Sops Of Wine
Apple
USDA Pomological Watercolor Collection
Sops Of Wine
Origin / History
An ancient English variety (Budd-Hansen), described as European/foreign by Warder and Elliott. Known in Europe since 1688, when it was described by Ray, and grown in America for nearly two centuries (Hedrick). Bunyard notes that many red-fleshed apples have had this name applied to them, but believes the variety he describes to be the Old English apple so called. By Hedrick's time (1922) it was grown only on the Atlantic seaboard and even there was rapidly passing from cultivation. Beach characterizes it as of little value except as a dessert apple for family use.
Tree
Vigorous (Warder, Elliott, Budd-Hansen, Bunyard, Hedrick); spreading (Warder); upright, spreading (Budd-Hansen); upright, dense (Hedrick); large (Hedrick). An early bearer (Elliott, Budd-Hansen) — comes into bearing rather young (Beach). Productive / abundant bearer (Warder, Downing, Budd-Hansen); fertile (Bunyard); a biennial or nearly annual cropper (Beach). A good grower (Beach); esteemed for its peculiar pink flesh, as a curiosity for dessert (Elliott); valuable for its free growth and fair fruit (Thomas).
Fruit
Size
Small to medium (Warder); small (Downing); medium or small (Elliott); medium (Thomas, Budd-Hansen, Bunyard); medium to large (Hedrick). Bunyard gives dimensions of 2¾ by 2 inches. Hedrick notes the fruit is uniform in shape but not in size. Lowther's tabular entry lists size as medium.
Form
Round, slightly conic, regular (Warder, Budd-Hansen); roundish (Downing, Elliott); round-ovate (Thomas); round, slightly flattened (Bunyard); round or round-conic, ribbed, sides unequal (Hedrick). Lowther's tabular entry lists form as flat.
Stem
Long, red (Warder); long (Budd-Hansen); long, slender (Thomas); short, slender (Elliott, Hedrick); medium, set in a very deep cavity (Bunyard).
Cavity
Medium, wavy, somewhat browned (Warder); obtuse, wavy, slightly russeted (Budd-Hansen); very deep (Bunyard); acute, deep, narrow, sometimes furrowed, with thin radiating russet rays (Hedrick).
Calyx / Eye
Eye small, closed (Warder); calyx closed, segments long, broad, connivent (Budd-Hansen); calyx with broad segments (Elliott); eye a little open (Bunyard); calyx small, closed or slightly open, lobes short (Hedrick). Calyx-tube short, wide, cone-shape (Hedrick); tube conical, stamens median or marginal (Budd-Hansen); stamens marginal (Hedrick).
Basin
Shallow, plaited (Warder); shallow, slightly furrowed (Elliott); wide, smooth, shallow (Budd-Hansen); an even shallow basin (Bunyard); shallow, narrow, furrowed, wrinkled (Hedrick).
Skin / Surface
Surface smooth, mixed red, shaded dark red throughout (Warder); crimson red, stained and striped with purplish crimson (Downing); light red, nearly covered with bright purplish red, in streaks, yellowish in shade with yellow specks, whitish bloom (Elliott); dark red (Thomas); surface smooth, unctuous at maturity, rich yellow almost or wholly covered with rich dark red, mixed and shaded, with heavy darker stripes and splashes overlaid with thin white bloom, a handsome fruit (Budd-Hansen); greenish-yellow almost covered with dark crimson flush (Bunyard); skin thin, tender, roughened, greenish-yellow overspread with purplish-red, mottled, irregularly splashed and sometimes indistinctly striped with dark carmine, overspread with thin bloom (Hedrick); a dark crimson apple (Beach). Lowther's tabular entry lists color as yellow-red.
Dots
Small, scattered, yellow (Warder); yellow specks (Elliott); distinct, many, gray and yellow (Budd-Hansen); small, few, light russet or yellow (Hedrick).
