Salome.

A new variety, which originated on the grounds of Elias C. Hathaway, Ottawa, Ill. Tree said to be very hardy, healthy, vigorous; leaves large, thick and firm; young wood very dark, hard, and fine-grained; an upright grower, forming a round head with age; an early and good bearer annually, but more abundantly on alternate years; the fruit adheres firmly until gathering time. Its hardiness, long keeping, good quality, uniform size, retaining its flavor quite late, even into summer, will no doubt make it valuable for the West and Northwest.

Fruit rather below medium, roundish conical, slightly angular; skin pale yellow, shaded with pale red, striped and splashed with dark red over most of the surface, and thickly sprinkled with large and small light yellowish dots — a portion areole: stalk short, rather small; cavity quite large, deep, a little greenish; calyx closed; basin rather small, slightly plaited; flesh whitish yellow, half fine, tender, juicy, mild subacid, slightly aromatic; very good; core rather large. January, May.

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

SALOME.

REFERENCES. 1. Hatheway, Ill. Hort. Soc. Rpt., 1878:133. 2. Ib., 1879:195. 3. Downing, 1881:103 app. fig. 4. Thomas, 1885:523. 5. Budd, Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt., 1885:26. 6. Can. Hort., 11:8. 1888. 7. Bailey, An. Hort., 1892:249. 8. Brown, Can. Hort., 17:252. 1894. 9. Craig, Can. Dept. Agr. Rpt., 1894:125. 10. Waugh, Vt. Sta. Bul., 61:32. 1897. 11. Am. Pom. Soc. Cat., 1899:20. 12. N. C. Bd. Agr. Bul., 1900:10. 13. Can. Hort., 24:454. 1901. 14. Dickens and Greene, Kan. Sta. Bul., 106:55. 1902. 15. Budd-Hansen, 1903:172. 16. Powell and Fulton, U. S. B. P. I. Bul., 48:55. 1903. 17. Beach and Clark, N. Y. Sta. Bul., 248:143. 1904. 18. Can. Hort., 27:242, 245, 1904. fig. 19. Nat. Nurseryman, 13:52. 1905.

This fruit is usually below medium size and but moderately attractive in color but sometimes it develops good size and good color. As grown in New York it does not excel standard sorts of its season in size, color or quality. In some parts of the state it is regarded with considerable favor as a promising commercial variety because the fruit hangs well to the tree in high winds, is firm, stands handling well and usually keeps pretty well, is smooth and usually free from scab; and because the tree is vigorous, very hardy, healthy, comes into bearing early and is a reliable cropper, yielding moderate to good crops biennially or nearly annually. It appears to vary somewhat in keeping qualities in different seasons and in different localities. As grown at this Station its usual commercial limit is March but exceptionally it shows a rather rapid rate of loss in early winter. It stands heat well before going into storage and goes down rapidly (17). In Central and Western New York it appears to require a warm soil and warm exposure together with careful attention to training that the top may be kept sufficiently open to admit the sunlight to the foliage in all parts of the tree so as to hasten the ripening of the fruit and improve its color. Because the fruit lacks in size and color probably it will never be planted very extensively in this state.

Historical. Salome originated about 1853 in a nursery in Ottawa, Illinois. The property afterwards came into the hands of Mr. E. C. Hatheway who discovered the merits of the variety and began its propagation. He exhibited it before the Illinois State Horticultural Society in 1878 under the name of Salome. In 1884 it was introduced to the trade by Arthur Bryant, Princeton, Illinois. It has been disseminated sparingly in various parts of this state. So far it has been but little planted in New York orchards but in some localities its cultivation is perhaps increasing slightly.

TREE.

Tree a vigorous, upright grower in the nursery; in the orchard it becomes large. Form upright, becoming roundish, dense. Twigs short to long, rather slender to stout with large terminal buds, straight or nearly so; internodes short to rather long. Bark clear reddish-brown tinged with olive-green, lightly mottled with scarf-skin, slightly pubescent. Lenticels clear in color, conspicuous, rather scattering, narrow, elongated, pointed, slightly raised. Buds medium to rather small, plump, obtuse to acute, free or partly adhering, slightly pubescent.

FRUIT.

