Richard's Graft
Apple
USDA Pomological Watercolor Collection
Richard's Graft
Origin / History
Originated at Greenport, Columbia County, N. Y., according to Downing and Beach; Budd and Hansen give Greenport, New York. Beach names the originator as Richard Delamatter. He says Richard's Graft was introduced about 1860 by E. G. Studley, a nurseryman of Claverack, Columbia County; Hedrick gives the introduction as 1860. Elliott and Warder record it only as "supposed" to have originated in Ulster County, N. Y. Elliott calls it "an old fruit." The earliest reference Beach cites is the Magazine of Horticulture for 1852, where the variety appears under the name "Richard."
Elliott, in 1865, called it "as yet little known." Downing calls it "An excellent fall Apple, worthy of extended cultivation." Warder quotes Downing as calling it "One of the best dessert apples of its season," and Budd and Hansen quote him as "one of the best apples of its season." Beach calls it "a very fine fall apple of superior dessert quality." He reports that its cultivation was being extended somewhat in Columbia County but that it was as yet little known outside the Hudson Valley. Budd and Hansen record it as cultivated on the Hudson River. Hedrick calls it "a product of the Hudson Valley, New York," which "at present is grown only there," and "a fall apple, superior because choicely good in quality."
Tree
Upright, free-growing, moderately vigorous to vigorous. Elliott, Warder, and Downing give it upright; Downing calls it upright spreading. Beach gives it of medium size, moderately vigorous, upright or roundish, open, and long-lived. Warder alone calls it vigorous.
Beach describes the wood in detail. Twigs moderately long, curved, moderately stout; internodes medium. Bark dark brown, lightly streaked with scarf-skin, pubescent. Lenticels quite numerous, medium size, round, not raised. Buds medium size, broad, acute to obtuse, free, pubescent. Young shoots very dark reddish brown, downy (Downing).
Productive. Elliott gives it a good bearer, and Warder "very productive." Beach calls it a reliable cropper yielding good crops biennially. Hedrick finds the trees "satisfactory except in bearing biennially."
Fruit
Size: Medium to large. Downing, Beach, and Lowther give medium. Elliott, Warder, and Budd and Hansen place it above medium or medium to large.
Form: Roundish oblate, regular (Warder; Budd and Hansen); truncated (Budd and Hansen).
Stem: Long, an inch long (Elliott), red (Warder; Budd and Hansen). Downing calls it of medium length and slender.
Cavity: Large, wide or broad, regular, deep, obtuse, with much stellate russet (Budd and Hansen). Hedrick's condensation of Beach reads "cavity small, closed."
Calyx: Small, closed. Segments reflexed (Elliott) or sometimes recurved (Downing); Budd and Hansen call them erect convergent. Calyx tube funnel-shaped; stamens median (Budd and Hansen).
Basin: Medium, abrupt. Elliott alone calls it deep. Warder calls it folded and Downing slightly uneven; Budd and Hansen call it nearly smooth.
Skin: Smooth. Yellow (greenish yellow in Warder), nearly covered with stripes, splashes, marblings, mixings, and shades of rich red. Beach calls the red deep red. Budd and Hansen describe the red as also dotted and overlaid with whitish. Lowther gives the skin as yellow-red.
Dots: Many, white or whitish; obscure (Budd and Hansen).
Flesh and flavor: Flesh yellowish to yellowish white, fine-grained, tender (very tender in Beach), juicy. Flavor rich, pleasant, aromatic subacid; Elliott calls it vinous.
Downing, Beach, and Lowther rate it "very good." Warder rates it "best," and Budd and Hansen "very good to best." Elliott calls it "fine for the dessert." Hedrick calls it "choicely good in quality."
Core and seeds: Core small. Warder calls it closed, clasping the eye; Budd and Hansen call it half open. Cells ovate, entire (Budd and Hansen). Seeds numerous, plump.
