Sweet Bough
Apple
USDA Pomological Watercolor Collection
Sweet Bough
Origin / History
Of American origin; a native fruit. Coxe first described it in 1817 as the "Bough Apple" (his No. 3). Beach's reference list includes, with a query, a notice of a "Bow Apple" in the American Gardener's Calendar of 1806. Elliott writes that the variety was "First described by Coxe as Bough; we add Sweet, as expressive of its character." Downing carries it as Large Yellow Bough and Warder as Large Bough. Beach notes that the late catalogues of the American Pomological Society list it as "Bough, Sweet," while most nurserymen list it as Sweet Bough, and he preferred the name commonly accepted by nurserymen. Hedrick calls it "an old variety of American origin, described first in 1817, and now well distributed throughout the United States."
Its reputation as an early sweet apple holds from Coxe onward. Coxe calls it "the finest early table apple we have," preferred as an eating apple to any other at its season. Warder finds it "much admired as an early sweet apple." Downing ranks it "one of the first quality," generally much admired for the table and "worthy of a place in every collection." Hovey, quoted by Beach, writes: "The Bough is one of our finest summer apples, having all the good qualities which should recommend a fruit for general cultivation… It should be found in every good collection." Budd and Hansen call it "an excellent early sweet apple, especially for dessert use in harvest-time." Stark Bros. calls it "one of the really good summer varieties and the best early sweet apple" and says it "Should be in every home orchard." Beach calls it "a universal favorite throughout the state for the home orchard." Hedrick writes that it "is acknowledged by all to be the best summer sweet apple."
Lowther's station table records it from 14 stations in the Northern Division, 15 in the Central, and 6 in the Southern, and reports it as adapted to more than one division. The Central Experimental Farm, Agassiz, British Columbia, planted it in spring 1890.
Tree
Tree moderately vigorous to vigorous, a vigorous grower at Agassiz. The head is round or roundish, compact and dense; Beach gives the form as upright spreading to roundish, and Hovey calls it "a handsome head." Foliage luxuriant, of a deep green color (Coxe). Leaves obtusely crenate (Thomas).
Young shoots yellowish, somewhat irregular, ascending (Elliott, Thomas); Downing gives them as grayish brown, very slightly downy. Twigs short, straight, moderately stout, with large terminal buds and short internodes. Bark clear brown mingled with olive-green, lightly mottled with scarf-skin, not pubescent. Lenticels scattering, small, round, not raised. Buds medium, plump, acute, free, not pubescent (Beach).
A regular, annual bearer, rather productive, its crops moderate to abundant: Elliott and Thomas call it a moderate bearer, while Downing and Hovey report abundant crops. Comes into bearing rather young and is long-lived (Stark Bros.). Beach qualifies the long life as "under favorable conditions," and records specimens sixty to eighty years old still quite productive.
In unfavorable locations the tree is sometimes injured by winter, and the branches are attacked somewhat by apple canker (Beach). Hedrick judges the trees "all that could be desired, falling short only in hardiness." Elliott writes that it succeeds "in all good soils not wet."
Fruit
Size: Above medium to large, uniform in size and shape; very light (Warder). Coxe writes that on young trees in rich ground the fruit is sometimes large. Elliott calls it large, though his figured specimen was "hardly medium."
Form: Roundish conic, roundish and remotely conical-ovate, ovate, or oblong ovate and rather oblong. Sometimes distinctly conical or slightly oblong conic, tapering to the eye, with a broad and rather flat base. Full, even, regular or pretty regular, the sides often unequal. Lowther alone calls the form oblate.
Stem: Varying in length, short to very long, moderately thick, usually not exserted; one-half to an inch long (Thomas). Beach gives it short to medium, while Downing calls it rather long and Budd and Hansen long to very long.
Cavity: Deep, acute or acuminate, regular, rather broad, sometimes furrowed or compressed, usually smooth, sometimes brown (Warder) or russeted (Budd and Hansen).
Calyx: Small to medium. Warder and Budd and Hansen call it closed, and Beach closed or partly open; Elliott calls it open. Lobes often leafy, sometimes separated at the base, long, narrow, acute (Beach); segments erect, convergent (Budd and Hansen). Calyx tube long, wide at top, conical to funnel-shaped (Beach). Stamens median.
Basin: Narrow, regular, rather small, a little abrupt, smooth or slightly wrinkled. Shallow to deep: Elliott and Thomas call the basin deep, and Downing gives the eye as "narrow and deep." Warder, Beach, and Budd and Hansen give it shallow, rather shallow, or medium.
