Summer Rose
Apple
USDA Pomological Watercolor Collection
Summer Rose
Origin / History
An old New Jersey apple. The earliest reference in Beach's bibliography is M'Mahon's American Gardener's Calendar of 1806, under the name "Woolman's Harvest." Coxe described it in 1817 as "an apple of singular beauty and excellence, both for eating and stewing." He reported that it was brought to market in July as a stewing apple under the name of the Harvest apple.
Downing calls it "a very pretty and very excellent Apple, highly esteemed as a dessert fruit." Beach calls it "a little dessert apple." According to Beach, Thomas rated it better in quality for the table than Early Harvest, but less productive and too small for general value. By 1905 Beach found it still occasionally listed by nurserymen but "now seldom or never planted in New York." Lowther's station tables (1914) record it at 5 stations in the Northern Division, 20 in the Central Division, and 3 in the Southern Division.
Tree
Spreading or diverging in habit. Coxe notes that the spreading form gives the fruit a good exposure to the sun. Vigorous by Warder's account, a slow grower by Elliott's and Thomas's; Downing calls it moderately vigorous. Healthy (Warder) and hardy (Beach). Shoots stout (Warder), downy (Elliott). Foliage large and glaucous (Warder).
Comes into bearing young. Productive, and "very fruitful" by Coxe's account; Elliott calls it a moderate, regular bearer. Elliott says it requires rich, strong soil, with lime and phosphate, to perfect the fruit or keep the tree healthy.
Fruit
Size: Small to medium. Most authors place it rather small or scarcely of medium size; Warder calls it small, Coxe moderate.
Form: Roundish, oblate or flattened, regular. Elliott calls it only sometimes flattened, Coxe flat, and Lowther's table round.
Stem: Short or rather short to medium, slender, varying to stout (Elliott). Warder calls it medium.
Cavity: Shallow, acute, regular.
Calyx: Small, closed. Elliott calls it partially closed.
Basin: Round, regular, wide, abrupt. Slightly furrowed or plaited (Elliott; Thomas). Downing calls it even, and Budd and Hansen nearly smooth.
Skin: Smooth, polished, glossy, waxen; "a beautiful yellow resembling wax" (Coxe). Ground clear, pale waxen yellow to rich glossy yellow, very pale yellow by Warder's account, yellowish by Thomas's.
Blotched and streaked, or striped and splashed distinctly, with bright red and carmine (Warder) or crimson (Budd and Hansen), on the sunny side or exposed cheek. Coxe describes the red as "blended" in streaks and blotches; Downing records only "a little red on the sunny side." Lowther's table gives the skin color as yellow-red. A beautiful, very pretty fruit.
Dots: Minute.
Flesh and flavor: White, fine-grained, tender to very tender, crisp, slightly crisp by Thomas's account. Juicy to very juicy, "abounding with sprightly juice" (Downing). The flavor is sprightly subacid or mild subacid. Coxe calls the flesh "sweet, sprightly and juicy," and Warder calls the flavor "agreeable, not rich."
Quality very good to best. Downing gives "very good or best," Lowther's table "best," and Warder "one of the best early apples." Thomas and Budd and Hansen call it "excellent," and Elliott finds its juicy, sprightly, subacid character "very desirable for the dessert."
Core and seeds: Core medium (Elliott) to large (Warder), regular, closed, meeting the eye; cells closed, core lines meeting. Seeds numerous, short, plump; ovate (Elliott).
Season
The recorded season runs from June through August, the fruit ripening gradually or in succession. Most authors give late July and August, ripe in early August or through the month. Coxe and Beach say it is fit for stewing or culinary use in July but does not become fully ripe until August.
Warder, with the earliest start, gives June to August. By Thomas's account it "begins to ripen with wheat harvest, and continues a month." Lowther's table gives summer.
Uses
A dessert and table fruit, suitable also for culinary use, and an excellent stewing apple in July before it is fully ripe. Used for family, table, and kitchen.
Elliott says it is "not valuable for market purposes," and Thomas calls it "too small for market but good for home use." Coxe records it brought to market in July for stewing.
Subtypes / Variants
Not described in source.