Season
September and October in most accounts; Beach gives September. Beach says it begins to ripen during late August or early September. The crop ripens in succession over a period of several weeks, so several pickings are required to secure the fruit in prime condition. Some portion of the fruit may be kept till late autumn. Lowther alone gives the season as winter.
Uses
A dessert apple. Beach calls it an excellent variety for home use and says it was being grown to a limited extent in commercial orchards with profit. Hedrick judges it "suitable for a home product only, as the crop ripens in a succession of several weeks." Lowther gives its use as both kitchen and market.
Subtypes / Variants
Not described in source.
Other
Lowther records that the Northern Division of the American Pomological Society reported it from 2 stations, with an asterisk indicating the variety was reported in more than one division. Thomas's American Fruit Culturist (1903) lists it as "Richards' Graft," p. 314.
Book Sources
Described in 8 period pomological works
- Warder, American Pomology: Apples (1867)
- Beach, The Apples of New York Vol. 2 (1905) — listed as Richard Graft
- Budd & Hansen, Systematic Pomology (1914) — listed as Richards Graft
- Downing, Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900)
- Elliott, The Western Fruit Book (1865)
- Lowther (ed.), Encyclopedia of Practical Horticulture (1914)
- Thomas, The American Fruit Culturist (1903) — listed as Richards' Graft
- Hedrick, Cyclopedia of Hardy Fruits (1922) — listed as RICHARD GRAFT
Nursery Catalog Sources
Found in 3 catalogs (1901–1918) from Illinois, Missouri
- Benjamin Buckman (personal inventory) , Farmingdale , Illinois — 1901
- Benjamin Buckman (personal inventory) , Farmingdale , Illinois — 1913
- Stark Bros. Nurseries & Orchards Co. , Louisiana , Missouri — 1918 — listed as Strawberry
View original book sources (8)
— F.R. Elliott, The Western Fruit Book (1865)Richard's Graft. Derrick's Graft, | Wine Strawberry, Red Spitzenberg. An old fruit, supposed from Ulster County, N. Y., but as yet little known. Tree, a free, upright grower, good bearer of an apple, fine for the dessert. Fruit, above medium, roundish flattened; yellow, striped with red; stem, inch long; cavity, deep, broad; calyx, closed; segments reflexed; basin, deep; flesh, fine grained, tender, juicy, vinous. September to October.
— John A. Warder, American Pomology: Apples (1867)Richard's Graft.
RED SPITZENBERG — STRAWBERRY — WINE.
Supposed to have originated in Ulster County, New York. Tree vigorous, upright, very productive.
Fig. 110. — Richard's graft.
Fruit medium to large, regular, oblate ; Surface smooth, greenish-yellow, mixed and splashed red ; Dots numerous, white. Basin medium, abrupt, folded ; Eye small, closed. Cavity wide, regular ; Stem long, red. Core small, closed, clasping the eye ; Seeds numerous, plump ; Flesh yellowish-white, fine-grained, tender, juicy ; Flavor rich, sub acid ; Quality best ; Use for the dessert ; Season September and October. Downing says : "One of the best dessert apples of its season."
— A.J. Downing, The Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900)Richard's Graft.
Derrick's Graft. Red Spitzenburgh. Derrikinan. Strawberry. Wine. Dirck's Graft. Uncle Richard's Graft.
Originated at Greenport, Columbia Co., N. Y. An excellent fall Apple, worthy of extended cultivation. Tree a free, upright spreading grower, productive. Young shoots very dark reddish brown, downy. Fruit medium, roundish oblate. Color yellow, nearly covered with splashes, marblings, and shades of rich red. Stalk medium length, slender. Cavity large. Calyx small, closed. Segments sometimes recurved. Basin medium, slightly uneven. Flesh yellowish, tender, juicy, pleasant, rich, aromatic subacid. Very good. September, October.
— John J. Thomas, The American Fruit Culturist (1903)Richards' Graft, p. 314.
— S.A. Beach, The Apples of New York, Vol. 2 (1905)RICHARD GRAFT.
