Lyman's Pumpkin Sweet. POUND SWEET.

Origin, the orchard of S. Lyman, Manchester, Connecticut. A very handsome, large, sweet apple, valued for baking and for stock-feeding. Tree vigorous, spreading, drooping, rather productive. Fruit large to very large, roundish-conical, angular; Surface very smooth, pale yellow; Dots minute. Basin deep, abrupt, regular; Eye medium, closed. Cavity deep, acute, regular, brown; Stem medium or short. Core large, closed; Seeds angular, dark; Flesh yellowish, breaking, juicy, often water-cored and heavy; Flavor very sweet; Quality good; Use, baking and stock-feeding; Season, October to December.

— John A. Warder, American Pomology: Apples (1867)

Pound Sweet.

There are several sorts under this popular name, as applied to any large sweet apple. One is large, roundish conical, greenish yellow, with slight red in sun. Flesh yellowish, tender, moderately juicy, sweet. September, October. Another is large, roundish, red. Flesh whitish, moderately juicy, aromatic, sweet.

— A.J. Downing, The Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900)

POUND SWEET.

The apple most commonly known in Central and Western New York under the name of Pound Sweet is large, roundish, marbled with light and dark green, eventually becoming more or less yellow and conspicuously streaked over the base with whitish scarf-skin. It is in season from October to January. The name now generally accepted by pomologists for this variety is Pumpkin Sweet. It is also known by some as the Lyman Pumpkin Sweet. It is described under the name Pumpkin Sweet in the succeeding volume.

Several distinct varieties of apples have been known in cultivation under the name Pound Sweet, but so far as we have been able to discover only the one above referred to is green, all others being either more or less russeted or marked with distinct red.

— S.A. Beach, The Apples of New York, Vol. 1 (1905)

PUMPKIN SWEET.

REFERENCES. 1. N. E. Farmer, 1834 (cited by 20). 2. Downing, 1845:89. fig. 3. Emmons, Nat. Hist. N. Y., 3:48. 1851. 4. Mag. Hort., 20:241. 1854. 5. Elliott, 1854:152. 6. Hooper, 1857:56. 7. Am. Pom. Soc. Cat., 1862. 8. Horticulturist, 17:150. 1862. 9. Warder, 1867:527. 10. Barry, 1883:339. 11. Thomas, 1885:216. 12. Lyon, Mich. Hort. Soc. Rpt., 1890:296. 13. Bailey, An. Hort., 1892:247. 14. Munson, Me. Sta. Rpt., 1893:133. 15. Miller, Rural N. Y., 53:278. 1894. 16. Taylor, Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt., 1895:198. 17. Powell and Fulton, U. S. B. P. I. Bul., 48:53. 1903. 18. Budd-Hansen, 1903:155. fig. 19. Beach and Clark, N. Y. Sta. Bul., 248:139. 1904. 20. Ragan, U. S. B. P. I. Bul., 56:244. 1905.

SYNONYMS. Lyman's Large Yellow (20). LYMAN'S PUMPKIN SWEET (2, 3, 6, 9, 10, 11). Lyman's Pumpkin Sweet (5, 14, 17, 19, 20). Pound Sweet (9, 11, 12, 14, 17, 18, 19). PUMPKIN SWEET (1, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20). Pumpkin Sweet (10, 11). Pumpkin Sweeting (20). Rhode Island Sweet (20). Round Sweet (20). Sweet Lyman's Pumpkin (20). Vermont Pumpkin Sweet (10, 20). Vermont Sweet (20). Yankee Apple (5, 20).

Fruit large to very large, marbled with light and dark green and streaked over the base with whitish scarf-skin; well colored specimens eventually become quite yellow and sometimes are faintly bronzed on the exposed cheek. It is never marked with red, nor is it russeted except about the cavity. So far as we know all other varieties which have been cultivated under the name Pumpkin Sweet are either russeted or marked with red.

This is the variety generally known in Central and Western New York as Pound Sweet, and it commonly appears under this name in market quotations. By many it is esteemed as one of the best sweet apples of its season for baking and for canning or stewing with quinces, but generally it is not valued for dessert because it is rather coarse and has a peculiar flavor. It often sells well in local or special markets, and there is a limited demand for it in the general trade. Its keeping qualities differ greatly in different localities and in different seasons. As grown in Western New York it comes in season early in October. The rate of loss in ordinary storage is usually high during the fall, and the season closes in December or early January, although in some years a considerable portion of the fruit may remain sound till midwinter or later (19).

The tree is a good strong grower, rather long-lived, fairly hardy and generally healthy, but it sometimes suffers from winter injury, sunscald and canker. It appears to thrive particularly well on well fertilized gravelly or sandy loam, with well drained subsoil. Under right conditions it is a pretty reliable cropper, yielding good crops biennially. The crop ripens somewhat unevenly and often there is a considerable loss from water-cored fruit and from windfalls, but on the other hand there is a small percentage of loss in undersized or deformed apples. In order to lessen the loss from windfalls it is well to plant this variety in a location that is sheltered from prevailing winds.

Historical. Originated in the orchard of S. Lyman, Manchester, Conn. (9). It has been distributed throughout this state for more than fifty years, but nowhere has it been largely planted. Generally speaking it is not grown so extensively now as it was formerly, but in a few localities its cultivation for commercial purposes is increasing somewhat.

