Pryor's Red.

This southern apple, probably from Virginia, has been carried through all the Western States, where it is a great favorite, though there are some objectors, on account of its having shown signs of failure in certain situations.

The fruit is singularly affected by change of soil and climate; thus, on the Ohio River, it is seen quite flat and regular, with a dull green russeted skin, becoming yellow and ruddy; in one part of the State of Indiana, on limestone, it is gibbous, round, often very large, and covered with a rich cinnamon russet, while on the coal measures, west of the center of the State, it is smaller, regular, and distinctly striped deep red on red, with very little russet.

Specimens from Rochester, New York, have been shown with scarcely a trace of russet, and having the stripes as distinct and almost as beautiful as those of a Duchess of Oldenburg, so that no southern or western man would have recognized it for his home favorite. The distinctive leather-cracking about the eye was present, however, in all.

Tree thrifty, growth upright, twiggy, attaining large size, productive when old; Shoots slender, reddish olive, speckled; Foliage scattering, folded, grayish green; Subject to leaf-blight.

Fruit large, globular-oblate, often unequal; Surface greenish, or dull red, striped, russeted; Dots numerous, large, gray.

Basin shallow, regular or plaited, leather-cracked; Eye small, closed.

Cavity shallow, acute, often lipped; Stem medium.

Core round, regular, closed, meeting the eye; Seeds numerous, angular, pointed; Flesh yellow, tender, melting, fine-grained, juicy; Flavor sub-acid, rich; Quality best; Use, table, kitchen; Season, December, February.

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

Pryor's Red.

Pitzer Hill. Big Hill. Prior's Red.

Origin unknown. Tree upright, spreading, not very vigorous, nor an early bearer, requires a deep, rich soil, and a warm season or a southern climate for the full development of its excellence. Young wood and buds clear reddish brown, many large conspicuous gray dots.

Pryor's Red.

Fruit medium, somewhat globular oblate, obliquely depressed. Color greenish yellow, shaded with red, striped with dark crimson, and thickly sprinkled with greenish gray dots, and some seasons much covered with russet. Stalk short and thick, inserted in a small acute cavity, surrounded by traces of russet, which sometimes considerably overspread the fruit. Calyx firmly closed, set in a small basin. Flesh yellowish, tender, juicy, very rich, pleasant subacid. Very good. January to March.

There is an apple under name of Pryor's Blue, which may be distinct from the above, and may prove identical.

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

PRYOR.

REFERENCES. 1. Kenrick, 1832:59. 2. Mag. Hort., 10:207. 1844. 3. Byram, Horticulturist, 2:18. 1847. 4. Rice, Ib., 4:289. 1849. 5. Phoenix, Ib., 4:471. 1849. 6. Emmons, Nat. Hist. N. Y., 3:67. 1851. 7. Horticulturist, 6:181. 1851. 8. Mag. Hort., 19:242. 1853. 9. Elliott, 1854:99. fig. 10. Downing, 1857:96. 11. Hooper, 1857:72. 12. Am. Pom. Soc. Cat., 1860. 13. Downing, Horticulturist, 16:42. 1861. 14. Mag. Hort., 30:162. 1864. 15. Warder, 1867:627. fig. 16. Fitz, 1872:143, 149, 172. 17. Leroy, 1873:780. fig. 18. Barry, 1883:352. 19. Bailey, An. Hort., 1892:247. 20. Clayton, Ala. Sta. Bul., 47:8. 1893. 21. Powell and Fulton, U. S. B. P. I. Bul., 48:52. 1903. 22. Bruner, N. C. Sta. Bul., 182:21. 1903. 23. Budd-Hansen, 1903:155. fig. 24. Ragan, U. S. B. P. I. Bul., 56:244. 1905.

SYNONYMS. Bersford (24). Big Hill (9, 10, 17, 24). Bonford (24). Conford (24). Pitzer Hill (9, 10, 17, 24). PRIOR'S RED (10). Prior's Red (3, 9, 24). Prior's Late Red (24). Pryor's Pearmain (24). PRYOR'S RED (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 13, 14, 15, 16, 18, 19). PRYOR RED (23). Pryor Red (17, 24). Red Russet (of some 24). ROUGE DE PRYOR (17).

A southern apple of good size and rich subacid flavor; in season from December to February. Although it has long been known in cultivation it is seldom found in New York orchards, which is evidence that it is not well adapted to this region (13).

