractive apple of the Blue Pearmain group, of fairly good quality.
Book Sources
Described in 1 period pomological work
Nursery Catalog Sources
Found in 1 catalog (1913) from Illinois
- Benjamin Buckman (personal inventory) , Farmingdale , Illinois — 1913
View original book sources (1)
— S.A. Beach, The Apples of New York, Vol. 1 (1905)OEL AUSTIN.
REFERENCES. 1. Heiges, U. S. Pom. Rpt., 1894:21. 2. N. Y. Sta. An. Rpt., 15:688. 1896.
SYNONYMS. OEL (1). Austin.
An attractive apple of the Blue Pearmain group, of fairly good quality. It varies in size from small to above medium. It is in season from November to March or April. It is said to be very hardy in St. Lawrence county and a good thrifty grower, and it may prove desirable for the home orchard in those sections of the state where superior hardiness is a prime requisite.
Historical. Received here from A. F. Clark, Raymondville, St. Lawrence county, in 1896. The original tree, 16 to 18 inches in diameter, was then standing neglected in an old pasture. Mr. Clark began to propagate the variety about 1891. He believes that it is a seedling of Stone,¹ a variety which is highly esteemed locally in St. Lawrence county. It is known locally as Austin.
TREE.
Tree rather vigorous. Form upright, somewhat spreading, rather dense. Twigs medium to long, rather slender to moderately stout, nearly straight, somewhat pubescent; internodes short. Bark clear olive-green tinged with reddish-brown and mottled with gray scarf-skin. Lenticels rather numerous, small, scattering, round, raised but slightly if at all. Buds small, obtuse, appressed, pubescent.
FRUIT.
Fruit small to above medium. Form broadly ovate to roundish conic, faintly ribbed, nearly regular, symmetrical, uniform. Stem pubescent, medium to long, moderately slender. Cavity small, acuminate, moderately shallow, narrow, sometimes russeted, symmetrical. Calyx medium to small, open to nearly closed; lobes short, narrow, pubescent, converging and somewhat reflexed. Basin moderately abrupt, shallow, narrow, slightly furrowed or wrinkled. Skin thin, yellow nearly overspread with dull, purplish-red and striped with purplish-carmine. Dots numerous, russet, sunken. Calyx tube rather narrow, conical or approaching funnel-form. Stamens median. Core abaxile, medium to large; cells open; core lines meeting or, when the calyx tube is funnel-form, clasping the funnel cylinder. Flesh yellowish-white sometimes tinged with red next the skin, firm, fine-grained, crisp, juicy, mild subacid, fair to good.
¹Stone was erroneously identified by a leading pomologist for Mr. Clark as Bethel, and for this reason in the account given by Heiges (1) it is erroneously stated that Oel Austin is a seedling of Bethel. Both Stone and Bethel belong in the Blue Pearmain group, but they are quite distinct varieties. For a comparison of the two the reader is referred to Stone.