Oliver
Apple
USDA Pomological Watercolor Collection
Oliver
Origin/History
Propagated since about 1873 in Northwestern Arkansas, where it has been known as Oliver Red or Oliver. It is supposed to have originated in that region. It has been disseminated from the Stark Nurseries, Louisiana, Missouri, under the name Senator. Both sources note Arkansas as the place of origin.
Tree
Tree medium in size, very vigorous; branches long, rather stocky. Form roundish or somewhat spreading; top open. Twigs stocky, medium in length and thickness; internodes medium in length. Bark dull brown and olive-green, pubescent. Lenticels numerous, large, mostly long, conspicuous, raised. Buds large, appressed, broad, obtuse, pubescent. Leaves medium or often large, long and rather broad, thick, dark green; foliage rather dense.
The tree is evidently hardy in Western New York. It is healthy, vigorous, comes into bearing young, is productive, and gives promise of being an annual or nearly annual bearer. The fruit hangs well to the tree, and there is little loss from drops or culls.
Fruit
Size and Form: Beach describes the fruit as large or above medium, pretty uniform in size and shape; Thomas describes it as medium. Form roundish or somewhat oblate, pretty symmetrical, regular or somewhat elliptical or obscurely angular; sides sometimes unequal.
Stem: Short to moderately long, medium in thickness.
Cavity: Medium to rather large, acute to decidedly acuminate, deep, moderately broad to rather narrow, regular, smooth and green or partly covered with greenish-russet, sometimes with outspreading russet rays.
Calyx: Medium to rather large, usually somewhat open; lobes often separated at the base, short, broad, obtuse, erect or somewhat reflexed. Calyx tube obtusely cone-shaped, rarely somewhat funnel-form. Stamens below median to basal.
Basin: Large, usually saucer-shape, wide and abrupt, sometimes moderately shallow and rather obtuse, somewhat wrinkled.
Skin: Moderately thin, tough, somewhat waxy, smooth or slightly roughened with large russet dots. Ground color green or bright yellow (Thomas: greenish yellow), mottled and striped with red or nearly covered with bright deep red and splashed with purplish-carmine. Dots conspicuous, numerous, gray or russet (Thomas: grayish), rather large, often somewhat elongated or irregular about the cavity.
Flesh/Flavor: Beach describes the flesh as whitish with a tinge of yellow or green, moderately fine and crisp, rather tender, breaking, juicy, somewhat sprightly subacid eventually approaching sweet, good or possibly very good. Thomas describes the flesh as yellowish white, stained with pink, crisp, sprightly, subacid. The two sources agree on crispness and subacid character; Thomas uniquely notes a pink stain in the flesh not mentioned by Beach.
Core/Seeds: Core distant, rather small, axile or nearly so; cells closed or slit; core lines meeting or, when the calyx tube is funnel-form, clasping the funnel cylinder. Carpels roundish or somewhat elongated, narrowing toward the base and apex, emarginate, mucronate, smooth or nearly so. Seeds irregular, large, numerous, completely filling the cells, moderately long, wide, obtuse, or sometimes acute, dark brown.
Season
December to March or April. The commercial season in ordinary storage is December to midwinter; in cold storage it extends to March or April. It appears to coincide pretty closely with Baldwin in season, but may not keep quite so late.
Uses
An attractive dark red apple suited to commercial production where the season permits full ripening. Among varieties introduced from Arkansas and Missouri it appears to be one of the more promising for the New York fruit grower, though it had not yet been sufficiently tested to determine its value in that region at the time of writing. It is doubtful whether it can always be properly ripened in the northern portion of the Baldwin apple belt, but in the southern portion it appears more promising.
Subtypes/Variants
Not described in source.
Other
The variety is of desirable shape, smooth and pretty uniform. It is described as an attractive apple suitable for commercial purposes. Beach notes it as promising among Arkansas/Missouri introductions, with the caveat that regional adaptability in New York remained under evaluation as of 1905.
Book Sources
Described in 2 period pomological works
Nursery Catalog Sources
Found in 2 catalogs (1901–1912) from Missouri, Washington
- Mountain Grove Nurseries (Tippin & Moore , Proprietors; Geo. T. Tippin, J. W. Tippin, J. C. Moore), Mountain Grove , Missouri — 1901
- Vineland Nurseries Company , Clarkston , Washington — 1912
View original book sources (2)
— S.A. Beach, The Apples of New York, Vol. 1 (1905)OLIVER.