References. 1. Mag. Hort., 18:492. 1852. 2. Downing, 1857:101. fig. 3. Warder, 1867:457. fig. 4. Thomas, 1875:204. 5. Am. Pom. Soc. Cat., 1877:14. 6. Barry, 1883:340. 7. Mich. Hort. Soc. Rpt., 1888. 8. Hendricks, Rural N. Y., 47:759, 811. 1888. 9. Bailey, An. Hort., 1892:248. 10. Budd-Hansen, 1903:166.
Synonyms. Derrick and Ann (8). Derrick's Graft (2, 4). Red Spitzenburg (3). Red Spitsenburgh (2, 4, 6). Richard (1). Richard Graft (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9). Strawberry (2, 3). Wine (2, 3).
This is a very fine fall apple of superior dessert quality. It begins to ripen during late August or early September; the crop ripens in succession during a period of several weeks, and some portion of the fruit may be kept till late autumn. Several pickings are required in order to secure the fruit in prime condition. The tree is upright, of medium size, moderately vigorous, long-lived and a reliable cropper yielding good crops biennially. It is an excellent variety for home use and is being grown to a limited extent in commercial orchards with profit.
Historical. This variety was originated at Greenport, Columbia county, N. Y., by Richard Delamatter. It was introduced about 1860 by E. G. Studley, a nurseryman of Claverack, Columbia county, N. Y. Its cultivation is being extended somewhat in Columbia county, but as yet it is but little known outside of the Hudson valley.
Tree. Tree of medium size, moderately vigorous. Form upright or roundish, open. Twigs moderately long, curved, moderately stout; internodes medium. Bark dark brown, lightly streaked with scarf-skin; pubescent. Lenticels quite numerous, medium size, round, not raised. Buds medium size, broad, acute to obtuse, free, pubescent.
Fruit (2, 8). Fruit medium size. Form roundish oblate. Stem of medium length, slender. Cavity large. Calyx small, closed. Basin medium size. Skin yellow, nearly covered with stripes and splashes of deep red. Flesh yellowish, very tender, juicy, aromatic, subacid, very good. Season September.
— J.L. Budd & N.E. Hansen, American Horticultural Manual, Part II: Systematic Pomology (1914)Richards Graft. — Originated at Greenport, New York. Downing said "one of the best apples of its season." Cultivated on the Hudson River.
Fruit above medium to large, roundish, regular, truncated; surface smooth, yellow, nearly covered with splashed, striped, marbled, and dotted rich red, overlaid with whitish; dots many, obscure, whitish; cavity wide, deep, obtuse, with much stellate russet; stem long, red; basin abrupt, medium, nearly smooth; calyx small, closed, segments erect convergent. Core half open, small; cells ovate, entire; tube funnel-shaped; stamens median ; seeds many, plump; flesh yellowish, white, tender, juicy, fine-grained, rich, pleasant aromatic subacid; very good to best. September and October.
— Granville Lowther (ed.), Encyclopedia of Practical Horticulture (1914)Richard's Graft is a medium-sized apple of roundish (oblate) form with yellow-red skin. Quality is very good. Use is both kitchen and market. Season is winter. The Northern Division of the American Pomological Society reports 2 stations, with the asterisk indicating the variety is reported in more than one division.
— U.P. Hedrick, Cyclopedia of Hardy Fruits (1922)RICHARD GRAFT. Red Spitzenberg. Strawberry. Wine. Richard Graft is a product of the Hudson Valley, New York, and at present is grown only there. It is a fall apple, superior because choicely good in quality, but suitable for a home product only, as the crop ripens in a succession of several weeks. The trees are satisfactory except in bearing biennially. The variety was introduced in 1860 by E. G. Studley, Claverack, New York.
Tree of medium size, vigorous, upright, open. Fruit of medium size, round-oblate; stem of medium length, slender; cavity small, closed; basin of medium size; skin yellow, covered with stripes and splashes of deep red; flesh yellow, very tender, juicy, aromatic, subacid; very good; September.