Flesh / Flavor
Yellow, fine grained, tender, juicy; flavor acid to sub-acid, agreeable; quality good to very good (Warder). White, stained with pink, crisp, juicy, pleasant subacid; good (Downing). Yellowish, stained with pink, juicy, mild, sub-acid; "very good" (Elliott). White, often stained red, moderately juicy, sub-acid, of good flavor (Thomas). Yellowish white, stained with red, fine-grained, moderately juicy, mild, pleasant subacid, good to very good (Budd-Hansen). Tender, white, much stained with red; flavourless (Bunyard). Yellow often stained with pink, soft, fine, juicy, aromatic, mild, pleasant subacid; good (Hedrick). Flesh fine, stained with red (Beach); fine-grained flesh, white stained with red (Hedrick). Lowther's tabular entry lists quality as good.
Core / Seeds
Core distinctly marked with a red line, wide, oval, closed, meeting the eye (Warder). Core and seeds, medium (Elliott). Core closed, meeting, core outline red; cells round, axile, slit; seeds large, pointed, few (Budd-Hansen). Core of medium size, abaxile; cells usually symmetrical but not uniformly developed, open; core-lines meeting; carpels broad-ovate, concave, mucronate, tufted; seeds large, wide, plump, obtuse (Hedrick). Seeds numerous, pointed, brown (Warder).
Season
August and September (Warder, Beach); August to October (Downing, Hedrick); August to September (Elliott); late summer (Thomas); late July, early August in central Iowa (Budd-Hansen); October to December, culinary (Bunyard); autumn (Lowther).
Uses
Dessert (Warder, Downing, Elliott, Beach); culinary (Bunyard); both kitchen and market (Lowther); old English dessert, culinary, and cider apple (Hedrick). Elliott notes it is esteemed for its peculiar pink flesh, as a curiosity for dessert. Beach considers it of little value except as a dessert apple for family use. Bunyard remarks it is of no particular merit.
Subtypes / Variants
Thomas notes: "The Sapson is smaller, firmer in flesh, and less valuable." Bunyard cautions that many red-fleshed apples have had the Sops in Wine name applied to them.
Other
Reported by Lowther across the Northern, Central, and Southern Divisions (9, 13, and 9 stations respectively, with additional cross-division reports). Warder figures the variety as Fig. 233; Thomas as Fig. 392.
Book Sources
Described in 9 period pomological works
- Beach, The Apples of New York Vol. 2 (1905)
- Warder, American Pomology: Apples (1867)
- Budd & Hansen, Systematic Pomology (1914)
- Hedrick, Cyclopedia of Hardy Fruits (1922)
- 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)
- Bunyard, A Handbook of Hardy Fruits (1920) — listed as SOPS IN WINE
Nursery Catalog Sources
Found in 16 catalogs (1886–1921) from Alabama, Arkansas, California, Illinois, Missouri, Oregon, Washington
- Huntsville Wholesale Nurseries (Jessie S. Moss , Proprietor; W.F. Heikes, Manager), Huntsville , Alabama — 1886 — listed as Hominy, or Sops of Wine
- California Nursery Co. , Niles , California — 1889
- Palouse Nursery and Pleasant Dale Fruit Farm , Colfax, Washington Territory (situated two miles northeast of Colfax) - undated (single-page broadside flyer; "Washington Territory" suggests pre — 1889
- Sherwood Hall Nursery Co. , Timothy Hopkins (Menlo Park Nurseries), San Francisco / Menlo Park , California — 1893
- The Vineland Nurseries (Kelsey & Co. , Proprietors), St. Joseph, Missouri (Office: 13th and Atchison Sts., 2 Blocks East of the Citizens St. Car Line) — 1894
- Brown Brothers Co. , Continental Nurseries, Rochester, NY (also operated from Toronto, Canada) — 1899
- Central Experimental Farm , Dominion Department of Agriculture, Agassiz, British Columbia (under test; Bulletin No. 3, Second Series) — 1900
- Yarbrough Bros. , Stephens , Arkansas — 1901 — listed as Hominy, or Sops of Wine
- Brown Brothers Co. , Continental Nurseries, Rochester, NY (also operated from Toronto, Canada) — 1901
- Mountain Grove Nurseries (Tippin & Moore , Proprietors; Geo. T. Tippin, J. W. Tippin, J. C. Moore), Mountain Grove , Missouri — 1901
- Benjamin Buckman (personal inventory) , Farmingdale , Illinois — 1901
- Phoenix Nursery Company (W. E. Rossney , President; Sidney Tuttle, Vice-President), Bloomington , Illinois — 1904
- Vineland Nurseries Company , Clarkston , Washington — 1912
- Benjamin Buckman (personal inventory) , Farmingdale , Illinois — 1913
- Union Nurseries , J.B. Weaver & Sons, Union , Oregon — 1915
- Benedict Nursery Co. , Portland , Oregon — 1921
View original book sources (9)
— John A. Warder, American Pomology: Apples (1867)Fig. 233.—SOPS OF WINE.