TREE. Tree medium to large, vigorous, with long, moderately stout branches. Form upright spreading or roundish, open. Twigs medium to short, straight or nearly so, stout to moderately slender; internodes short to medium. Bark reddish olive-green varying to brownish-red, uniformly mottled with thin scarf-skin, pubescent. Lenticels scattering, rather inconspicuous, small, roundish, not raised. Buds medium or below, plump, acute, free, slightly pubescent.

FRUIT. Fruit large to very large, pretty uniform in size and shape. Form globular to roundish conic, sometimes irregularly elliptical or prominently ribbed. Stem very short, stout, often inserted under a lip or having itself a fleshy protuberance. Cavity acuminate, moderately shallow to rather deep, narrow to moderately wide, often somewhat furrowed or lipped, sometimes russeted and with outspreading russet. Calyx medium to rather large, open; lobes often separated at the base, short, broad, acute. Basin small to medium in size, moderately shallow to rather deep, narrow to moderately wide, abrupt to somewhat obtuse, often slightly furrowed or wrinkled. Skin rather thin, tough, smooth, at first green but eventually clear yellow marbled with greenish-yellow. Stripes of whitish scarf-skin radiate from the cavity. Well colored specimens occasionally show a brownish-red blush but never a distinct red color. Dots conspicuous, whitish, often areolar with russet center. Calyx tube rather wide, conical or elongated cone-shape or sometimes slightly funnel-form. Stamens median to basal. Core medium to rather large, axile; cells symmetrical, closed or somewhat open, not uniformly developed; core lines clasping. Carpels thin, broadly roundish, but slightly emarginate if at all, often tufted. Seeds medium to rather small, wide, plump, acute, light brown, tufted. Flesh tinged with yellow firm, medium in texture, crispness and juiciness, decidedly sweet with a peculiar flavor; good for culinary use and especially esteemed for baking. Season October to January.

McCARTY is identical with Pumpkin Sweet in general characters and is sold as Pumpkin Sweet, but it appears to differ enough from the type in certain characteristics to entitle it to recognition as a distinct strain. As compared with typical Pumpkin Sweet the fruit of McCarty averages smaller, is not so yellow and keeps longer. B. J. Case, Sodus, N. Y., who grows McCarty commercially, reports: "The tree does not produce any water-cored fruit except when the crop is light. It appears to be fully as productive as Pumpkin Sweet. In common storage it is not unusual to keep McCarty later than January. In quality it is not so good as Pumpkin Sweet. The origin of this type is unknown."

— S.A. Beach, The Apples of New York, Vol. 2 (1905)

Pumpkin Sweet. (Lyman's.) Very large, roundish, ribbed most toward the stalk; pale green; stalk short; calyx small, basin abrupt; flesh white, sweet, tender, not juicy, of moderate quality. Ripens through autumn, into winter. A valuable culinary sort. Connecticut.

— John J. Thomas, The American Fruit Culturist (1903)

Pumpkin Sweet (Pound Sweet). — Origin, the orchard of S. Lyman, Manchester, Connecticut; tree vigorous, upright, spreading, drooping, productive.

Fruit very large, roundish, obscurely ribbed and angular, sometimes unequal, truncated; surface yellowish green, overlaid with whitish and some russet net-veining; dots distinct, white, minute, a few large russet? dots; cavity regular, deep, somewhat acuminate, with much stellate russet; stem short; basin smooth, shallow, regular; calyx open; segments small, divergent. Core large, closed; cells obovate, widely slit; tube conical; stamens median; seeds few, short, blunt, angular, somewhat flattened; flesh white, only moderately juicy, very sweet, good. September to December. Very valuable for baking and stock-feeding.

— J.L. Budd & N.E. Hansen, American Horticultural Manual, Part II: Systematic Pomology (1914)

PUMPKIN SWEET. Fig. 44. Pound Sweet. Rhode Island Sweet. Vermont Sweet. Pumpkin Sweet is the standard sweet apple of its season. The fruits are esteemed for baking, canning, and stewing, but are too coarse and not delicately enough flavored for dessert. The crop holds up well both under handling and in storage. In the markets, especially in New York, the variety is generally known as Pound Sweet. The trees are very satisfactory from every point of view excepting hardiness, as they suffer both from winter-injury and from sun-scald. This variety has been much confused with other sweet apples, but can be distinguished from similar sorts by its large fruits, of greenish-yellow color, sometimes bronzed on the cheek, but never marked with red nor with russet except about the cavity. It originated in the orchard of S. Lyman, Manchester, Connecticut, early in the nineteenth century. It is rather widely distributed in the United States. Tree large, vigorous, upright-spreading, open, with long, stout branches. Fruit large or very large, uniform in size and shape, globular or round-conic, sometimes irregularly elliptical or prominently ribbed; stem very short, stout, often inserted under a lip or having a fleshy protuberance; cavity acuminate, deep, narrow, often furrowed or lipped, sometimes russeted; calyx large, open; lobes separated at the base, short, broad, acute; basin small, deep, narrow, abrupt, often furrowed or wrinkled; skin thin, tough, smooth, yellow marbled with greenish-yellow, with stripes of white scarf-skin radiating from the cavity, sometimes with a brownish-red blush but never red; dots conspicuous, white, often areolar with russet center; calyx-tube wide, conical; stamens median; core large, axile; cells symmetrical, closed or open, not uniformly developed; core-lines clasping; carpels thin, broadly round, but slightly emarginate if at all, often tufted; seeds small, wide, plump, acute, light brown, tufted; flesh yellow, firm, crisp and juicy, sweet with a peculiar flavor; good; October to January.

— U.P. Hedrick, Cyclopedia of Hardy Fruits (1922)