Other
Figured by Thomas (Fig. 365). Beach's references include a colored plate in Van Deman's U.S. Pomological report of 1887.
Book Sources
Described in 8 period pomological works
- Budd & Hansen, Systematic Pomology (1914)
- Downing, Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900)
- Elliott, The Western Fruit Book (1865)
- Warder, American Pomology: Apples (1867)
- Beach, The Apples of New York Vol. 2 (1905)
- Coxe, A View of the Cultivation of Fruit Trees (1817)
- Lowther (ed.), Encyclopedia of Practical Horticulture (1914)
- Thomas, The American Fruit Culturist (1903)
Nursery Catalog Sources
Found in 4 catalogs (1845–1901) from Illinois, Massachusetts
- Winship's Nursery (Brighton Nurseries , operated by the Winship family), Brighton (Boston) , Massachusetts — 1845 — listed as Woolman's Harvest
- Winship's Nursery (Brighton Nurseries , operated by the Winship family), Brighton (Boston) , Massachusetts — 1845
- 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
View original book sources (8)
— William Coxe, A View of the Cultivation of Fruit Trees (1817)NO. 6. SUMMER ROSE.
This is an apple of singular beauty and excellence, both for eating and stewing: the size is moderate, the form flat, the skin smooth, of a beautiful yellow resembling wax, blended with red in streaks and blotches; the flesh is sweet, sprightly and juicy; it does not become fully ripe till August, but is an excellent stewing apple in July, and is brought to market for that purpose, under the name of the Harvest apple: the tree is of a spreading form, giving a good exposure to the sun, and is very fruitful.
— F.R. Elliott, The Western Fruit Book (1865)SUMMER ROSE.
Wolman's Harvest, Woolman's Harvest, Lippincott.
This variety is not valuable for market purposes, but its juicy, sprightly, sub-acid character makes it very desirable for the dessert. Tree, a slow grower, diverging — shoots downy ; requires rich, strong soil, lime and phosphate to perfect the fruit, or keep the tree healthy. Moderate, regular bearer.
Fruit, medium, or rather small ; form, roundish, sometimes flattened ; color, rich glossy yellow, blotched and streaked with red ; stem, varying from stout to slender, short ; cavity, shallow; calyx, partially closed ; basin, round, slightly furrowed ; flesh, white, tender, crisp, juicy, sprightly ; core, medium ; seeds, ovate. Last of July and August.
— John A. Warder, American Pomology: Apples (1867)Summer Rose.
Origin New Jersey. Tree vigorous, healthy, spreading, productive, early bearer; Shoots stout; Foliage large, glaucous.
Fruit small, roundish, flattened, regular; Surface smooth, polished, very pale yellow, striped and splashed distinctly bright red and carmine; Dots minute.
Basin abrupt, wide, regular; Eye small, closed.
Cavity acute, regular; Stem medium.
Core large, regular, closed, meeting the eye; Seeds numerous, short, plump; Flesh white, crisp, fine grained, juicy; Flavor sub-acid, agreeable, not rich; Quality, one of the best early apples; Use, family, table and kitchen; Season, June to August — ripening gradually.
— A.J. Downing, The Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900)Summer Rose.
Woodman's Harvest. Lippincott's Early.
A very pretty and very excellent Apple, highly esteemed as a dessert fruit. Tree moderately vigorous, productive.
Summer Rose.
Fruit scarcely of medium size, roundish, smooth, rich waxen yellow, streaked and blotched with a little red on the sunny side. Stalk rather short and slender. Calyx closed, set in an even basin. Flesh tender, abounding with sprightly juice. Very good or best. Ripens early in August.
— John J. Thomas, The American Fruit Culturist (1903)Summer Rose.* (Woolman's Early, Lippincott's Early, Woolman's Striped Harvest.) Medium or rather small, roundish-oblate; yellowish, blotched, and streaked with red; stalk rather short; basin round, slightly plaited; flesh very tender, slightly crisp, texture fine, mild sub-acid, juicy, excellent. Begins to ripen with wheat harvest, and continues a month. Tree a slow grower but productive. Too small for market but good for home use. New Jersey. Fig. 365.
— S.A. Beach, The Apples of New York, Vol. 2 (1905)SUMMER ROSE.
