Safstaholms

Origin / History

Safstaholms originated in Sweden about 1835. It was received for testing at the Geneva Experiment Station (New York) from the United States Pomologist in 1901. Specimens were also grown by F. J. Peterson of Waconia, Minnesota, as reported by Hansen in 1902. Early references include Regel (1868), Gibb (1886–87), and Eneroth-Smirnoff (1901).

Tree

Beach describes the tree as moderately vigorous with rather short, slender branches. Form upright spreading or roundish, open. Hansen characterizes it simply as "a good hardy tree."

Twigs: Short, rather slender to moderately stout, straight or nearly so; internodes short to medium. Bark rather dull brown tinged with red, mottled with heavy scarf-skin, pubescent. Lenticels very scattering, small to medium, roundish, not raised.

Buds: Often rather deeply set in the bark, medium size or below, plump, obtuse to somewhat acute, free, pubescent.

Beach notes the tree comes into bearing young and promises to be productive; he considers it a pretty good grower.

Fruit

Size and Form: Hansen describes the fruit as medium, roundish, and somewhat conical. Beach describes it as medium to large, pretty uniform in shape and size, with form oblong to oblong conic, somewhat elliptical, often indistinctly ribbed; sides often unequal. [These accounts conflict on both size and form; Hansen's specimens came from Minnesota, Beach's from Geneva, New York, and the two observations may reflect different growing conditions or stock.]

Stem: Hansen records the stem as one-half inch long. Beach describes it as short to medium, moderately slender to rather thick.

Cavity: Hansen describes the cavity as shallow and obtuse. Beach describes it as large, acute to acuminate, moderately shallow to deep, wide, sometimes lipped, often russeted. [The two sources conflict on depth and shape of the cavity.]

Calyx: Beach: medium or below, usually partly open; lobes moderately narrow, acute.

Basin: Hansen describes the basin as nearly flat. Beach describes it as small to medium, obtuse to rather abrupt, shallow to moderately deep, moderately narrow to rather wide, gently furrowed. [Conflict on depth and contour.]

Skin: Hansen describes the surface as greenish white with red stripes. Beach describes the skin as thin, smooth or sometimes slightly rough toward the apex, pale yellow mottled and blushed with red, becoming rather dull red over a considerable portion of the fruit, mottled and splashed with carmine and sometimes marked with flecks and irregular lines of russet. Prevailing color red. [Hansen's description of "greenish white with red stripes" differs from Beach's riper, redder account; this may reflect different stages of maturity or growing conditions.]

Dots: Rather conspicuous, often large, pale gray or with russet center (Beach).

Calyx Tube: Cone-shaped. Stamens basal (Beach).

Core and Seeds: Core medium to large, abaxile; cells often unsymmetrical, usually somewhat open; core lines meeting. Carpels roundish to broadly ovate, mucronate, sometimes emarginate, tufted. Seeds numerous, above medium to rather large, wide, usually obtuse, plump (Beach).

Flesh and Flavor: Hansen describes the flesh as white, juicy, fine grained, and subacid, rating it good. Beach describes the flesh as yellowish, firm, a little coarse, moderately juicy, peculiarly aromatic, mildly subacid, rich, and good for dessert, but rather mild for culinary use. Beach adds that the flesh lacks piquancy and is not very juicy, yet because of its distinct aroma and rich subacid flavor it is classed among the good dessert apples; it is hardly acid enough for culinary use. [Hansen records white flesh; Beach records yellowish flesh.]

Season

Beach gives the season as late October or November to midwinter; often some portion of the fruit may be kept in ordinary storage to March.

Hansen states the variety ripens two weeks earlier than Duchess. [Duchess of Oldenburg is a late-summer variety, which would place Hansen's observed ripening in midsummer to early fall — a significant conflict with Beach's late October to midwinter season. The discrepancy may reflect different strains, different climate conditions in Minnesota versus New York, or an error in one account.]

Uses

Good dessert apple by reason of its aroma and rich subacid flavor. Beach considers it rather mild for culinary use and doubts whether it has sufficient value for the New York fruit grower to warrant trial in that state.

Subtypes / Variants

Not described in source.

Other

Beach's evaluation notes that the apple is of fairly good red color, not particularly bright yet not unattractive. The variety was tested at the Geneva Station beginning in 1901 from USDA Pomologist material. Hansen's specimens came from F. J. Peterson, Waconia, Minnesota.