Tobias Black
AppleTOBIAS BLACK
Origin & History
Originated with Mr. James Tobias in Grand Isle County, Vermont. Practically unknown outside the Lake Champlain district. First received for testing at this Station in 1888 from J. T. Macomber of Grand Isle, Vermont.
Tree
Habit & Vigor: Rather large, moderately vigorous. Form flat, spreading, open. Comes into bearing rather young and yields moderate to good crops, demonstrating almost annual bearing. Reported to be very hardy and very productive.
Wood & Bark: Twigs below medium to above, moderately stout, straight or somewhat curved; internodes medium or below. Bark dark clear brown with reddish tinge, lightly streaked with scarf-skin, quite pubescent.
Lenticels & Buds: Lenticels quite numerous, medium or below, elongated, raised. Buds rather prominent, medium size, broad or roundish, plump, obtuse, free, pubescent.
Fruit
Size & Form: Medium to large, fairly uniform in size, somewhat variable in shape. Form roundish oblate varying to roundish or a little oblong, somewhat truncate, frequently irregularly elliptical or obtusely ribbed; sides sometimes unequal.
Stem & Cavity: Stem below medium to long, rather slender. Cavity medium to large, acute to acuminate, deep, rather narrow to moderately wide, often somewhat furrowed or compressed, sometimes partly russeted.
Calyx & Basin: Calyx medium size, closed or somewhat open; lobes long, acuminate. Basin rather large, deep, wide, rather abrupt, furrowed, sometimes compressed. Calyx tube large, elongated cone-shaped or funnel-form. Stamens median or below.
Skin & Color: Thin, tough. Ground color grass-green becoming clouded with yellow, largely overspread with dark dull red and striped with purplish-carmine, often clouded with scarf-skin toward the cavity and marked with scattering flecks of russet. In highly colored specimens the red becomes dark and bright and the stripes indistinct. Prevailing effect dull red predominating over dull green.
Dots: Conspicuous, pale green or grayish, sometimes with russet point, numerous toward the cavity, sometimes areolar.
Core & Seeds: Core medium or below, nearly axile with hollow cylinder in the axis; cells usually symmetrical, closed or sometimes slightly open; core lines clasping. Carpels thin, broadly roundish to elliptical, obtusely emarginate, mucronate, somewhat tufted. Seeds numerous, medium or below, rather short, obtuse to rather acute, slightly tufted.
Flesh & Flavor: Flesh tinged with green or yellow, moderately firm, breaking, moderately fine-grained, tender, juicy. Flavor mild subacid becoming nearly sweet. Quality fair to nearly good.
Season & Storage
November to April.
Remarks
Of desirable size and fairly good form but of an unattractive dull red and greenish color. Fruit is not equal to standard varieties of its season and the variety is not worthy of planting where these can be grown.
Book Sources
Described in 1 period pomological work
View original book sources (1)
— S.A. Beach, The Apples of New York, Vol. 1 (1905)TOBIAS BLACK.
REFERENCES. 1. Goff, N. Y. Sta. An. Rpt., 7:54, 90. 1888. 2. Macomber, Amer. Gard., 11:140. 1890. 3. Waugh, Vt. Sta. An. Rpt., 14:311. 1901.
Fruit of desirable size and fairly good form but of an unattractive dull red and greenish color. The flavor is nearly sweet, the quality hardly good. The tree is said to be very hardy and very productive (2). As grown at this Station it comes into bearing rather young, yields moderate to good crops and is almost an annual bearer. Its fruit is not equal to standard varieties of its season and the variety is not worthy of planting where these can be grown.
Historical. Originated with Mr. James Tobias in Grand Isle county, Vt. (2). So far as we know it is practically unknown outside of the Lake Champlain district. It was received for testing at this Station in 1888 from J. T. Macomber, Grand Isle, Vt.
TREE.
Tree rather large, moderately vigorous. Form flat, spreading, open. Twigs below medium to above, moderately stout, straight or somewhat curved; internodes medium or below. Bark dark clear brown with reddish tinge, lightly streaked with scarf-skin, quite pubescent. Lenticels quite numerous, medium or below, elongated, raised. Buds rather prominent, medium size, broad or roundish, plump, obtuse, free, pubescent.
FRUIT.
Fruit medium to large, fairly uniform in size, somewhat variable in shape. Form roundish oblate varying to roundish or a little oblong, somewhat truncate, frequently irregularly elliptical or obtusely ribbed; sides sometimes unequal. Stem below medium to long, rather slender. Cavity medium to large, acute to acuminate, deep, rather narrow to moderately wide, often somewhat furrowed or compressed, sometimes partly russeted. Calyx medium size, closed or somewhat open; lobes long, acuminate. Basin rather large, deep, wide, rather abrupt, furrowed, sometimes compressed. Skin thin, tough, grass-green becoming clouded with yellow, largely overspread with dark dull red and striped with purplish-carmine, often clouded with scarf-skin toward the cavity and marked with scattering flecks of russet. In highly colored specimens the red becomes dark and bright and the stripes indistinct. Dots conspicuous, pale green or grayish, sometimes with russet point, numerous toward the cavity, sometimes areolar. Prevailing effect dull red predominating over dull green. Calyx tube large, elongated cone-shape or funnel-form. Stamens median or below.
Core medium or below, nearly axile with hollow cylinder in the axis; cells usually symmetrical, closed or sometimes slightly open; core lines clasping. Carpels thin, broadly roundish to elliptical, obtusely emarginate, mucronate, somewhat tufted. Seeds numerous, medium or below, rather short, obtuse to rather acute, slightly tufted. Flesh tinged with green or yellow, moderately firm, breaking, moderately fine-grained, tender, juicy, mild subacid becoming nearly sweet, fair to nearly good. Season November to April.