REFERENCES.
- M'Mahon, Amer. Gard. Cal., 1806:584. 2. Coxe, 1817:103. fig. 3. Buel, N. Y. Bd. Agr. Mem., 1826:476. 4. Wilson, 1828:136. 5. Fessenden, 1828:131. 6. Kenrick, 1832:29. 7. Manning, 1838:47. 8. Downing, 1845:77. 9. Horticulturist, 2:483. 1848. 10. N. Y. Agr. Soc. Trans., 1848:277. fig. 11. Thomas, 1849:141. fig. 12. Cole, 1849:101. fig. 13. Waring, 1851:31. 14. Barry, 1851:282. 15. Am. Pom. Soc. Cat., 1852. 16. Elliott, 1854:107. fig. 17. Gregg, 1857:39. 18. Hooper, 1857:87. 19. Horticulturist, 14:425. 1859. 20. Warder, 1867:616. 21. Fitz, 1872:143, 160. 22. Ill. Hort. Soc. Rpt., 1875:112. 23. Downing, 1881:11 index, app. 24. Van Deman, U. S. Pom. Rpt., 1887:630. col. pl. 25. Lyon, Mich. Hort. Soc. Rpt., 1890:298. 26. Bailey, An. Hort., 1892:250. 27. Alwood, Va. Sta. Bul., 130:122. 1901. 28. Waugh, Vt. Sta. An. Rpt., 14:309. 1901. 29. Farrand, Mich. Sta. Bul., 205:46. 1903. 30. Budd-Hansen, 1903:183. fig.
SYNONYMS. French Reinette (10). Harvest Apple (2, 3, 6). Lippincott (10, 13, 16). Lodge's Early (23). SUMMER ROSE (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30). Wolman's Harvest (16). Woolman's Early (11, 14, 17). WOOLMAN'S HARVEST (1). Woolman's Harvest (8, 10, 16). Woolman's Striped Harvest (11).
A little dessert apple. Thomas rated it better in quality for the table than Early Harvest but less productive and too small for general value (11). The tree is a moderately vigorous or slow grower but is hardy, comes into bearing young and is productive. Suitable for culinary use in July, ripe in August.
Historical. This is an old New Jersey apple which Coxe described as of singular beauty and excellent for both eating and stewing; the size is moderate, the form flat, the skin smooth, of a beautiful yellow resembling wax, blended with red in streaks and blotches (2). It is still occasionally listed by nurserymen (26) but is now seldom or never planted in New York.
FRUIT (8, 11, 16, 20, 23, 30). Fruit small to nearly medium. Form roundish, somewhat oblate. Stem rather short to medium, varying from stout to slender. Cavity shallow, acute, regular. Calyx small, closed or partly open. Basin regular, wide, abrupt, slightly furrowed. Skin smooth, waxen, very pale yellow, striped and splashed distinctly with bright red and carmine on the exposed cheek. Dots minute. Core medium to large; cells closed; core lines meeting. Seeds ovate, numerous, short, plump. Flesh white, fine-grained, crisp, very tender, sprightly, juicy, subacid, agreeable but not rich, suitable for either culinary or dessert use.
— J.L. Budd & N.E. Hansen, American Horticultural Manual, Part II: Systematic Pomology (1914)Summer Rose. — Origin, New Jersey; tree vigorous, spreading, productive, an early bearer.
Fruit rather small, roundish oblate, regular; surface smooth, polished, clear rich pale waxen yellow, with distinct bright red and crimson stripes and splashes on sunny side; dots minute; cavity regular, acute; stem rather short, slender; basin abrupt, wide, nearly smooth; calyx small, closed. Core large, closed, meeting; seeds many, short, plump; flesh white, very tender, fine-grained, very juicy, sprightly subacid, excellent. June to early August, ripening in succession.
— Granville Lowther (ed.), Encyclopedia of Practical Horticulture (1914)Summer Rose: size not reported; form round; skin color yellow-red; quality best; use family; season summer. Reported by 5 stations in the Northern Division (variety also reported in more than one division), 20 stations in the Central Division (variety also reported in more than one division), and 3 stations in the Southern Division (variety also reported in more than one division).