Sugar Loaf Pippin

Apple

Sugar Loaf Pippin

Origin / History

Of foreign origin, probably Russian, and known in England since the early part of the nineteenth century (Bunyard). Lindley records that it was sent to the Horticultural Society by Mr. Martin Miller Call of the Taurida Garden under the name Dolgoi Squoznoi — two Russian words signifying dolgoi (long) and squoznoi (transparent) — and was also received at the Chiswick Garden from Mr. Dymond, nurseryman of Exeter, under the name here adopted. Lindley notes it is very like the Siebenschlafer Apple of Christ in form and colour (though that variety does not ripen until November), and is closely allied to — perhaps identical with — a variety sold by Mr. Dymond of Exeter as Hutchins's Early Seedling. Thomas calls it English in origin. Catalog entries are listed in Hort. Soc. Cat. of Fruits, p. 148, No. 1078 (Sugar-Loaf Pippin) and p. 116, No. 254 (Dolgoi Squoznoi).

Tree

Tree of good growth and productive (Downing); growth spreading, fertile (Bunyard). Wood reddish chestnut colour, spotted with gray. Leaves ovate, acuminate, somewhat cordate at the base, doubly serrated, and slightly downy beneath; petioles about half an inch long, tinged with purplish red at their base (Lindley).

Fruit

Size: Medium (Downing, Thomas); large (Elliott); medium, 2¾ by 2¾ inches (Bunyard).

Form: Oblong or conical (Downing); large, oblong conical (Elliott); medium, oblong conic (Thomas); tall, oblong, nearly regular (Bunyard); ovate or oblong, generally tapering to the eye; transverse outline by no means angular (Lindley).

Stem / Stalk: About an inch long, set in a deep, regular cavity (Lindley); stem rather short, in an even, non-russet cavity (Bunyard).

Cavity: Deep and regular (Lindley); even, non-russet (Bunyard).

Calyx / Eye: Eye much hollowed, with a few slight plaits (Lindley); eye closed (Bunyard).

Basin: Deep, wide and slightly ribbed (Bunyard).

Skin: Smooth, clear pale yellow, becoming nearly white on one side when fully ripe (Downing); a very clear light yellow green, with a few greenish dots, yellow on the sunny side, and becoming as white as that of a Blanquet Pear when fully ripe (Lindley); dull greenish yellow, brownish in sun (Elliott); smooth, whitish-yellow (Thomas); pale whitish-yellow (Bunyard). Very showy on the tree (Downing).

Flesh / Flavor: White, firm, very slightly acid, and moderately juicy; rated "good" (Downing). Whitish, firm, crisp, very juicy, with a most agreeable, lively, sweetish, subacid flavour (Lindley). Flesh "good" (Elliott). Sub-acid, poor (Thomas). Soft, very juicy, greenish white, sweet (Bunyard). Bunyard further notes the fruit is "of no particular value, but very refreshing and sweet." Lindley observes that at the season when it matures there is scarcely any apple which possesses the same good qualities, but after being gathered a week or ten days the flesh becomes soft and mealy.

Core / Seeds: Not described in source.

Season

Ripens the latter part of July (Downing); ripe about the beginning of August, among the earliest of the varieties (Lindley); August, September (Elliott); summer (Thomas); August (Bunyard).

Uses

Culinary (Bunyard); dessert quality is variously rated — "good" by Downing and Elliott, "poor" by Thomas. Lindley praises it as an excellent summer apple of agreeable, lively, sweetish, subacid flavour, but notes the flesh quickly becomes soft and mealy after gathering, so it does not keep.

Subtypes / Variants

Lindley notes a close affinity with — and possible identity to — Hutchins's Early Seedling, a variety sold by Mr. Dymond of Exeter. Downing lists Hutching's Seedling as a synonym. Bunyard cites the French name Pain de Sucre and the German Zuckerhut Apfel.