Skin: Rather thick, tough, smooth, clear. Greenish to pale greenish yellow, becoming pale yellow when fully ripe and often changing to yellowish white, sometimes faintly blushed. Coxe calls it very pale yellow, and Warder white or pale yellow. Fruit fair and handsome; Hovey calls it "very fair."
Dots: Numerous, minute to small, often light colored and submerged, sometimes russet. Budd and Hansen describe them as distinct, russet, with green bases. Warder alone calls them few, dark, and indented.
Flesh and flavor: Flesh white, fine, very tender, crisp, juicy; the Agassiz report alone calls it yellowish. Downing finds it very tender and crisp when fully ripe. Beach calls it moderately firm and somewhat crisp, while Warder calls it very soft and light.
Flavor sweet to very sweet, of a "honied sweetness" (Hovey, Hedrick), rich, sprightly, slightly aromatic, "well flavoured" (Coxe), "an excellent sweet flavor" (Thomas). Warder finds it "somewhat bitter when green."
Quality good to very good. Budd and Hansen and the Agassiz report rate it good, and Lowther very good. Warder rates it "only good—by some called best," while Downing ranks it "one of the first quality."
Core and seeds: Core medium to rather large, regular, abaxile to nearly axile, with clasping core lines. Warder and Budd and Hansen call the core nearly closed; Elliott gives open capsules, and Beach the cells closed or open. Carpels roundish to cordate, slightly emarginate, slightly tufted (Beach). Seeds medium to rather small, plump, acute, ovate. Elliott and Beach call the seeds light brown; Warder calls them dark.
Season
A summer apple, ripening in harvest time, from the middle of July into early September. Most dates fall in July and August; the later authors lean to August, Beach extending it into early September, and Thomas gives the middle to the end of summer. Downing places ripening from the middle of July to the tenth of August. Hovey says it begins to ripen the last of July and remains in eating till the first of September. Stark Bros. says it "Ripens through a long season."
Uses
Chiefly a dessert fruit, eaten from the hand. Downing ranks it second to the Early Harvest as a dessert fruit, and less esteemed than that variety for the kitchen, being "too sweet for pies and sauce." Warder calls it "tasteless when cooked," and Budd and Hansen "too sweet for cooking." Hovey will not rank it as high as the Early Harvest for the table, but holds that "as a kitchen fruit, in its honied sweetness and tender flesh, it has no equal of its season." Hedrick writes that its tender flesh and honied sweetness "remain in whatever way the apple may be prepared for the table." Lowther lists it for kitchen and market, and Warder for market, stock, and dessert.
Beach writes that it is handled to a limited extent in local markets, but is too soft to ship to distant markets and cannot be ranked among the profitable commercial varieties. Hedrick calls it ideal for home use or local market. Stark Bros. finds it too tender to be valuable for long shipping.
Subtypes / Variants
Not described in source.
Other
[NOTE: Source text may be incorrect — the Downing source carries an appended separate entry for "Pound's July," of Kentucky origin, whose description (greenish white with a dull blush, stalk very short, cavity russeted) does not match Downing's own Sweet Bough entry. Beach lists Pound's July among this variety's names, citing Downing's 1881 appendix. The appended entry's details are kept apart here.] The appended Downing entry for "Pound's July" reads: origin Kentucky; tree vigorous, upright spreading; young shoots light reddish brown. Fruit large, roundish conic, sides unequal, greenish white with a dull blush, thinly sprinkled with brown dots. Stalk very short; cavity deep, russeted; calyx closed; basin small, narrow. Flesh white, fine-grained, tender, not very juicy, rich, pleasant, sweet. Good to very good. July, August.
The Stark Bros. entry carries the notation "NCS."
