Perry Russet
Apple
USDA Pomological Watercolor Collection
Perry Russet
Origin / History
Origin obscure (Downing). Downing writes that it "was, many years since, carried from Perry, Wyoming Co., N. Y., to the West, under the name of Golden Russet." Being entirely distinct from the true Golden Russet, it soon became known as the Perry Russet, "which name we continue." Hansen gives the origin as Perry, New York.
Beach records that it had long been cultivated locally near Berwyn, Onondaga county, N. Y., where some trees nearly one hundred years old were said to be still very productive. There it had always been known only as Rhode Island Russet (letters of L. L. Woodford, 1904). It was not identified with Perry Russet until 1904, by U. S. Pomologist Brackett. Beach holds that the older local name "indicates that it was probably known in Rhode Island before it was introduced into New York." On the report of F. Newhall and Sons of Chicago (1904), he adds that it has been known as Pineapple Russet and Pineapple.
Warder's description was made from a specimen exhibited by Mr. Utters at a meeting of the North-western Fruit Growers in 1850. In 1867 Warder recorded it as grown to some extent in the North-west. Willey, writing from Madison, Wisconsin, in 1862, said: "Perry Russet is a sort sent from the East under various cognomens, as Winter Russet, Poughkeepsie Russet, Golden Russet, etc. It is universally hardy, succeeding in all locations, and much esteemed everywhere. … Too many cannot be had, as it is the best of all the Russets."
Beach judges it "perhaps worthy of attention for planting in the home orchard where very hardy varieties are particularly desired." He adds that it "is seldom regarded as a profitable commercial variety in New York state." Lowther's station table records it from one reporting station in the Northern Division, and also reports it in another division.
Tree
Tree moderate in growth, upright spreading. Willey calls it a good grower forming a round even head. Beach gives the tree as medium to large or eventually very large, symmetrical in form, roundish or spreading. Twigs medium to short, straight, slender; internodes medium. Bark reddish-brown, lightly streaked with scarf-skin, pubescent. Young shoots light brownish red (Downing). Lenticels scattering, very small, oval. Buds small, plump, obtuse, free, pubescent.
Hardy. Beach calls it very hardy, healthy, and very long-lived, and Willey "universally hardy, succeeding in all locations." Downing calls it an early and abundant bearer. Beach calls it a reliable cropper, giving good crops biennially or in some cases almost annually.
Downing says it sometimes drops its fruit from the tree early. Beach says the fruit hangs well to the tree, being borne on slender twigs.
Fruit
Size: Medium to large; most authors give medium. Beach gives above medium to nearly large, pretty uniform in size and shape. Willey calls the fruit large.
Form: Oblate to roundish oblate, somewhat conical, to oblate conic or roundish conical; regular. Slightly ribbed (Beach); sometimes a little oblique (Downing). Lowther's table gives round.
Stem: Short to medium in length, often swollen at the base, thick or moderately so (Beach). Warder gives it medium in size and length.
Cavity: Broad, obtuse to very obtuse or acute, shallow to medium in depth. Regular or a little wavy, brown. Usually with much stellate russet, or often thinly russeted with outspreading russet rays. Sometimes lipped, often rather strongly so (Beach). Warder calls the cavity medium; Downing alone calls it narrow.
Calyx: Warder and Downing describe the calyx as closed, Warder's eye large. Hansen describes it as open, with segments divergent. Beach gives it as somewhat open, medium in size, the lobes often separated at the base, narrow, acute to acuminate. Calyx tube conical, rather wide and short (Beach). Stamens median.
Basin: Abrupt, medium deep to deep, medium to rather wide. Wavy, wrinkled, often corrugated or somewhat furrowed. Warder calls it regular; Beach calls it not symmetrical, irregular.
Skin: Thick, tough; smooth to nearly smooth, or roughened more or less with russet. Pale yellow to rich golden yellow, the prevailing color yellowish, covered more or less with fine russet in an open network. The russet lies on the sunny side and the fruit is sometimes brownish (Downing); some specimens are quite free from russet, "or at least as grown in the west" (Hansen). Beach adds a rather dull blush of bronze or brownish-red, sometimes with obscure dark reddish splashes. Lowther's table gives the color as red-yellow. Fairly attractive in appearance for a yellowish apple (Beach); "fair" (Willey).
Dots: Many to very numerous, distinct or prominent, russet, irregular, mingled with russet flecks or netted russet. Usually small, sometimes rather large (Beach); large (Hansen). Warder alone gives them minute and scattered.
Flesh and flavor: Flesh yellow or yellowish, or whitish a little tinged with yellow (Beach). Firm to rather firm, crisp, fine-grained to medium-grained. Juicy. Beach gives it moderately tender or somewhat tough. Flavor rich, brisk subacid, sprightly, aromatic, with an agreeable subacid russet flavor; Warder calls the flavor acid. Most authors rate it "good" (Beach: "easily ranks good"); Hansen rates it "very good," Warder "almost best," and Willey calls the fruit "excellent."
