Sweet Bough
Apple
USDA Pomological Watercolor Collection
Origin/History
Of American origin. First described by Coxe in 1817 under the name "Bough apple." Elliott notes that "Sweet" was added as expressive of its character.
Tree
Moderately vigorous. Form upright spreading to roundish, dense, and round-headed (Thomas). Twigs short, straight, moderately stout with large terminal buds; internodes short. Young shoots yellowish, somewhat irregular, ascending. 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. Leaves obtusely crenate (Thomas).
The tree comes into bearing rather young and is a moderate, annual and regular bearer. Under favorable conditions it is long-lived, with specimens found sixty to eighty years old still quite productive (Beach). Succeeds in all good soils not wet (Elliott). In unfavorable locations the tree is sometimes injured by winter, and the branches are attacked somewhat by apple canker (Beach).
Fruit
Size: 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 (Beach). Elliott describes it as roundish, conical ovate. Thomas describes it as roundish, remotely conical-ovate, sometimes distinctly conical.
Stem: Short to medium, moderately thick, usually not exserted (Beach). Thomas gives the stalk as one-half to an inch long. Elliott notes the stem as varying in length.
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 (Beach). Elliott describes the calyx as open.
Basin: Beach describes the basin as rather small, medium to rather shallow, narrow, a little abrupt, smooth or slightly wrinkled. Elliott and Thomas both describe it as narrow and deep.
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. Elliott notes the color as greenish, becoming pale yellow when fully ripe.
Flesh and Flavor: White, moderately firm, fine, somewhat crisp, very tender, juicy, sweet, slightly aromatic, good to very good (Beach). Elliott describes the flesh as white, tender, crisp, sprightly, sweet. Thomas describes it as white, very tender, with an excellent sweet flavor. Hovey wrote of it: "as a kitchen fruit, in its honied sweetness and tender flesh, it has no equal of its season" (quoted in Beach).
Core and Seeds: 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 (Beach). Elliott describes the core as medium with open capsules, and the seeds as ovate, light brown.
Season
August and early September (Beach). Thomas gives ripening from the middle to the end of summer.
Uses
A universal favorite for the home orchard (Beach). Valued as a dessert fruit (Elliott). Hovey, quoted in Beach, rates it: "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." Handled to a limited extent in local markets, but too soft to stand shipping to distant markets; it cannot be ranked among the profitable commercial varieties (Beach).
Subtypes/Variants
Not described in sources.
Other
The Encyclopedia of Practical Horticulture (1914) lists Sweet Bough in a variety-characteristic table:
Description absent; variety present in variety-characteristic table.
Sweet Bough. L ob gy VG b S 14* 15* 6*
Book Sources
Described in 4 period pomological works
USDA Nomenclature (1905)
From W.H. Ragan, Nomenclature of the Apple, USDA Bulletin No. 56
This may be Bough.
Nursery Catalog Sources
Found in 37 catalogs (1886–1936) from Alabama, California, Missouri, New Jersey, Oregon, Washington
- 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
- Milwaukie-Canby Nurseries , Canby, OR (and Milwaukie, OR) — 1893
- Sherwood Hall Nursery Co. , Timothy Hopkins (Menlo Park Nurseries), San Francisco / Menlo Park , California — 1893
- Multnomah Nurseries , Russellville , Oregon — 1894
- The Vineland Nurseries (Kelsey & Co. , Proprietors), St. Joseph, Missouri (Office: 13th and Atchison Sts., 2 Blocks East of the Citizens St. Car Line) — 1894
- Stark Bros. Nurseries & Orchards Co. , Louisiana , Missouri — 1896
- The Lovett Company , Little Silver , New Jersey — 1896
- Brown Brothers Co. , Continental Nurseries, Rochester, NY (also operated from Toronto, Canada) — 1899
- 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
- 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
- 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
- Island Nurseries & Fruit Farm , Vashon (Vashon Island) , Washington — 1914
- Union Nurseries , J.B. Weaver & Sons, Union , Oregon — 1915
- Island Nurseries & Fruit Farm , Vashon (Vashon Island) , Washington — 1915
- Island Nurseries & Fruit Farm , Vashon (Vashon Island) , Washington — 1916
- Island Nurseries & Fruit Farm , Vashon (Vashon Island) , Washington — 1917
- 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 (4)
— 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.
— Granville Lowther (ed.), Encyclopedia of Practical Horticulture (1914)Sweet Bough. L ob gy VG b S 14* 15* 6*
— 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 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.