Book Sources
Described in 9 period pomological works
- Beach, The Apples of New York Vol. 2 (1905)
- Warder, American Pomology: Apples (1867) — listed as Large Bough
- Coxe, A View of the Cultivation of Fruit Trees (1817) — listed as Bough Apple
- Elliott, The Western Fruit Book (1865)
- Lowther (ed.), Encyclopedia of Practical Horticulture (1914)
- Hedrick, Cyclopedia of Hardy Fruits (1922)
- Thomas, The American Fruit Culturist (1903)
- Budd & Hansen, Systematic Pomology (1914) — listed as Bough, Sweet (Large; Yellow Bough)
- Downing, Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900) — listed as Large Yellow Bough
Nursery Catalog Sources
Found in 47 catalogs (1845–1936) from Alabama, California, England, Illinois, Massachusetts, Missouri, New Jersey, Oregon, Washington
- Winship's Nursery (Brighton Nurseries , operated by the Winship family), Brighton (Boston) , Massachusetts — 1845 — listed as Early Sweet Bough
- Joseph Breck & Co. , Boston , Massachusetts — 1855 — listed as Bough
- Huntsville Wholesale Nurseries (Jessie S. Moss , Proprietor; W.F. Heikes, Manager), Huntsville , Alabama — 1886
- California Nursery Co. , Niles , California — 1889
- Missouri Nursery Co. , Louisiana , Missouri — 1891 — listed as Early Sweetheart
- 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
- The Lovett Company , Little Silver , New Jersey — 1896
- 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 — listed as Early Sweetheart
- George Bunyard & Co. , Royal Nurseries, Maidstone, Kent , England — 1900 — listed as Washington
- Central Experimental Farm , Dominion Department of Agriculture, Agassiz, British Columbia (under test; Bulletin No. 3, Second Series) — 1900 — listed as Washington
- Benjamin Buckman (personal inventory) , Farmingdale , Illinois — 1901 — listed as Early Sweetheart
- Washington Nursery Co. , Toppenish , Washington — 1901
- Mountain Grove Nurseries (Tippin & Moore , Proprietors; Geo. T. Tippin, J. W. Tippin, J. C. Moore), Mountain Grove , Missouri — 1901
- Brown Brothers Co. , Continental Nurseries, Rochester, NY (also operated from Toronto, Canada) — 1901
- Benjamin Buckman (personal inventory) , Farmingdale , Illinois — 1901 — listed as Washington
- Pacific Nursery Company (W. O. Hudson & A. D. Hudson) , Tangent , Oregon — 1903
- Russellville Nursery Co. , Russellville, OR (three miles east of Portland, one mile from Montavilla car line) — 1903
- Stark Bros. Nurseries & Orchards Co. , Louisiana , Missouri — 1906
- Russellville Nursery Co. , Montavilla Station, Portland, OR (three miles east of Portland, one mile from Montavilla car line) — 1907
- Washington Nursery Company , Toppenish , Washington — 1909
- Island Nurseries & Fruit Farm , Vashon (Vashon Island) , Washington — 1910
- Stark Bros. Nurseries & Orchards Co. , Louisiana , Missouri — 1910
- Island Nurseries & Fruit Farm , Vashon (Vashon Island) , Washington — 1911
- Stark Bros. Nurseries & Orchards Co. , Louisiana , Missouri — 1911
- James Veitch & Sons , Ltd., Royal Exotic Nursery, Chelsea, London (also Coombe Wood, Langley, and Feltham) , England — 1911 — listed as Washington
- Ballygreen Nurseries , Hanford , Washington — 1912
- Pacific Nursery Company , Portland , Oregon — 1912
- Stark Bros. Nurseries & Orchards Co. , Louisiana , Missouri — 1912
- Vineland Nurseries Company , Clarkston , Washington — 1912
- Washington Nursery Company , Toppenish , Washington — 1912
- Benjamin Buckman (personal inventory) , Farmingdale , Illinois — 1913 — listed as Early Sweetheart
- Thomas Rivers & Son , Sawbridgeworth, Hertfordshire , England — 1913 — listed as Washington
- Benjamin Buckman (personal inventory) , Farmingdale , Illinois — 1913 — listed as Washington
- Island Nurseries & Fruit Farm , Vashon (Vashon Island) , Washington — 1914
- George Bunyard & Co. , Royal Nurseries, Maidstone, Kent , England — 1914 — listed as Washington
- Union Nurseries , J.B. Weaver & Sons, Union , Oregon — 1915
- Island Nurseries & Fruit Farm , Vashon (Vashon Island) , Washington — 1915 — listed as Sweetbough
- Island Nurseries & Fruit Farm , Vashon (Vashon Island) , Washington — 1916 — listed as Sweetbough
- Island Nurseries & Fruit Farm , Vashon (Vashon Island) , Washington — 1917 — listed as Sweetbough
- George Bunyard & Co. , Royal Nurseries, Maidstone, Kent , England — 1917 — listed as Washington
- Stark Bros. Nurseries & Orchards Co. , Louisiana , Missouri — 1918
- Oregon Nursery Co. , Orenco , Oregon — 1920
- Benedict Nursery Co. , Portland , Oregon — 1921
- Stark Bro's Nurseries , Louisiana , Missouri — 1932
- Hudson's Wholesale Nurseries , Tangent , Oregon — 1936
View original book sources (11)
— William Coxe, A View of the Cultivation of Fruit Trees (1817)NO. 3. BOUGH APPLE.