Core and seeds: Core small to medium, axile, closed, meeting the eye. Core lines meeting or slightly clasping, barely clasping (Hansen). Cells closed, ovate, slit. Carpels broadly ovate, tufted (Beach). Seeds few, plump, brown, rather small to medium; Beach gives them narrow, rather long, acute to acuminate.
Season
The recorded season runs from November into February, and to March in cold storage. Most authors give December through January or February; Lowther's table gives winter. Downing gives November and December and says it does not keep late. Willey says it "keeps well through the winter."
Beach gives the season as December to midwinter or later. Its commercial limit in ordinary storage is November or December; in cold storage it may be held till March. It does not stand heat well before going into storage. In going down it often shrivels, becomes mealy, and goes down quickly. It varies greatly in keeping quality in different seasons and in different localities, and is not regarded favorably for storage purposes.
Uses
Table or kitchen; good for either dessert or culinary purposes. Family use (Lowther's table).
Subtypes / Variants
Not described in source.
Other
Beach places it in the same group as Peck Pleasant, Rhode Island Greening, and Green Newtown. Warder figures it (Fig. 118).
Book Sources
Described in 6 period pomological works
Nursery Catalog Sources
Found in 4 catalogs (1893–1913) from Illinois
- Milwaukie-Canby Nurseries , Canby, OR (and Milwaukie, OR) — 1893
- Central Experimental Farm , Dominion Department of Agriculture, Agassiz, British Columbia (under test; Bulletin No. 3, Second Series) — 1900 — listed as Russet Perry
- Benjamin Buckman (personal inventory) , Farmingdale , Illinois — 1901
- Benjamin Buckman (personal inventory) , Farmingdale , Illinois — 1913
View original book sources (6)
— John A. Warder, American Pomology: Apples (1867)Perry Russet.
This variety is grown to some extent in the North-west. The specimen from which the description is made, was exhibited by Mr. Utters, at a meeting of the North-western Fruit Growers, in 1850,
Fruit medium to large, oblate, regular; Surface smooth, yellow, covered with fine russet; Dots minute, scattered. Basin medium, regular, wavy; Eye large, closed.
Fig. 118.—PERRY RUSSET.
Cavity medium, regular or wavy, brown; Stem medium size and length. Core small, closed, meeting the eye; Seeds few, plump, brown; Flesh yellow, fine grained, juicy; Flavor acid, rich; Quality almost best, for table or kitchen; Season, December and January.
— A.J. Downing, The Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900)Perry Russet.
Golden Russet.
The origin of this is in obscurity. It was, many years since, carried from Perry, Wyoming Co., N. Y., to the West, under the name of Golden Russet, but as it was entirely distinct from the true Golden Russet, it soon became known as the Perry Russet, which name we continue. It is of "good" quality for table or kitchen, but does not keep late, and sometimes drops its fruit from the tree early. Tree a moderate, upright spreading grower, hardy, an early and abundant bearer. Young shoots light brownish red.
Fruit medium, roundish conical, sometimes a little oblique, pale yellow, netted with russet on the sunny side, and sometimes brownish. Stalk short, cavity narrow, sometimes with a lip. Calyx closed. Basin abrupt. Flesh yellowish, rather firm, juicy, brisk subacid. Good. November, December.
— N.E. Hansen, A Study of Northwestern Apples (1902)Perry Russet—Origin, Perry, New York. Tree moderate, spreading, upright growth.—Fruit medium, oblate to roundish oblate, somewhat conical, regular; surface a rich golden yellow, covered more or less with open net-work of russet, some specimens are quite free from russet, or at least as grown in the west; dots distinct, many, large; cavity wide, obtuse, regular, usually with much stellate russet, sometimes lipped; stem short to medium; basin medium deep; abrupt, wrinkled, often corrugated; calyx open, segments divergent. Core closed, barely clasping; cells ovate, axile, slit; tube conical; stamens median; seeds plump, rather small; flesh yellow, firm, fine grained, rich, juicy, brisk subacid, very good. December to February.
— S.A. Beach, The Apples of New York, Vol. 1 (1905)PERRY RUSSET.
REFERENCES. 1. Willey, Horticulturist, 17:168. 1862. 2. Warder, 1867:468. fig. 3. Downing, 1869:303. 4. Am. Pom. Soc. Cat., 1873. 5. Thomas, 1875:509. 6. Lyon, Mich. Hort. Soc. Rpt., 1890:296. 7. Harris, U. S. Pom. Rpt., 1892:271. 8. Bailey, An. Hort., 1892:246. 9. Hansen, S. D. Sta. Bul., 76:84. 1902. 10. Budd-Hansen, 1903:149. 11. Beach and Clark, N. Y. Sta. Bul., 248:137. 1904.
SYNONYMS. Golden Russet (1, 3), but erroneously. Pineapple. Pineapple Russet. Poughkeepsie Russet (1), but erroneously. Rhode Island Russet. Winter Russet (1).