References. 1. Ark. Hort. Soc. Rpt., 1893. 2. Heiges, U. S. Pom. Rpt., 1895:33. 3. Rural N. Y., 54:843. 1895. fig. 4. Gard. and For., 8:520. 1895. 5. Thomas, 1897:268. 6. Van Deman, Amer. Gard., 19:823. 1898. 7. Stinson, Ark. Sta. Bul., 49:16. 1898. fig. 8. Beach, Amer. Gard., 20:124, 166. 1899. 9. Ib., W. N. Y. Hort. Soc. Rpt., 1899:90, 138. 10. Stinson, Ark. Sta. Bul., 60:130. 1899. 11. Brackett, Amer. Gard., 22:191. 1901. 12. Budd-Hansen, 1903:143. fig. 13. Powell and Fulton, U. S. B. P. I. Bul., 48:51. 1903.
Synonyms. Oliver (2). Oliver's Red (6, 7, 10, 11, 12). Senator (2, 4, 5). Senator (6, 7, 8, 10, 11, 12, 13).
An attractive dark red apple of good size and good quality. It is of desirable shape, smooth and pretty uniform. It appears to coincide pretty closely with Baldwin in season, but it may not keep quite so late. Its commercial season in ordinary storage appears to be December to midwinter; in cold storage it extends to March or April. Among the varieties which have been introduced from Arkansas and Missouri this appears to be one of the most promising for the New York fruit grower, but as yet it has not been sufficiently tested to determine its value in this region. It is doubtful whether it can always be properly ripened in the northern portion of the Baldwin apple belt, but in the southern portion it appears to be more promising. The tree is evidently hardy in Western New York. It is healthy, vigorous, comes into bearing young, is productive and gives promise of being an annual or nearly annual bearer. The fruit hangs well to the tree, and there is little loss from drops or culls.
Historical. This variety has been propagated since about 1873 in Northwestern Arkansas where it has been known as Oliver Red or Oliver. It is supposed to have originated in that region (7, 11). It has been disseminated from the Stark Nurseries, Louisiana, Mo., under the name Senator.
Tree. Tree medium in size, very vigorous; branches long, rather stocky. Form roundish or somewhat spreading; top open. Twigs stocky, medium in length and thickness; internodes medium in length. Bark dull brown and olive-green, pubescent. Lenticels numerous, large, mostly long, conspicuous, raised. Buds large, appressed, broad, obtuse, pubescent. Leaves medium or often large, long and rather broad, thick, dark green; foliage rather dense.
Fruit. Fruit large or above medium, pretty uniform in size and shape. Form roundish or somewhat oblate, pretty symmetrical, regular or somewhat elliptical or obscurely angular; sides sometimes unequal. Stem short to moderately long, medium in thickness. Cavity medium to rather large, acute to decidedly acuminate, deep, moderately broad to rather narrow, regular, smooth and green or partly covered with greenish-russet, sometimes with outspreading russet rays. Calyx medium to rather large, usually somewhat open; lobes often separated at the base, short, broad, obtuse, erect or somewhat reflexed. Basin large, usually saucer-shape, wide and abrupt, sometimes moderately shallow and rather obtuse, somewhat wrinkled.
Skin moderately thin, tough, somewhat waxy, smooth or slightly roughened with large russet dots, green or bright yellow, mottled and striped with red or nearly covered with bright deep red and splashed with purplish-carmine. Dots conspicuous, numerous, gray or russet, rather large, often somewhat elongated or irregular about the cavity.
Calyx tube obtusely cone-shaped, rarely somewhat funnel-form. Stamens below median to basal.
Core distant, rather small, axile or nearly so; cells closed or slit; core lines meeting or when the calyx tube is funnel-form clasping the funnel cylinder. Carpels roundish or somewhat elongated, narrowing toward the base and apex, emarginate, mucronate, smooth or nearly so. Seeds irregular, large, numerous, completely filling the cells, moderately long, wide, obtuse, or sometimes acute, dark brown.
Flesh whitish with tinge of yellow or green, moderately fine and crisp, rather tender, breaking, juicy, somewhat sprightly subacid eventually approaching sweet, good or possibly very good.
Season December to March or April.
— John J. Thomas, The American Fruit Culturist (1903)Oliver. Medium, red on greenish yellow ground, with grayish dots; flesh yellowish white, stained with pink, crisp, sprightly, sub-acid. Arkansas.