Sops of Wine.
European. Tree vigorous, spreading, productive.
Fruit small to medium, round, slightly conic, regular; Surface smooth, mixed red, shaded dark red throughout; Dots small, scattered, yellow.
Basin shallow, plaited; Eye small, closed.
Cavity medium, wavy, somewhat browned; Stem long, red.
Core distinctly marked with a red line, wide, oval, closed, meeting the eye; Seeds numerous, pointed, brown; Flesh yellow, fine grained, tender, juicy; Flavor acid to sub-acid, agreeable; Quality good to very good; Use, dessert; Season, August and September.
— A.J. Downing, The Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900)Sapson. Sapsonvine. An old but very nice little dessert Apple. Tree an abundant bearer. Fruit small, roundish, crimson red, stained and striped with purplish crimson. Flesh white, stained with pink, crisp, juicy, pleasant subacid. Good. August to October.
— S.A. Beach, The Apples of New York, Vol. 2 (1905)SOPS OF WINE.
REFERENCES,
- Ray, 1688:No. 21. 2. Knoop, 8:45. 1758. 3. Kenrick, 1832:28. 4. Ib., 1835:98. 5. Floy-Lindley, 1833:25. 6. Downing, 1845:77. 7. Cole, 1849:103. 8. Thomas, 1849:141. 9. Emmons, Nat. Hist. N. Y., 3:11, 33. 1851. 10. Barry, 1851:282. 11. Hovey, Mag. Hort., 18:545. 1852. fig. 12. Elliott, 1854:157. 13. Gregg, 1857:39. 14. Hooper, 1857:85. 15. Am. Pom. Soc. Cat., 1862. 16. Warder, 1867:615. fig. 17. Downing, 1869:356. 18. Horticulturist, 27:309. 1872. fig. 19. Fitz, 1872:121, 174. 20. Downing, 1872:10 index, app. 21. Montreal Hort. Soc. Rpt., 1879:22. 22. Downing, 1881:11 index, app. 23. Ib., 1881:12 index, app. 24. Hogg, 1884:215. 25. Hoskins, Rural N. Y., 47:662. 1888. figs. 26. Lyon, Mich. Hort. Soc. Rpt., 1890:296. 27. Bailey, An. Hort., 1892:249. 28. Hoskins, Rural N. Y., 53:248. 1894. 29. Burrill and McCluer, Ill. Sta. Bul., 45:325. 1896. 30. Waugh, Vt. Sta. An. Rpt., 14:309. 1901. 31. Budd-Hansen, 1903:177. fig.
SYNONYMS. Bell's Early? (17). Bell's Favorite (20). Bennington (17, 18). Dodge's Early Red (17). Early Washington (22). Hominy (17, 19). Horning (29). Pie Apple (10). Red Shropsavine† (17). RODE WYN APPEL (2). Rode Wyn Appel (5, 6, 9). SAPSON (3). Sapson (6, 9, 11, 12, 18). Sapsonvine (3). Shropshirevine (23). SOPS IN WINE (1, 24). Sops in Wine (5, 6, 9, 11, 12, 18). SOPS OF WINE (4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31). Sops of Wine (24). Strawberry (30). Warden's Pie Apple (17, 18). Washington (17, 18).
A dark crimson apple; flesh fine, stained with red; in season in August and September. The tree is a good grower, comes into bearing rather young and is a biennial or nearly annual cropper. Of little value except as a dessert apple for family use.
