September
AppleSeptember
[NOTE: Source text may be incorrect — the sources describe two different fruits under the one name. Elliott, Warder, Downing, and Thomas describe a large Pennsylvania apple of October. Beach and Hedrick describe a Minnesota crab-apple of September raised by Peter M. Gideon, and Beach states that it "is distinct from the September apple described by Downing." Both are recorded below, kept separate under each heading.]
Origin / History
The Pennsylvania September originated in Centre County, Pennsylvania, and was received by Downing from W. G. Waring. Warder says it was "highly esteemed by Mr. W. G. Waring, of Center County, Pennsylvania, where it originated." Elliott, copying Downing, prints the place as "Canton County, Pa."
The September crab originated with Peter M. Gideon, Excelsior, Minnesota, from seed of Cherry Crab. Hedrick reports only that it "is said to be" a Cherry crab seedling. In 1888 Gideon sent stock to the New York Station for testing. Beach calls it "a very handsome fruit of good quality." Hedrick judges it "not as desirable as several other of his crab-apples," despite handsome fruit of good quality. He also says its branch habit makes it "much more difficult to manage than several of its orchard associates."
Tree
The Pennsylvania September tree is hardy and vigorous, a good and regular bearer. Its young wood is smooth and reddish brown, and its buds are prominent (Downing).
The September crab tree is vigorous, a good grower, with short, stout, crooked and twisted branches, which Hedrick calls "serious defects." Form rather flat, spreading, open. Twigs moderately long, curved, moderately stout, with large terminal buds; internodes long. Bark clear brown, lightly mottled with scarf-skin, slightly pubescent near tips. Lenticels quite numerous, medium size, round, not raised. Buds prominent, large, long, plump, acute, free, not pubescent. The tree comes into bearing young and yields full crops biennially (Beach).
Fruit
Size: Pennsylvania September: large. September crab: medium to large for a crab, uniform in size but not in shape (Beach).
Form: Pennsylvania September: globular or roundish, somewhat depressed, very slightly conic. Elliott and Warder, quoting Downing, add angular. September crab: roundish oblate to somewhat oblong, inclined to conic, frequently ribbed; sides usually unequal (Beach).
Stem: Pennsylvania September: short. September crab: usually long and slender (Beach).
Cavity: Pennsylvania September: deep, abrupt, surrounded by thin russet. September crab: somewhat obtuse, rather shallow to medium in depth, medium to broad, occasionally furrowed, sometimes russeted (Beach).
Calyx: Pennsylvania September: partially closed. September crab: medium to rather large, closed or partly open. Calyx tube rather short, medium in width, broadly funnel-form; pistil point persistent. Stamens median to nearly marginal (Beach).
Basin: Pennsylvania September: open. September crab: mammillate, very shallow to moderately deep, medium in width, slightly obtuse (Beach).
Skin: Pennsylvania September: yellow, slightly shaded. September crab: thin, tender, smooth, pale yellow or greenish, striped with red. Well colored specimens become nearly covered with dark red, overspread with bluish bloom (Beach).
Dots: Pennsylvania September: brown, thinly sprinkled. September crab: small, scattering, inconspicuous, gray or brownish (Beach).
Flesh and flavor: Pennsylvania September: flesh yellowish, tender, juicy, with "a very agreeable sub-acid flavor." Downing rates it "Very good." September crab: flesh tinged with yellow, medium in grain, moderately tender, juicy, subacid. Beach calls it "not astringent but with an agreeable crabapple flavor" and rates it "good to very good in quality."
Core and seeds: September crab: core medium size, axile or slightly abaxile; cells closed or wide open; core lines clasping. Carpels roundish, elongated. Seeds variable in shape, medium size, moderately wide, rather short, acute to broadly acute, rather light dull brown (Beach).
Season
Pennsylvania September: October. September crab: September, ripening a few days later than Transcendent (Beach).
Uses
September crab: good for either dessert or culinary use (Beach).
Subtypes / Variants
Not described in source.
Other
Beach's references for the crab are Mich. Hort. Soc. Rpt., 1888:319, and Beach, N. Y. Sta. An. Rpt., 12:602, 1893. For the Pennsylvania apple he cites Downing, 1888:350.
Book Sources
Described in 6 period pomological works
Nursery Catalog Sources
Found in 2 catalogs (1900–1913) from Illinois
- Central Experimental Farm , Dominion Department of Agriculture, Agassiz, British Columbia (under test; Bulletin No. 3, Second Series) — 1900
- Benjamin Buckman (personal inventory) , Farmingdale , Illinois — 1913
View original book sources (6)
— F.R. Elliott, The Western Fruit Book (1865)September. Pride of September. Origin, Canton County, Pa. Tree, hardy and vigorous, a good and regular bearer. Fruit, large, globular, somewhat depressed, very slightly conic angular; skin, yellow, slightly shaded, and thinly sprinkled with brown dots; stalk, short, inserted in a deep, abrupt cavity, surrounded by thin russet; calyx, partially closed, set in an open basin; flesh, yellowish, tender, juicy, with a very agreeable sub-acid flavor. October. (Downing.)
