Stark. Origin unknown, grown in some parts of Ohio, and valued as a long keeper and profitable market fruit. Tree vigorous, upright, spreading. Young shoots dark brownish red. Fruit large, roundish, inclining to conic, sometimes a little elongated, and sometimes slightly oblique. Skin greenish yellow, shaded, splashed, and striped with light and dark red nearly over the whole surface, and thickly sprinkled with light and brown dots, a portion of them areole dots. Stalk short, rather stout, inserted in a medium cavity. Calyx closed. Basin rather large, slightly corrugated. Flesh yellowish, a little coarse, moderately juicy, mild subacid. Good. Core small. January to May.

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

STARK.

REFERENCES. 1. Warder, 1867:732. 2. Prairie Farmer, 1868. (cited by 25). 3. Downing, 1869:360. 4. Fitz, 1872:170. 5. Am. Pom. Soc. Cat., 1873. 6. Thomas, 1875:512. 7. Mo. Hort. Soc. Rpt., 1888:327. 8. Clark, Mo. Sta. Bul. 6:8. 1889. 9. Wickson, 1889:249. 10. Lyon, Mich. Hort. Soc. Rpt., 1890:298. 11. Bailey, An. Hort., 1892:250. 12. Can. Hort., 16:112. 1893. 13. Munson, Me. Sta. Rpt., 1893:133. 14. Stinson, Ark. Sta. Bul. 43:104. 1896. 15. Rural N. Y., 55:1. 1896. fig. 16. Can. Hort., 20:35. 1897. 17. Lazenby, Columbus Hort. Soc. Rpt., 1900:139. 18. Can. Hort., 23:126. 1900. 19. Dickens and Greene, Kan. Sta. Bul., 106:55. 1902. 20. Can. Hort., 25:303. 1902. figs. 21. Woolverton, Ont. Fr. Stas. An. Rpt., 9:2. 1902. figs. 22. Budd-Hansen, 1903:179. figs. 23. Powell and Fulton, U. S. B. P. I. Bul., 48:56. 1903. 24. Beach and Clark, N. Y. Sta. Bul., 248:144. 1904. 25. Ragan, U. S. B. P. I. Bul., 56:291. 1905.

SYNONYMS. Robinson (25). STARKE APPLE (4). Yeats (7, 25).

Stark is regarded as a good variety for the commercial orchard by some New York fruit growers particularly because the tree is thrifty, hardy, healthy, a reliable cropper and very productive and because the fruit is fair, smooth, uniform and keeps well. It is often dull and not attractive sometimes having but very little red color yet under favorable conditions it is nearly covered with red and in the spring when the contrasting yellow tints are fully developed it becomes quite attractive. The accompanying illustration shows a highly colored Stark which was grown in Dutchess county. At Geneva its season in ordinary storage extends from January to June with May as the usual commercial limit. The fruit stands handling well because it is very firm and has a thick, tough skin. It has a mild flavor and ranks only medium in quality but is well liked for baking and evaporating. It often sells in the general market at remunerative prices and is regarded by some as a good apple for export trade (20, 21). Stark not only does well throughout the region where Baldwin succeeds but also has won recognition as a desirable commercial variety in certain districts in the North, South and West outside the range of profitable cultivation of Baldwin.

Historical. Stark was first brought to notice in Ohio (3) and is said to have originated in that state (25). It is grown successfully over a wide range of territory and has received favorable notice in various regions from the Atlantic to the Pacific. In 1892 it was offered by nurserymen in all of the apple-growing sections of the country with the exception of the northern portion of the Mississippi valley and the Rocky Mountain region from Montana to Arizona and Texas (11). Thus far it has not been largely planted in New York but its cultivation in this state appears to be slowly increasing.

TREE.

Tree strong, straight, healthy in the nursery; vigorous and large or moderately large in the orchard, with long, strong branches. Form upright spreading to roundish, rather dense. Twigs above medium length, nearly straight, slender to rather stout; internodes short to long. Bark reddish-brown tinged with olive-green, lightly streaked with gray scarf-skin; pubescent near tips. Lenticels quite numerous, conspicuous, small to large, roundish or oblong, slightly raised. Buds medium to large, plump, obtuse to acute, free, slightly pubescent.

FRUIT.