— Granville Lowther (ed.), Encyclopedia of Practical Horticulture (1914)Sops of Wine (23). Size: medium. Form: flat. Color: yellow-red. Quality: good. Use: both kitchen and market. Season: autumn. Reported by 9 stations in the Northern Division (also reported in more than one division), 13 stations in the Central Division (also reported in more than one division), and 9 stations in the Southern Division (also reported in more than one division).
— F.R. Elliott, The Western Fruit Book (1865)Sops of Wine. Sops in Wine. | Sapson. | Bennington.
Foreign. Tree, vigorous early bearer; esteemed for its peculiar pink flesh, as a curiosity for dessert. Fruit, medium or small, roundish; light red, nearly covered with bright purplish red, in streaks, yellowish in shade with yellow specks, whitish bloom; stem, short, slender; calyx, with broad segments; basin, shallow, slightly furrowed; core and seeds, medium; flesh, yellowish, stained with pink, juicy, mild, sub-acid; "very good." August to September.
— John J. Thomas, The American Fruit Culturist (1903)Sops of Wine. Medium size, round-ovate, dark red; stalk long, slender; flesh white, often stained red, moderately juicy, sub-acid, of good flavor. Valuable for its free growth and fair fruit. Late summer. The Sapson is smaller, firmer in flesh, and less valuable. Fig. 392.
— J.L. Budd & N.E. Hansen, American Horticultural Manual, Part II: Systematic Pomology (1914)Sops of Wine. — An ancient English variety; tree vigorous, upright, spreading, an early and abundant bearer.
Fruit medium, round, slightly conic, regular; surface smooth, unctuous at maturity, rich yellow, almost or wholly covered with rich dark red, mixed and shaded, with heavy darker stripes and splashes overlaid with thin white bloom, a handsome fruit; dots distinct, many, gray and yellow; cavity obtuse, wavy, slightly russeted; stem long; basin wide, smooth, shallow; calyx closed: segments long, broad, connivent. Core closed, meeting, core outline red; cells round, axile, slit; tube conical; stamens median or marginal; seeds large, pointed, few; flesh yellowish white, stained with red, fine-grained, moderately juicy, mild, pleasant subacid, good to very good. Late July, early August, in central Iowa.
— E.A. Bunyard, A Handbook of Hardy Fruits (1920)SOPS IN WINE. Fl. and Pom., 1882, 105. (Sapson, Sapsovine.) Culinary, October to December, medium, 2¾ by 2, round, slightly flattened. Colour, greenish-yellow almost covered with dark crimson flush. Flesh, tender, white, much stained with red; flavourless. Eye, a little open in an even shallow basin. Stem, medium in a very deep cavity. Growth, vigorous; fertile. There are many red fleshed apples to which this name has been applied. This I believe to be the Old English apple so called. It is of no particular merit.
— U.P. Hedrick, Cyclopedia of Hardy Fruits (1922)SOPS OF WINE. Bennington. Early Washington. Strawberry. This is an old English dessert, culinary, and cider apple, known in Europe since 1688, when it was described by Ray, and grown in America for nearly two centuries. The crimson apples are handsome, well-flavored, and have fine-grained flesh, which is white stained with red. It is grown only on the Atlantic seaboard and even there is rapidly passing from cultivation. Tree large, vigorous, upright, dense. Fruit medium to large, uniform in shape but not in size, round or round-conic, ribbed, sides unequal; stem short, slender; cavity acute, deep, narrow, sometimes furrowed, with thin radiating russet rays; calyx small, closed or slightly open; lobes short; basin shallow, narrow, furrowed, wrinkled; skin thin, tender, roughened, greenish-yellow overspread with purplish-red, mottled, irregularly splashed and sometimes indistinctly striped with dark carmine, overspread with thin bloom; dots small, few, light russet or yellow; calyx-tube short, wide, cone-shape; stamens marginal; core of medium size, abaxile; cells usually symmetrical but not uniformly developed, open; core-lines meeting; carpels broad-ovate, concave, mucronate, tufted; seeds large, wide, plump, obtuse; flesh yellow often stained with pink, soft, fine, juicy, aromatic, mild, pleasant subacid; good; August to October.