The size of this apple when on young trees, in rich ground, is sometimes large—the form is rather oblong; full, even, and fair—the skin is a very pale yellow, the flesh white, sweet, tender, juicy and well flavoured; it is the finest early table apple we have; and as an eating apple, is preferred to any other at the season in which it ripens, which is in July and August. The tree grows vigorously; the form is round, the foliage luxuriant, and of a deep green colour.
— F.R. Elliott, The Western Fruit Book (1865)Sweet Bough.
Bough, | Large Yellow Bough, | Washington, Early Sweet Bough, | Sweet Harvest, | Nyack Pippin.
American. First described by Coxe as Bough ; we add Sweet, as expressive of its character. Valued as a dessert fruit. Young shoots, yellowish, somewhat irregular, ascending. Tree, a moderate, annual bearer, succeeding in all good soils not wet.
Fruit, large (our figure hardly medium) ; form, roundish, conical ovate, color, greenish, becoming pale yellow when fully ripe ; stem, varying in length ; cavity, deep ; calyx, open ; basin, narrow, deep ; flesh, white, tender, crisp, sprightly, sweet ; core, medium, open capsules ; seeds, ovate, light brown. August.
— John A. Warder, American Pomology: Apples (1867)Large Bough. LARGE YELLOW BOUGH, ETC.
A native fruit, much admired as an early sweet apple. Tree vigorous, compact head, rather productive.
Fruit round-conic, regular, very light; Surface smooth, white or pale yellow; Dots minute, dark, indented, few. Basin rather shallow, regular; Eye small, closed. Cavity acute, regular, deep, sometimes brown; Stem medium. Core regular, nearly closed, clasping; Seeds medium, dark; Flesh white, very soft, light, juicy; Flavor very sweet when ripe, somewhat bitter when green; Quality only good—by some called best; Use, market, stock and dessert—tasteless when cooked; Season, July and August.
— A.J. Downing, The Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900)Large Yellow Bough.
Early Sweet Bough. Sweet Harvest. Bough. August Sweet. Washington, incorrectly. Sweet Bough.
A native Apple, ripening in harvest time, and one of the first quality, only second as a dessert fruit to the Early Harvest. It is not so much esteemed for the kitchen as the latter, as it is too sweet for pies and sauce, but it is generally much admired for the table, and is worthy of a place in every collection.
Fruit above the middle size, and oblong ovate in form. Skin smooth, pale greenish yellow. Stalk rather long, and the eye narrow and deep. Flesh white, very tender and crisp when fully ripe, and with a rich, sweet, sprightly flavor. Ripens from the middle of July to the tenth of August. Tree moderately vigorous, bears abundantly, and forms a round head. Young shoots grayish brown, very slightly downy.
[Additional entry in this volume: "Pound's July", pp. 336–336]
Pound's July. Origin, Kentucky. Tree vigorous, upright spreading. Young shoots light reddish brown. Fruit large, roundish conic, sides unequal, greenish white, with a dull blush, and thinly sprinkled with brown dots. Stalk very short. Cavity deep, russeted. Calyx closed. Basin small, narrow. Flesh white, fine-grained, tender, not very juicy, rich, pleasant, sweet. Good to very good. July, August.
— John J. Thomas, The American Fruit Culturist (1903)Sweet Bough.* (Large Yellow Bough, Early Sweet Bough.) Large, roundish, remotely conical-ovate, sometimes distinctly conical; pale greenish yellow, stalk one-half to an inch long; basin narrow, deep; flesh white, very tender, with an excellent sweet flavor. Ripens from the middle to the end of summer. A moderate and regular bearer. Shoots yellowish, irregular, ascending; tree round-headed; leaves obtusely crenate. Fig. 351.
— S.A. Beach, The Apples of New York, Vol. 2 (1905)SWEET BOUGH.
