Parlin

Origin / History

The original tree, over fifty years old in 1894, was still standing at Norridgewock, Maine, vigorous, healthy and productive (1). The variety is also recorded under the name Parlin's Beauty (3, 4). It has as yet been but little disseminated in New York. Records of it appear in the U. S. Pomological Report of 1894 (1), the Illinois Horticultural Society Report of 1899 (2), the Canada Department of Agriculture Report of 1901 (3), and U. S. Bureau of Plant Industry Bulletin 56 of 1905 (4).

Tree

Tree not a strong grower, below medium size; branches rather short and moderately stout. Form upright and somewhat spreading or roundish. Twigs short, straight, moderately stout with large terminal buds; internodes long or medium. Bark brown tinged with red, partly overlaid with rather thick scarf-skin; pubescent near tips. Lenticels scattering, medium to small, roundish or elongated, raised but slightly if at all. Buds large to medium, prominent, broad, plump, acute, free, pubescent.

The variety has not as yet been tested sufficiently to determine its value for the New York region.

Fruit

Size: Fruit medium to large, pretty uniform in size.

Form: Form rather variable, roundish to oblate, often inclined to conic, more or less irregular, somewhat angular; sides sometimes unequal.

Stem: Stem medium or sometimes long, rather slender.

Cavity: Cavity acute, usually deep, moderately wide or wide, often furrowed or compressed, marked with yellowish-russet which sometimes extends beyond the cavity, sometimes lipped.

Calyx: Calyx small, closed or partly open; lobes small, narrow, reflexed. Calyx tube funnel-form.

Basin: Basin rather small, deep, narrow to moderately wide, very abrupt, nearly symmetrical or slightly furrowed, sometimes wrinkled.

Skin: Skin rather thin, tough, smooth, bright pale yellow blushed and mottled with pinkish-red and striped with darker red, highly colored specimens being nearly overspread with bright red becoming on the exposed cheek nearly as dark red as Jonathan or Gano, often irregularly veined with russet.

Dots: Dots usually small, yellowish or pale gray, sometimes large.

Flesh and flavor: Flesh whitish with yellow tinge, moderately firm, tender, moderately fine-grained, not crisp, moderately juicy, sweet or very mildly subacid, slightly aromatic, good or sometimes very good. An attractive red apple of pretty good quality for dessert, but being mildly sweet in flavor is less suitable for culinary uses.

Core and seeds: Core medium to small, axile; cells closed or nearly so; core lines clasping or meeting. Carpels smooth, wide at the middle, emarginate, often approaching obcordate. Seeds below medium or small, irregular, dark, obtuse.

Season

Season October to midwinter or later.

Uses

Dessert. Being mildly sweet in flavor, the fruit is less suitable for culinary uses.

Subtypes / Variants

Not described in source.

Other

Not described in source.