Press Ewing
Apple
Press Ewing
Origin / History
A Kentucky apple, originated in Christian County, Kentucky, and introduced to notice by J. S. Downer (Downing). Downer sent the fruit to Warder and also supplied him with trees, which had already borne fruit when Warder wrote in 1867. Elliott's description of 1865 is credited to Downing. Thomas enters it as "Pres. Ewing."
Tree
Hardy, vigorous, healthy, and productive; early productive (Warder). Irregular and spreading, with dark brown young shoots (Downing).
Fruit
Size: Medium.
Form: Roundish to roundish-oblate or oblate, flattened at base and crown. Warder, who likens the fruit to Smokehouse, calls it regular; Elliott's text, credited to Downing, calls it angular and slightly oblique.
Stem: Medium (Downing); Warder calls it long and slender.
Cavity: Deep to very deep, wavy, brown (Warder). Elliott's text, credited to Downing, calls it very deep and narrow, against the broad cavity of Downing (1900) and the wide one of Warder.
Calyx: Closed (Downing, repeated by Elliott); Warder gives the eye medium and open, with the calyx reflexed.
Basin: Rather deep to deep, abrupt; "peculiar" in Elliott's text credited to Downing. Downing calls it uneven, Warder wide, wavy, and regular.
Skin: Smooth (Warder); yellow to greenish yellow, shaded and striped with crimson or bright red. Downing (1900) has the crimson "obscurely splashed"; Warder has the bright red mixed, striped, and splashed.
Dots: Numerous, thickly covering the surface, with a dark center (Downing); brown and yellow (Warder).
Flesh and flavor: Flesh yellowish to yellow, firm, juicy, crisp, tender; fine-grained and melting (Warder). Flavor agreeable subacid: mild (Downing, 1900), "very agreeable" and aromatic (Elliott's text credited to Downing), rich (Warder). Downing rates it "Good to very good"; Warder, "nearly first rate."
Core and seeds: Core medium, closed, meeting the eye; axis short; seeds numerous, angular, pointed (Warder).
Season
Winter, December into April. Downing, repeated by Elliott, gives February till April; Warder gives December and January.
Uses
Table (Warder).
Subtypes / Variants
Not described in source.
Other
Not described in source.
Book Sources
Described in 4 period pomological works
View original book sources (4)
— F.R. Elliott, The Western Fruit Book (1865)Press Ewing.
Origin, Kentucky. Tree, hardy, vigorous, and productive. Fruit, medium, roundish, flattened at base and crown, angular, slightly oblique ; skin, yellow, shaded and striped with crimson, and thickly covered with dots, having a dark centre ; stalk, medium, inserted in a very deep, narrow cavity ; calyx, closed, set in an uneven, abrupt, peculiar basin; flesh, yellowish, firm, juicy, crisp, tender, with a very agreeable sub-acid flavor, aromatic. February till April. (Downing.)
— John A. Warder, American Pomology: Apples (1867)Press Ewing.
This Kentucky apple was sent me by J. S. Downer, from whom trees were also procured which have already borne fruit.
Tree vigorous, healthy, and early productive.
Fruit resembles Smokehouse, medium, roundish-oblate, regular; Surface smooth, bright red, mixed, striped, and splashed, on greenish yellow; Dots numerous, brown and yellow.
Basin wide, wavy, regular, rather deep; Eye medium, open; calyx reflexed.
Cavity wide, wavy, brown; Stem long, slender.
Core medium, closed, meeting the eye; Axis short; Seeds numerous, angular, pointed; Flesh yellow, fine-grained, tender, melting, juicy; Flavor rich sub-acid; Quality nearly first rate; Use for table in December and January.
— A.J. Downing, The Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900)Press Ewing. Originated in Christian Co., Ky., and introduced to notice by J. S. Downer. Tree hardy, vigorous, irregular, spreading. Young shoots dark brown, productive. Fruit medium, oblate, yellow, shaded and obscurely splashed with crimson, and thickly covered with dots, having a dark centre. Stalk medium, inserted in a broad, deep cavity. Calyx closed, set in an uneven, deep, abrupt basin. Flesh yellowish, firm, juicy, crisp, tender, mild, agreeable subacid. Good to very good. February till April.
— John J. Thomas, The American Fruit Culturist (1903)Pres. Ewing. Medium, roundish, striped; firm, agreeable, sub-acid. Winter. Ky.
[Additional entry in this volume: "Press Ewing", pp. 738–738]
Pres. Ewing. Medium, roundish, striped; firm, agreeable, sub-acid. Winter. Ky.