Fruit large to medium, sometimes very large, quite uniform in size and shape. Form roundish inclined to conic varying to slightly oblate or to roundish ovate; sides sometimes unequal. Stem short to medium in length, moderately stout. Cavity medium in size, acuminate or approaching acute, moderately deep, rather wide to moderately narrow, sometimes gently furrowed, occasionally lipped, sometimes russeted and with outspreading russet. Calyx medium to rather large, closed or partly open. Basin shallow and obtuse to medium in depth and somewhat abrupt, rather wide, slightly wrinkled. Skin smooth or slightly roughened with russet dots, pale green becoming yellow more or less blushed and mottled with red and rather indistinctly striped with darker red. Prevailing effect dull green and red, but in highly colored specimens fairly bright red. Calyx tube rather wide, truncate cone-shape with fleshy pistil point projecting into the base, or approaching funnel-form. Stamens median or below. Core medium to rather small, axile; cells uniform, symmetrical, closed or partly open; core lines meeting or slightly clasping. Carpels thin, tender, flat, broadly roundish to obcordate, emarginate, mucronate, tufted. Seeds few, long, acute, tufted. Flesh yellowish, firm, moderately fine to rather coarse, breaking, rather tender, juicy, sprightly, mild subacid, not high in flavor, fair to good, or nearly good, in quality.

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

Stark is a large apple of roundish conical form with yellow-red skin. Quality: good. Use: family. Season: winter. Northern Division: no reporting stations; Central Division: 23 reporting stations (also reported in another division); Southern Division: 4 reporting stations (also reported in another division).

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

Planted Spring 1890. Tree a vigorous grower and a free bearer. Fruit large, oblong, tapering to the eye. Skin greenish yellow, nearly covered with purple red and sprinkled with brown dots. Flesh yellowish, crisp, a little coarse, moderately juicy, mildly sub-acid, quality good. Season January to May.

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

Stark. Large, striped, coarse; mild sub-acid, good. Valuable as a keeper. Ohio.

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

Stark.—Origin unknown, probably Ohio; tree vigorous, upright, spreading. A commercial variety.

Stark.

Fruit, large, roundish, slightly conical, sometimes a little elongated and oblique; surface smooth, unctuous at maturity, yellowish green, mostly covered with light and dark red, shaded, striped, and splashed, overlaid with whitish; dots many, distinct, brown and whitish, some areolar; cavity regular, obtuse, slightly russeted; basin shallow, slightly wrinkled; calyx closed. Core open, small, outline irregular, meeting; tube obtusely conical: stamens marginal or median; flesh yellowish, a little coarse, moderately juicy, mild subacid, good. Late winter.

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

STARK.

Stark surpasses most of its orchard associates in all essential tree-characters—the trees being vigorous, hardy, healthy, productive, and very accommodating as to soils. The fruits are large, smooth, well-turned in shape, uniform, and keep well, but are dull and unattractive in color and not good enough in quality for a dessert fruit, though well liked for culinary purposes and prime favorites for drying. The flesh is firm and the skin thick and tough, qualities which make the crop desirable for distant shipment. Stark is one of the most cosmopolitan of all apples, thriving wherever apples are generally grown on this continent. The variety probably originated in Ohio, having been described first in 1867 as coming from that state.

Tree vigorous, upright-spreading, dense, with long, strong branches. Fruit large, sometimes very large, uniform in size and shape, round-conic, oblate or round-ovate, sides sometimes unequal; stem short, stout; cavity acuminate, deep, wide, sometimes furrowed, occasionally lipped, sometimes russeted and with outspreading russet; calyx large, closed or partly open; basin shallow, obtuse, wide, wrinkled; skin smooth or roughened with russet dots, pale yellow more or less blushed and mottled with red and indistinctly striped with darker red; prevailing effect dull green and red, in highly-colored specimens bright red; calyx-tube wide, truncate cone-shape with fleshy pistil point projecting into the base; stamens median; core small, axile; cells uniform, symmetrical, closed or partly open; core-lines meeting; carpels thin, tender, flat, broadly round to obcordate, emarginate, mucronate, tufted; seeds few, long, acute, tufted; flesh yellow, firm, fine, breaking, tender, juicy, sprightly, mild subacid; fair to good; November to April.

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