— John A. Warder, American Pomology: Apples (1867)September.
This apple is highly esteemed by Mr. W. G. Waring, of Center County, Pennsylvania, where it originated.
Tree hardy and vigorous, a good and regular bearer.
"Fruit large, globular, somewhat depressed, slightly conic, angular; Skin yellow, slightly shaded and thinly sprinkled with brown dots; Stalk short, inserted in a deep, abrupt cavity, surrounded by thin russet; Calyx partially closed, set in an open basin; Flesh yellowish, tender, juicy, with a very agreeable sub-acid flavor; October." — Downing.
— A.J. Downing, The Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900)September. Pride of September. Origin, Centre Co., Pa., received from W. G. Waring. Tree hardy and vigorous, a good and regular bearer. Young wood smooth, reddish brown. Buds prominent. Fruit large, globular, somewhat depressed, very slightly conic, yellow, slightly shaded and thinly sprinkled with brown dots. Stalk short, inserted in a deep, abrupt cavity, surrounded by thin russet. Calyx partially closed, set in an open basin. Flesh yellowish, tender, juicy, very agreeable subacid. Very good. October.
— John J. Thomas, The American Fruit Culturist (1903)September. Large, roundish, yellow; agreeable sub-acid. October. Pa.
— S.A. Beach, The Apples of New York, Vol. 2 (1905)SEPTEMBER.
REFERENCES. 1. Mich. Hort. Soc. Rpt., 1888:319. 2. Beach, N. Y. Sta. An. Rpt., 12:602. 1893.
SYNONYMS. None.
A very handsome fruit of good quality for either dessert or culinary use. It ripens a few days later than Transcendent.
The tree is a good grower, comes into bearing young and yields full crops biennially.
This is distinct from the September apple described by Downing.¹
Historical. Originated with Peter M. Gideon, Excelsior, Minn., from seed of Cherry Crab. In 1888 Mr. Gideon sent stock of this variety to this Station for testing.
TREE. Tree vigorous, with short, stout, crooked and twisted branches. Form rather flat, spreading, open. Twigs moderately long, curved, moderately stout with large terminal buds; internodes long. Bark clear brown, lightly mottled with scarf-skin; slightly pubescent near tips. Lenticels quite numerous, medium size, round, not raised. Buds prominent, large, long, plump, acute, free, not pubescent.
FRUIT. Fruit medium to large for a crab, uniform in size but not in shape. Form roundish oblate to somewhat oblong, inclined to conic, frequently ribbed; sides usually unequal. Stem usually long and slender. Cavity somewhat obtuse, rather shallow to medium in depth, medium to broad, occasionally furrowed, sometimes russeted. Calyx medium to rather large, closed or partly open. Basin mammillate, very shallow to moderately deep, medium in width, slightly obtuse. Skin thin, tender, smooth, pale yellow or greenish, striped with red, in well colored specimens becoming nearly covered with dark red, overspread with bluish bloom. Dots small, scattering, inconspicuous, gray or brownish. Calyx tube rather short, medium in width, broadly funnel-form; pistil point persistent. Stamens median to nearly marginal. Core medium size, axile or slightly abaxile; cells closed or wide open; core lines clasping. Carpels roundish, elongated. Seeds variable in shape, medium size, moderately wide, rather short, acute to broadly acute, rather light dull brown. Flesh tinged with yellow, medium in grain, moderately tender, juicy, subacid, not astringent but with an agreeable crabapple flavor, good to very good in quality. Season September.
¹ Downing, 1888:350.
— U.P. Hedrick, Cyclopedia of Hardy Fruits (1922)SEPTEMBER. This variety, also, comes from Peter Gideon, but is not as desirable as several other of his crab-apples, though the fruits are handsome and of good quality for either dessert or culinary uses. The trees, though vigorous, have short, stout, crooked, twisted branches—serious defects which make the variety much more difficult to manage than several of its orchard associates. The variety is said to be a seedling from the Cherry crab. Tree vigorous, spreading, open, with short, stout, crooked and twisted branches. Fruit medium to large, uniform in size but not in shape, round-oblate to oblong, sometimes conic, frequently ribbed, sides usually unequal; stem long, slender; cavity obtuse, shallow, broad, occasionally furrowed, sometimes russeted; calyx large, closed or partly open; basin mammillate, shallow, deep, obtuse; skin thin, tender, smooth, pale yellow, striped with red, in well-colored specimens nearly covered with dark red, overspread with bloom; dots small, scattering, gray or brown; calyx-tube short, broadly funnel-form, pistil point persistent; stamens median; core medium size, axile or abaxile; cells closed or wide open; corelines clasping; carpels round, elongated; seeds variable in shape, of medium size, wide, short, acute, light dull brown; flesh yellow, tender, juicy, subacid, with an agreeable crab-apple flavor; good to very good; September.