REFERENCES. 1. (?) Amer. Gard. Cal., 1806:584. 2. Coxe, 1817:101. fig. 3. (?) Thacher, 1822:121. 4. Buel, N. Y. Bd. Agr. Mem., 1826:477. 5. Wilson, 1828:136. 6. Fessenden, 1828:131. 7. Kenrick, 1832:26. 8. Floy-Lindley, 1833:84. 9. Manning, 1838:46. 10. Downing, 1845:74. 11. Hovey, Mag. Hort., 14:486. 1848. fig. 12. Cole, 1849:99. 13. Thomas, 1849:135. 14. Phoenix, Horticulturist, 4:472. 1850. 15. Barry, 1851:279. 16. Am. Pom. Soc. Cat., 1852. 17. Elliott, 1854:109. fig. 18. Hooper, 1857:20. 19. Ib., 1857:107, 111. 20. Gregg, 1857:35. 21. Warder, 1867:494. fig. 22. Downing, 1869:250. 23. Fitz, 1872:143. 24. Ib., 1872:161. 25. Leroy, 1873:154. fig. 26. Downing, 1881:11 index, app. 27. Hogg, 1884:129. 28. Wickson, 1889:243. 29. Bailey, An. Hort., 1892:235. 30. Ib., 1892:243. 31. Ib., 1892:250. 32. Amer. Gard., 15:404. 1894. fig. 33. Taylor, Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt., 1895:192. 34. Lyon, Mich. Sta. Bul., 143:200, 202. 1897. 35. Woolverton, Ont. Fr. Stas. An. Rpt., 4:4. 1897. figs. 36. Beach, W. N. Y. Hort. Soc. Rpt., 1901:76. 37. Budd-Hansen, 1903:155.
SYNONYMS. August Sweet (22). August Sweeting (12). Autumn Bough (11). BOUGH (4, 5, 11, 13, 24, 25, 29, 34). Bough (7, 10, 12, 17, 22, 27). BOUGH APPLE (2, 6, 8, 20). BOUGH, Early Sweet (18). BOUGH, Sweet (37). (Bow Apple 1, 3)? EARLY BOUGH (7, 9). Early Bough (11, 25, 27). Early French Reinette (4). Early Sweet Bough (10, 11, 13, 17, 22). Early Sweetheart (36). LARGE BOUGH (21). LARGE EARLY BOUGH (28). Large Early Yellow Bough (27). LARGE SWEET BOUGH (19, 30). Large Sweet Bough (15). LARGE YELLOW BOUGH (10, 16, 22, 23, 26, 27, 33). Large Yellow Bough (11, 13, 15, 17, 20, 21, 25, 30, 31, 34, 35, 37). Niack Pippin (17). Pound's July (26). SWEET BOUGH (12, 14, 17, 31, 32, 35, 36). Sweet Bough (7, 13, 20, 22, 24, 25, 27, 33, 34). Sweetbough (28). Sweet Harvest (10, 11, 17, 22, 25, 27). Yellow Bough (12). Washington (17, 25, incorrectly 22).
This variety is a universal favorite throughout the state for the home orchard. Hovey (11) well says of it: “The Bough is one of our finest summer apples, having all the good qualities which should recommend a fruit for general cultivation. The tree is moderately vigorous, making a handsome head, and bears abundant crops of large, very fair fruit, which begins to ripen the last of July, and remains in eating till the first of September. As a table apple, it will not rank as high as the Early Harvest; but, as a kitchen fruit, in its honied sweetness and tender flesh, it has no equal of its season. It should be found in every good collection.”
It is handled to a limited extent in local markets, but is too soft to stand shipping to distant markets. It cannot be ranked among the profitable commercial varieties. The tree comes into bearing rather young, and under favorable conditions is long-lived, specimens being found sixty to eighty years old which are still quite productive. In unfavorable locations the tree is sometimes injured by winter, and the branches are attacked somewhat by the apple canker.
Historical. This was described by Coxe in 1817 under the name Bough apple (2). It is evidently of American origin.
TREE.
Tree moderately vigorous. Form upright spreading to roundish, dense. Twigs short, straight, moderately stout with large terminal buds; internodes short. Bark clear brown mingled with olive-green, lightly mottled with scarf-skin; not pubescent. Lenticels scattering, small, round, not raised. Buds medium in size, plump, acute, free, not pubescent.
FRUIT.