Other

Lindley notes the fruit is very showy on the tree, and Downing concurs. The Russian name Dolgoi Squoznoi ("long, transparent") reflects both the elongated form and the pale, translucent skin that whitens to the colour of a ripe Blanquet Pear.

Book Sources

Described in 5 period pomological works

Nursery Catalog Sources

Found in 3 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 — 1901
Benjamin Buckman (personal inventory) , Farmingdale , Illinois — 1913

View original book sources (5)

Sugar Loaf Pippin. Hutching's Seedling. A foreign sort. Tree of good growth and productive. Fruit of medium size, oblong or conical, smooth, clear pale yellow, becoming nearly white on one side when fully ripe. Flesh white, firm, very slightly acid, and moderately juicy. Good. Ripens the latter part of July, and is very showy on the tree.

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

THE SUGAR-LOAF PIPPIN.

Sugar-Loaf Pippin. Hort. Soc. Cat. of Fruits, p. 148, No. 1078. Dolgoi Squoznoi. Ibid, p. 116, No. 254.

An excellent summer apple, ripe about the beginning of August, among the earliest of the varieties. It appears to be of Russian origin, having been sent to the Horticultural Society by Mr. Martin Miller Call, of the Taurida Garden, under the name of Dolgoi Squoznoi, — two Russian words signifying, dolgoi, long, and squoznoi, transparent. It was also received at the Chiswick Garden from Mr. Dymond, nurseryman, of Exeter, with the name here adopted. At the period of the year when this matures, there is scarcely any apple which possesses the same good qualities. But after having been gathered a week or ten days, the flesh becomes soft and mealy. In form and colour it is very like the Siebenschlafer Apple of Christ, but that variety does not ripen till November: it is also closely allied to a variety sold by Mr. Dymond, of Exeter, under the name of Hutchins's Early Seedling — if it be not the very same.

Wood reddish chestnut colour, spotted with gray. Leaves ovate, acuminate, somewhat cordate at the base, doubly serrated, and slightly downy beneath; petioles about half an inch long, tinged with purplish red at their base. Fruit ovate or oblong, generally tapering to the eye, which is much hollowed, with a few slight plaits. Transverse Outline by no means angular. Stalk about an inch long, in a deep, regular cavity. Skin a very clear light yellow green, with a few greenish dots, yellow on the sunny side, and becoming as white as that of a Blanquet Pear when fully ripe. Flesh whitish, firm, crisp, very juicy, with a most agreeable, lively, sweetish, subacid flavour.

— John Lindley, Pomologia Britannica, Vol. 1 (1841)

Sugar Loaf Pippin. Sugar Loaf Greening. Foreign. Large, oblong conical, dull greenish yellow, brownish in sun; flesh, "good." August, September.

— F.R. Elliott, The Western Fruit Book (1865)

Sugar Loaf Pippin. Medium, oblong conic, smooth, whitish-yellow; sub-acid, poor. Summer. English.

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

SUGAR LOAF PIPPIN. F., Pain de Sucre ; G., Zuckerhut Apfel. (Dolgoi Squoznoi (original name) Dymond's Sugar Loaf, Hutching's Seedling.) Culinary, August, medium, 2¾ by 2¾, tall, oblong, nearly regular. Colour, pale whitish-yellow. Flesh, soft, very juicy, greenish white, sweet. Eye, closed, in a deep, wide and slightly ribbed basin. Stem, rather short, in an even non russet cavity. Growth, spreading ; fertile. Origin, probably Russian. Known in England since the early part of last century. Of no particular value, but very refreshing and sweet.

— E.A. Bunyard, A Handbook of Hardy Fruits (1920)

Dolgoi Scuoznoi Dolgoi Scusznoi Dolgoi Skrasnoi Dolgoi Squoznoi Dymond's Sugar Loaf Hutching's Seedling Hutchins's Early Seedling Langer Durchsichtiger Langer Durchsichtiger Apfel Pain de Sucre Sugar Loaf Greening Sugarloaf Pippin Zuckerhut Apfel