Historical. This is said to have originated in Virginia (4, 12). Hooper remarks that "it varies much in its appearance, being sometimes green russeted, then sometimes dull orange-russet with a trace of red, and again deeply red or striped, and sometimes almost black with depth of color" (11). Warder (15) remarks "it is singularly affected by change of soil and climate; thus, on the Ohio River, it is seen quite flat and regular, with a dull green russeted skin, becoming yellow and ruddy; in one part of the state of Indiana, on limestone, it is gibbous, round, often very large, and covered with a rich cinnamon russet, while on the coal measures, west of the center of the state, it is smaller, regular, and distinctly striped deep red on red, with very little russet. Specimens from Rochester, New York, have been shown with scarcely a trace of russet, and having the stripes as distinct and almost as beautiful as those of a Dutchess of Oldenburgh, so that no southern or western man would have recognized it for his home favorite. The distinctive leather-cracking about the eye was present, however, in all."

TREE. The tree as described by Byram (3), Warder (15), Downing (10, 23), Rice (4), and others attains large size and is productive when old, requiring a deep, rich soil and a warm season or southern climate for its proper development. Form upright, somewhat spreading, twiggy; branches sometimes form peculiarly acute angles. Twigs slender, clear reddish-brown with some olive-green. Lenticels large, conspicuous, gray. Foliage scattering, folded, grayish-green, subject to leaf-blight.

FRUIT. The following description of the fruit is taken from Byram (3), Elliott (9), Downing (10), Hooper (11), and Warder (15). Fruit medium to large. Form variable but usually roundish oblate; axis often oblique and sides unequal. Stem short, thick to moderately thick. Cavity small, acute to acuminate, often lipped, russeted and with some outspreading brownish-russet. Calyx small, closed. Basin small, shallow, regular. Skin thick, greenish to brownish-yellow tinged with dull red, rather indistinctly striped with dark crimson, slightly russeted. Dots numerous, large, gray or greenish. Core closed; core lines meeting. Seeds numerous, angular, acute. Flesh yellowish-white, tender, fine-grained, juicy to rather dry, subacid, very good to best. Season December to March.

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

Pryor Red (17). Size: large. Form: roundish (oblate). Color: yellow-red. Quality: very good. Use: both kitchen and market. Season: winter.

— Granville Lowther (ed.), Encyclopedia of Practical Horticulture (1914)

Pryor's Red.

Prior's Red, | Pitzer Hill, | Big Hill.

This is evidently a seedling from seed crossed with Westfield Seek-no-further and Roxbury Russet, partaking most largely of the Seek-no-further. Its certain origin we have not learned. It is not regarded as an early bearer, but as very hardy, and the fruit keeping well when grown South, and on rich alluvial soils. Grown at the North, the trees come into bearing at about eight years, and the fruit has very little russet (unless unusually warm seasons), except at stem end ; South, in good culture, it attains a size of four inches diameter, by three inches from stem to eye, and mostly covered with russet. Popular in Kentucky, not so, farther North.

Fruit, medium to very large ; form, at North, regular roundish, tapering to the eye — South, always angular, sometimes even broad at apex, being roundish angular, flattened ; color, pale yellow, ground mostly overspread with rich, warm red and russet, marbled and splashed with bronzed yellow near the stem, dark yellow russet spots surrounded with a lighter shade ; stem, short ; cavity, narrow ; calyx, small, segments erect : basin, abrupt, pretty deep, round and even, occasionally shallow ; flesh, yellowish, tender, mild sub-acid, much resembling Westfield Seek-no-further ; core, medium, marked at distance with a line encircling ; seeds, varying, generally ovate. January to April.

— F.R. Elliott, The Western Fruit Book (1865)

Pryor's Red.* (Pryor's Pearmain.) Medium or rather large, roundish, irregular, varying, apex often broad, sometimes narrow, considerably or slightly ribbed; color dull brick red on greenish yellow in dots, shades, and obscure streaks, slightly russeted; stalk long or short, cavity small; calyx open, basin narrow; flesh very tender, mild, rich, sub-acid, agreeable. Highly esteemed in Indiana, Kentucky, and Virginia—where it keeps till spring—and succeeds well farther North. Often a poor bearer. Fig. 411. Va.

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

Pryor Red.—Origin unknown; popular in Indiana, Kentucky, and Virginia; tree upright, spreading, of moderate vigor, a late and often a shy bearer; doing best on deep rich soil and in southern climates or warm seasons.

Pryor Red.

Fruit medium or above; form roundish, somewhat oblate, inclined, variable, somewhat ribbed; surface greenish yellow, mostly covered with dull red, with obscure dark crimson stripes and splashes, slightly russeted, sometimes mostly covered with russet; dots numerous, greenish gray; cavity small, narrow, acute, with radiate russet, sometimes extending far out over base; stem short and thick, sometimes long; basin narrow, small; calyx closed; flesh yellowish, very tender and rich, juicy, mild pleasant subacid, very good. January to March.

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