This variety evidently belongs in the same group as Peck Pleasant, Rhode Island Greening and Green Newtown. The fruit is of good size, pretty uniform and fairly attractive in appearance for a yellowish apple. It has a crisp, subacid flavor and easily ranks good in quality for either dessert or culinary purposes. It is in season from December to midwinter or later. Its commercial limit in ordinary storage is November or December; in cold storage it may be held till March. It does not stand heat well before going into storage. In going down it often shrivels, becomes mealy and goes down quickly. It varies greatly in keeping quality in different seasons and in different localities, and is not regarded favorably for storage purposes. The tree is very hardy, healthy, very long-lived and a reliable cropper, giving good crops biennially or in some cases almost annually. The fruit hangs well to the tree, being borne on slender twigs. It is perhaps worthy of attention for planting in the home orchard where very hardy varieties are particularly desired, but is seldom regarded as a profitable commercial variety in New York state.
Historical. This variety has long been cultivated locally in the vicinity of Berwyn, Onondaga county, N. Y., where some trees of it nearly one hundred years old are said to be still very productive. It has always been known there under the name of Rhode Island Russet only¹ and not until 1904, when it was identified by U. S. Pomologist Brackett, was it discovered that it was identical with Perry Russet. The fact that long before it was known as Perry Russet it had the local name Rhode Island Russet indicates that it was probably known in Rhode Island before it was introduced into New York. Warder (2) publishes a description which was made from a specimen exhibited by Mr. Utters at a meeting of the Northwestern Fruit Growers in 1850. Willey (1), writing from Madison, Wisconsin, made the following statement concerning it in 1862. “ Perry Russet is a sort sent from the East under various cognomens, as Winter Russet, Poughkeepsie Russet, Golden Russet, etc. It is universally hardy, succeeding in all locations, and much esteemed everywhere. Tree good grower, forms a round even head; fruit large, fair and excellent; keeps well through the winter. Too many cannot be had, as it is the best of all the Russets.” We are also informed that it has been known under the names Pineapple Russet and Pineapple.² Downing, in 1869 stated that this variety “ was many years since carried from Perry, Wyoming county, New York, to the West under the name of Golden Russet, but as it was entirely distinct from the true Golden Russet it soon became known as Perry Russet.”
¹ Letters, L. L. Woodford, 1904. ² Report by F. Newhall and Sons, Chicago, Ill., 1904.
TREE.
Tree medium to large or eventually very large. Form symmetrical, roundish or spreading. Twigs medium to short, straight, slender; internodes medium. Bark reddish-brown, lightly streaked with scarf-skin, pubescent. Lenticels scattering, very small, oval. Buds small, plump, obtuse, free, pubescent.
FRUIT.
Fruit above medium to nearly large, pretty uniform in size and shape. Form roundish oblate to oblate conic, slightly ribbed. Stem often swollen at base, short, thick or moderately so. Cavity very obtuse to acute, shallow to medium in depth, broad, often thinly russeted and with outspreading russet rays, a little wavy and often rather strongly lipped. Calyx medium in size, somewhat open; lobes often separated at the base, narrow, acute to acuminate. Basin medium in depth to deep, medium to rather wide, abrupt, somewhat furrowed, not symmetrical, irregular. Skin thick, tough, nearly smooth or roughened more or less with russet, rather pale yellow with rather dull blush of bronze or brownish-red and sometimes with obscure dark reddish splashes. Dots very numerous, usually small, sometimes rather large, prominent, russet, irregular and mingled with russet flecks or netted russet. Prevailing color yellowish. Calyx tube rather wide, short, conical. Stamens median. Core medium size, axile; cells closed; core lines meeting or slightly clasping. Carpels broadly ovate, tufted. Seeds medium, narrow, rather long, acute to acuminate. Flesh whitish a little tinged with yellow, medium to rather fine-grained, moderately tender or somewhat tough, juicy, with an agreeable subacid russet flavor, sprightly, aromatic, good.
— J.L. Budd & N.E. Hansen, American Horticultural Manual, Part II: Systematic Pomology (1914)Perry Russet. — Origin, Perry, New York; tree of moderate, spreading, upright growth.
Fruit medium, oblate to roundish oblate, somewhat conical, regular; surface a rich golden yellow, covered more or less with open net-work of russet, some specimens are quite free from russet, or at least as grown in the West; dots distinct, many, large; cavity wide, obtuse, regular, usually with much stellate russet, sometimes lipped; stem short to medium; basin medium deep, abrupt, wrinkled, often corrugated; calyx open; segments divergent. Core closed, barely clasping; cells ovate, axile, slit; tube conical; stamens median; seeds plump, rather small; flesh yellow, firm, fine-grained, rich, juicy, brisk subacid, very good. December to February.
— Granville Lowther (ed.), Encyclopedia of Practical Horticulture (1914)Perry Russet. Size: medium. Form: round. Color: red-yellow. Quality: good. Use: family. Season: winter. Northern Division: 1 reporting station (also reported in another division).