Fruit below medium to above, uniform in size and shape. Form roundish oblate to roundish ovate inclined to conic, often somewhat elliptical or obscurely ribbed, usually symmetrical. Stem long, usually slender. Cavity above medium, acute to acuminate, deep, broad, often compressed or obscurely furrowed, thinly russeted. Calyx small, usually closed. Basin often but slightly depressed, but sometimes moderately deep and inclined to abrupt, usually rather narrow, furrowed and wrinkled.

Skin thin, tough, smooth, rather pale yellow or greenish, more or less mottled and blushed with pinkish-red rather obscurely striped with carmine, marked toward the cavity with grayish scarf-skin and covered with whitish bloom. Sometimes a considerable portion of the fruit is overspread with a good red color. Dots conspicuous, whitish or pale gray, often areolar with russet point.

Calyx tube small to medium, cone-shape. Stamens basal to nearly median.

Core rather large, abaxile; cells often unsymmetrical, usually wide open, sometimes closed; core lines meeting or slightly clasping. Carpels thin, smooth, often decidedly concave, broadly roundish, sometimes slightly emarginate. Seeds rather numerous, medium or above, wide, obtuse, light and dark brown.

Flesh tinged with yellow, firm, moderately fine-grained, crisp, rather tender, juicy, sprightly, subacid, good to very good.

Season November to March but sometimes it does not extend through January.

¹Letter, F. E. Brogden, 1905.

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

Salome. Size: medium. Form: roundish (oblate). Color: yellow, striped or splashed (red). Quality: very good. Use: market. Season: winter.

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

Planted Spring 1890. Tree a vigorous grower and an early and regular bearer. Fruit a little below medium size, roundish, conical. Skin yellow, shaded with pale red, striped and splashed with dark red, over most of the surface, and sprinkled with light yellowish dots. Flesh yellowish, fine grained, tender, juicy, mildly sub-acid, slightly aromatic, quality very good. Season January to May.

— Central Experimental Farm, Central Experimental Farm, Agassiz BC — Catalogue of Fruit Trees under Test (Bulletin No. 3, 1900) (1900)

Salome. Medium, roundish, slightly conical, striped and shaded light and deep red on a pale yellow skin; flesh tender, mild sub-acid, slightly aromatic, very good. Long keeper. A valuable new western apple.

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

Salome.—Originated with Elias C. Hathaway, Ottawa, Illinois; tree a strong, upright grower, very productive.

Fruit medium or below, roundish conical, somewhat angular; surface greenish yellow, washed, splashed and striped with bright red overlaid with whitish; dots distinct, many, whitish, large, a few russet dots; cavity deep, regular, obtuse, with some stellate russet; stem medium to long, stout; basin shallow, nearly smooth, a few minute wrinkles; calyx closed; segments erect convergent. Core large, open, barely clasping, sessile; cells ovate, axile, entire; tube conical; stamens basal; seeds fourteen to nineteen, large, flattened; flesh yellow, crisp, tender, sprightly, subacid, good. Late winter.

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

SALOME. Salome is a very good commercial apple in the southern Mississippi Valley. The characters commending the fruits are: ability to stand handling well, long-keeping qualities, and freedom from apple-scab. The outstanding characters of the tree are: hardiness, healthfulness, vigor, productiveness, early and nearly annual bearing. The variety needs a long season to develop either fruit or tree. Salome originated about 1853 in Ottawa, Illinois.

Tree vigorous, large, upright, dense. Fruit medium in size, uniform in size and shape, round-oblate to round-ovate, often elliptical, obscurely ribbed, usually symmetrical; stem long, slender; cavity large, acute, deep, broad, often compressed or obscurely furrowed, thinly russeted; calyx small, closed; basin often depressed, sometimes deep and inclined to abrupt, usually narrow, furrowed and wrinkled; skin thin, tough, smooth, pale yellow mottled and blushed with red and obscurely striped with carmine, marked toward the cavity with gray scarf-skin and covered with bloom; dots conspicuous, pale gray, often areolar with russet point; calyx-tube small, cone-shape; stamens basal; core large, abaxile; cells often unsymmetrical, usually wide open, sometimes closed; core-lines meeting; carpels thin, smooth, often concave, broadly round, sometimes emarginate; seeds numerous, wide, obtuse, light and dark brown; flesh yellow, firm, fine-grained, crisp, tender, juicy, sprightly subacid; good to very good; November to March.

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