Fruit above medium to large, uniform in size and shape. Form roundish conic or ovate to sometimes slightly oblong conic with broad and rather flat base, pretty regular; sides often unequal. Stem short to medium, moderately thick, usually not exserted. Cavity acuminate, deep, rather broad, sometimes furrowed or compressed, usually smooth. Calyx small to medium, closed or partly open; lobes often leafy, sometimes separated at base, long, narrow, acute. Basin rather small, medium to rather shallow, narrow, a little abrupt, smooth or slightly wrinkled. Skin rather thick, tough, smooth, pale greenish-yellow often changing to yellowish-white, sometimes faintly blushed. Dots numerous, small, often light colored and submerged, sometimes russet. Calyx tube long, wide at top, conical to funnel-shape. Stamens median. Core rather large to medium, abaxile to nearly axile; cells closed or open; core lines clasping. Carpels roundish to cordate, slightly emarginate, slightly tufted. Seeds light brown, medium to rather small, plump, acute. Flesh white, moderately firm, fine, somewhat crisp, very tender, juicy, sweet, slightly aromatic, good to very good. Season August and early September.
[Additional entry in this volume: "BOUGH SWEET", pp. 47–47]
BOUGH SWEET.
This variety is also known as Bough Apple, Large Yellow Bough, Sweet Bough and Summer Sweet Bough. It is listed in the late catalogues of the American Pomological Society as Bough, Sweet but most nurserymen list it as Sweet Bough. We prefer to recognize the name commonly accepted by nurserymen and accordingly have described the variety under the name Sweet Bough. See page 216.
— J.L. Budd & N.E. Hansen, American Horticultural Manual, Part II: Systematic Pomology (1914)Bough, Sweet (Large; Yellow Bough).—Origin, America; an excellent early sweet apple, especially for dessert use in harvest-time. Fruit above medium, regular, oblong ovate, slightly conical; surface smooth, clear, pale greenish yellow; dots distinct, numerous, minute, russet, with green bases; cavity regular, deep, sometimes russeted; stem long to very long; basin smooth, regular, narrow, shallow; calyx closed; segments erect convergent. Core nearly closed, clasping; tube conical; stamens median; flesh white, very tender, juicy, very sweet, too sweet for cooking, good. July and August.
— Granville Lowther (ed.), Encyclopedia of Practical Horticulture (1914)Sweet Bough is large in size, oblate in form, and green-yellow in color. Quality is very good. Use is both kitchen and market. Season is summer. Reported by 14 stations in the Northern Division, 15 stations in the Central Division, and 6 stations in the Southern Division; the asterisk on each division count indicates the variety is reported as adapted to more than one division.
— U.P. Hedrick, Cyclopedia of Hardy Fruits (1922)SWEET BOUGH. Fig. 53. August Sweet. Autumn Bough. Bough. Early Bough. Yellow Bough.
Sweet Bough is acknowledged by all to be the best summer sweet apple. The tender flesh and honied sweetness of the fruits as eaten from the hand remain in whatever way the apple may be prepared for the table. The fruits are large and handsome, and the trees are all that could be desired, falling short only in hardiness. The apples are too tender for distant shipment, but they are ideal for home use or local market. Sweet Bough is an old variety of American origin, described first in 1817, and now well distributed throughout the United States.
Tree vigorous, upright-spreading, dense. Fruit medium to large, uniform in size and shape, round-conic or ovate, sometimes oblong-conic with broad and flat base, regular, sides often unequal; stem short, thick, usually not exserted; cavity acuminate, deep, broad, sometimes furrowed, usually smooth; calyx small, closed or partly open; lobes often leafy, sometimes separated at the base, long, narrow, acute; basin small, shallow, narrow, abrupt, smooth or wrinkled; skin thick, tough, smooth, pale yellow, sometimes faintly blushed; dots numerous, small, light-colored and submerged, sometimes russet; calyx-tube long, wide at top, conical; stamens median; core large, abaxile; cells closed or open; core-lines clasping; carpels round or cordate, emarginate, tufted; seeds light brown, small, plump, acute; flesh white, firm, fine, crisp, very tender, juicy, sweet, aromatic; good to very good; August and early September.
— Central Experimental Farm, Central Experimental Farm, Agassiz BC — Catalogue of Fruit Trees under Test (Bulletin No. 3, 1900) (1900)Planted Spring 1890. Tree a vigorous grower, and a regular bearer. Fruit large, oblong, tapering to the eye. Skin pale yellow. Flesh yellowish, tender, juicy, crisp, with a rich sweet flavour, quality good. Season August.
— Stark Bros. Nurseries & Orchards Co., Stark Bros. Year Book (1910) (1910)A large pale yellow apple; one of the really good summer varieties and the best early sweet apple. Ripens through a long season; tree is a young bearer and long-lived. Should be in every home orchard. It is too tender to be valuable for long shipping. NCS