Summer Pippin
Apple
USDA Pomological Watercolor Collection
Origin & History
Origin unknown. An old fruit, much cultivated in Rockland and Westchester Counties, New York, and a favorite apple about New York, though not known extensively beyond that region (Warder). Described as American in origin (Elliott). A valuable market fruit.
Tree
Vigorous, forming a beautiful round head, a regular and good bearer. Described as a regular, handsome grower (Thomas) and a profitable market sort (Elliott). Young shoots dull reddish grayish brown, slightly downy (Downing).
Fruit
Size: Medium to large; described as rather large by Thomas.
Form: Variable in form. Downing describes it as generally roundish oblong, inclining to conic. Warder, citing an earlier edition of Downing, gives the form as sometimes oblong-oval, or inclining to conic, angular and irregular. Elliott describes it as oblong oval, irregular. Thomas gives oblong, oval, irregular.
Skin: Pale waxen yellow, shaded with a delicate crimson blush, and sprinkled with green and grayish dots. Thomas describes the color as pale yellow with greenish dots and a crimson blush.
Stem: Varies in length and thickness, inserted in a deep, abrupt cavity. Thomas describes it simply as variable, deep set.
Calyx: Closed, set in a deep, abrupt, corrugated basin. Elliott and Thomas describe the basin as furrowed rather than corrugated.
Flesh & Flavor: White, tender, moderately juicy, with a pleasant, refreshing subacid flavor. Elliott and Thomas omit "moderately juicy" and "refreshing," describing the flesh simply as white, tender, pleasant subacid.
Core & Seeds: Core large (Elliott). Seeds not described in sources.
Season
Ripens the middle of August and continues a month or more. Thomas places it at the end of summer. Elliott gives August and September.
Uses
Valuable for culinary uses and profitable for market.
Subtypes & Variants
Downing describes a second Summer Pippin received from Iowa, distinct from the New York variety: Tree very vigorous, productive. Fruit medium, oblate, inclining to conic, yellowish, shaded, splashed, and striped with crimson in the sun, with large light dots. Stalk rather long. Calyx closed. Flesh white, pleasant subacid. August, September.
Other
The Encyclopedia of Practical Horticulture (1914) lists this variety in a coded characteristics table only:
Description absent; variety present in variety-characteristic table.
Summer Pippin (25)............ M obc yr G b S 6* 6* 2*
Book Sources
Described in 5 period pomological works
USDA Nomenclature (1905)
From W.H. Ragan, Nomenclature of the Apple, USDA Bulletin No. 56
This and preceding probably identical.
Possibly identical with: Champlain
View original book sources (5)
— John A. Warder, American Pomology: Apples (1867)Summer Pippin.
A favorite apple about New York — not known extensively. Tree vigorous, forming a beautiful head, a regular and good bearer.
Fruit medium to large, variable in form, sometimes oblong-oval, or inclining to conic, angular and irregular; Skin pale waxen yellow, shaded with a delicate crimson blush, and sprinkled with green and grayish dots; Stalk varies in length and thickness, inserted in a deep, abrupt cavity; Calyx closed, set in a deep, abrupt, corrugated basin; Flesh white, tender, moderately juicy, with a pleasant, refreshing sub-acid flavor; Valuable for culinary uses; Ripens in August and continues a month or more. — [Downing.]
— A.J. Downing, The Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900)Sour Bough. Summer Pippin. Walworth. Calkin's Pippin. Haverstraw Pippin. Tart Bough. Paper Apple. Champlain. Large Golden Pippin. Underdunk. Nyack Pippin. Geneva Pearmain.
Origin unknown. An old fruit, much cultivated in Rockland and Westchester Counties, N. Y. ; a valuable market fruit. Tree vigorous, forming a beautiful round head, a regular and good bearer. Young shoots dull reddish grayish brown, slightly downy.
Summer Pippin. Fruit medium to large, variable in form, generally roundish oblong, inclining to conic, pale waxen yellow, shaded with a delicate crimson blush, and sprinkled with green and grayish dots. Stalk varies in length and thickness, inserted in a deep, abrupt cavity. Calyx closed, set in a deep, abrupt, corrugated basin. Flesh white, tender, moderately juicy, pleasant, refreshing, subacid, valuable for culinary uses, and profitable for market. Ripens the middle of August, and continues a month or more.
There is another Summer Pippin which we have received from Iowa. Tree very vigorous, productive.
The fruit is medium, oblate, inclining to conic, yellowish, shaded, splashed, and striped with crimson in the sun, large light dots. Stalk rather long. Calyx closed. Flesh white, pleasant subacid. August, September.
— Granville Lowther (ed.), Encyclopedia of Practical Horticulture (1914)Summer Pippin (25)............ M obc yr G b S 6* 6* 2*
— F.R. Elliott, The Western Fruit Book (1865)Summer Pippin. Sour Bough. American. Tree, vigorous, profitable market sort ; valuable for cooking. Fruit, medium to large, oblong oval, irregular, waxy yellow ; shaded with crimson blush, green and grayish dots ; stem, varying ; cavity, deep, abrupt ; calyx, closed ; basin, deep, furrowed ; flesh, white, tender, pleasant, sub-acid ; core, large. August. September.
— John J. Thomas, The American Fruit Culturist (1903)Summer Pippin. (Sour Bough.) Rather large, oblong, oval, irregular; skin pale yellow, with greenish dots and a crimson blush; stalk variable, deep set; basin abrupt, furrowed; flesh white, tender, with a pleasant sub-acid flavor. End of summer. A regular, handsome grower and good bearer. Westchester County, N. Y.