Seek-No-Further
Apple
USDA Pomological Watercolor Collection
Seek-No-Further
Origin/History
A native of one of the Eastern states (Coxe, 1817). The name has been applied to many different apples; the variety that pomologists know as the Westfield Seek-No-Further is what New York fruit growers and fruit buyers commonly call by the simple name Seek-No-Further, or its abbreviation, Seek (Beach, 1905). Thomas (1903) cross-references this name to both a "Green" and a "Westfield" variant without further elaboration.
Tree
Bears well. The trunk is straight and tall, shooting its branches upward in a handsome and regular form (Coxe, 1817).
Fruit
Size: Large.
Form: Round but oblong.
Stem: Not described in source.
Cavity: Not described in source.
Calyx: Not described in source.
Basin: Not described in source.
Skin: Smooth, yellowish green in color.
Flesh/Flavor: Yellow; juicy, rich, and tender.
Core/Seeds: Not described in source.
Season
An agreeable early winter apple (Coxe, 1817).
Uses
Not described in source.
Subtypes/Variants
Beach (1905) lists several regional variants bearing this name, each identified as a distinct variety: Long Island Seek-No-Further and Rhode Island Seek-No-Further and Westchester Seek-No-Further are each referred to Ferris; May Seek-No-Further is referred to Grayhouse; Oakland County Seek-No-Further is referred to Oakland; Seek-No-Further of some is referred to Rambo.
Other
Not described in source.
Book Sources
Described in 3 period pomological works
Nursery Catalog Sources
Found in 18 catalogs (1845–1924) from California, Illinois, Massachusetts, Oregon
- Winship's Nursery (Brighton Nurseries , operated by the Winship family), Brighton (Boston) , Massachusetts — 1845
- Hovey & Co. , Cambridge , Massachusetts — 1849
- Azell Bowditch (Nursery / Fruit Catalog) , Boston , Massachusetts — 1850
- Joseph Breck & Co. , Boston , Massachusetts — 1855
- Hutchison Nursery , James Hutchison, Oakland , California — 1881
- Felix Gillet , Barren Hill Nursery, Nevada City , California — 1884
- Felix Gillet , Barren Hill Nursery, Nevada City , California — 1888
- Felix Gillet , Barren Hill Nursery, Nevada City , California — 1890
- Felix Gillet , Barren Hill Nursery, Nevada City , California — 1891
- Milwaukie-Canby Nurseries , Canby, OR (and Milwaukie, OR) — 1893
- Oregon Wholesale Nurseries , Salem , Oregon — 1893
- Multnomah Nurseries , Russellville , Oregon — 1894
- The Vineland Nurseries (Kelsey & Co. , Proprietors), St. Joseph, Missouri (Office: 13th and Atchison Sts., 2 Blocks East of the Citizens St. Car Line) — 1894
- Felix Gillet , Barren Hill Nursery, Nevada City , California — 1895
- Felix Gillet , Barren Hill Nursery, Nevada City , California — 1897
- S.L. Watkins , Grizzly Flats, El Dorado County , California — 1901
- Phoenix Nursery Company (W. E. Rossney , President; Sidney Tuttle, Vice-President), Bloomington , Illinois — 1904
- Fresno Nursery Co. , Fresno , California — 1924
View original book sources (3)
— William Coxe, A View of the Cultivation of Fruit Trees (1817)NO. 50. SEEK NO FURTHER.
This apple is a native of one of the Eastern states; it is a large fruit, of a round but oblong form, the skin smooth, of a yellowish green colour; the flesh yellow, juicy, rich and tender; an agreeable early winter apple: the tree bears well, the trunk straight and tall, shooting its branches upwards in a handsome and regular form.
— S.A. Beach, The Apples of New York, Vol. 1 (1905)SEEK-NO-FURTHER.
The meaning of this name is evident. It has been applied to many different apples but the variety which pomologists know as the Westfield Seek-No-Further New York fruit growers and fruit buyers commonly call by the simple name Seek-No-Further or its abbreviation, Seek. For an account of this apple the reader is referred to Westfield Seek-No-Further.
Among the other varieties described in this volume with Seek-No-Further occurring in either the accepted name or in a synonym are those mentioned in the following list.
Long Island Seek-No-Further see Ferris. May Seek-No-Further see Grayhouse. Oakland County Seek-No-Further see Oakland. Rhode Island Seek-No-Further see Ferris. Seek-No-Further of some see Rambo. Westchester Seek-No-Further see Ferris.
— John J. Thomas, The American Fruit Culturist (1903)Seek-no-further. See Green do. and Westfield do.