Orange Sweet
AppleOrange Sweet
Origin/History
Multiple distinct varieties circulate under the name Orange Sweet, and Downing (1900) notes he was unable to examine and compare them closely. The strains he documents originate from Ohio, Massachusetts, and Maine. Warder (cited in both Downing and Beach) describes an additional strain — called Orange Sweeting or Russet — characterized as an eastern variety not much cultivated. Beach (1905) further notes that the name Orange Sweet has also been used as a synonym for both Munson and Golden Sweet, compounding the identification difficulty. The name appears in horticultural literature as early as 1835 (Magazine of Horticulture).
Tree
Characteristics vary by strain.
Ohio strain: Young shoots light reddish brown, smooth.
Massachusetts strain: A good grower and bearer. Young shoots smooth, very dark reddish brown. Buds very small.
Maine strain: Tree of upright habit, healthy, thrifty, and productive. Young shoots dark brownish red.
Warder strain: Not described in source.
Fruit
All strains share a general character of greenish-yellow skin and sweet flesh, but differ in size, form, color detail, and season.
Ohio strain
Size and form: Large, roundish.
Skin: Greenish yellow, sometimes with traces of russet. Dots few, gray and green.
Calyx: Small, closed.
Stem, cavity, basin: Not described in source.
Flesh/flavor: Whitish, tender, juicy, pleasant, sweet. Rated Good.
Massachusetts strain
Size and form: Medium, oblate.
Skin: Greenish yellow.
Calyx: Small.
Stem, cavity, basin: Not described in source.
Flesh/flavor: Yellowish white, rather coarse, but rich, sweet. Rated Good for cooking.
Maine strain
Size and form: Medium, roundish ovate.
Skin: Bright yellow, with a blush cheek in the sun. Dots small, greenish in shade, crimson in the sun.
Calyx, stem, cavity, basin: Not described in source.
Flesh/flavor: Yellowish, tender, sweet, and rich.
Warder strain (Orange Sweeting or Russet)
Size and form: Large, very round, regular (Beach). Downing describes it simply as large and round.
Skin: Greenish yellow, bronzy, orange russeted.
Calyx, stem, cavity, basin: Not described in source.
Flesh/flavor: Downing: flesh green, rather tough, fine-grained, sweet; Good for baking. Beach (quoting Warder more fully): flesh rather tough, fine-grained, juicy, good. [Note: Beach's citation of Warder includes "juicy" where Downing's does not; Downing adds "Good for baking" as a use characterization not present in Beach's quotation.]
Season
Ohio strain: October–November. Massachusetts strain: August–September. Maine strain: September–October. Warder strain: December.
Uses
Ohio strain: Valuable for baking. Massachusetts strain: Good for cooking. Warder strain: Good for baking (Downing).
Subtypes/Variants
As detailed throughout, "Orange Sweet" is not a single fixed variety but a name applied to at least four distinct strains distinguished by origin, shoot color, fruit size and form, skin character, flesh texture, season, and use. Downing explicitly states his inability to compare them closely. Beach echoes this plurality and warns that the name has additionally served as a synonym for the unrelated Munson and Golden Sweet varieties.
Other
Not described in source.
Book Sources
Described in 2 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 (2)
— A.J. Downing, The Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900)Orange Sweet.
There are several varieties under this name, but we have been unable to examine and compare them closely. The one we have most known came from Ohio, and has young shoots of a light reddish brown, smooth, the fruit large, roundish, greenish yellow, sometimes traces of russet, few gray and green dots. Calyx small, closed. Flesh whitish, tender, juicy, pleasant, sweet. Good. Valuable for baking. October, November.
Another we have from Massachusetts, is a good grower and bearer. Young shoots smooth, very dark reddish brown. Buds very small. Fruit medium, oblate, greenish yellow. Calyx small. Flesh yellowish white, rather coarse, but rich, sweet. Good for cooking. August and September.
Another Orange Sweeting, grown in Maine, is described as a tree of upright habit, healthy, thrifty, and productive. Young shoots dark brownish red.
Fruit medium, roundish ovate, bright yellow, with a blush cheek in the sun, small greenish dots in shade, and crimson dots in the sun. Flesh yellowish, tender, sweet, and rich. September, October.
Warder, in his American Pomology, describes an Orange Sweet or Russet as large, round, greenish yellow, bronzy orange russet. Flesh green, rather tough, fine-grained, sweet. Good for baking. December.
— S.A. Beach, The Apples of New York, Vol. 2 (1905)ORANGE SWEET.
REFERENCES. 1. Mag. Hort., 1:396. 1835. 2. Warder, 1867:566. 3. Downing, 1869:295. 4. Thomas, 1885:519.
SYNONYMS. Orange Russet (2). ORANGE SWEET (3, 4). ORANGE SWEETING (1, 2).
Several varieties are described under this name by Downing (3): one from Ohio, large, greenish-yellow; flesh whitish, tender, sweet, good; season October and November: one from Massachusetts, the fruit medium, oblate, greenish-yellow; the flesh yellowish-white, rather coarse, rich, sweet; season August and September: and one from Maine; fruit medium, roundish ovate, bright yellow with blush; flesh yellowish, tender, sweet, rich; season September and October.
Warder (2) describes under the name Orange Sweeting or Russet "An eastern variety not much cultivated; fruit large, very round, regular, greenish-yellow, bronzy, orange russeted; flesh rather tough, fine-grained, juicy, good; season December."
The name Orange Sweet has also been used as a synonym for both Munson (p. 146) and Golden Sweet (p. 81).