Tolman Sweet
Apple
USDA Pomological Watercolor Collection
Tolman Sweet
Origin / History
Elliott, Warder, Downing, Hansen, and Thomas give Rhode Island as the origin. Elliott derives the name from a family named Talman. Beach records that Thacher's description of 1822 is the earliest known and that Thacher was unable to trace the variety to its origin. Manning in 1891 called attention to the correct orthography, the name having been differently spelled by various authors, and mentioned the supposition that it originated in Dorchester, Massachusetts. Hedrick calls the origin unknown and says it was brought to the attention of fruit-growers in 1822. Hansen records that the American Pomological Society recommends abbreviating the name to Tolman.
Warder calls it "this favorite baking apple of New England," which "has traveled from Rhode Island wherever her hardy sons have gone westward." Downing calls it "a very popular and profitable orchard sort," from the hardihood of the trees, their great productiveness, and its value for stock feeding and various culinary uses. Hansen counts it "one of the hardiest of the old eastern apples in the western prairie region."
Beach says Tolman Sweet has long been known in cultivation in New York and appears to be more generally grown in the home orchards of that state than any other sweet apple. Throughout Northern New York, Northern New England, certain portions of Canada, and the northern portion of the apple belt in the prairie region of the Middle West, it has gained the reputation of being one of the hardiest of the old New England varieties. For this reason it is often selected as a stock on which to top-graft less hardy kinds.
Hedrick calls it "the leading sweet apple of this continent" and "this best of all sweet apples." He says it attained and holds that place by virtue of good characters of both fruit and tree: in the fruit, attractive appearance, fair size, and good quality. The many good characters of the tree make it a favorite stock on which to top-work kinds less well endowed. It is grown in all the leading apple regions of America.
Planted at the Central Experimental Farm, Agassiz, B.C., in spring 1890. Lowther records it as reported by 19 stations in the Northern Division and 18 stations in the Central Division, each also reported in another division.
Tree
Tree vigorous, a rapid, strong grower (Elliott), though Beach calls it moderately vigorous. Upright-spreading. Thomas describes the young tree as vigorous and upright, the shoots becoming spreading. Beach describes it as upright, very spreading, drooping, and open, with a roundish top and long, moderately stout, curved, drooping branches. Wood dark (Elliott).
Twigs medium to long, straight or bowed, stout; internodes medium to short. Bark clear brownish mingled with olive-green, lightly streaked with scarf-skin, heavily pubescent. Lenticels rather conspicuous, scattering, medium or above, roundish or oval, not raised. Buds medium in size, broad, plump, obtuse, appressed, pubescent (Beach). Leaves wavy (Thomas).
Hardy to very hardy, a good grower, and long-lived. Hedrick ranks the trees "preeminent among those of all apples": hardy, healthy, vigorous, productive, long-lived, holding the crop well, and coming early into bearing.
Productive to very productive, a great bearer. Beach says it comes into bearing at a moderately early age and is, generally speaking, a reliable cropper, yielding moderate to heavy crops biennially or sometimes almost annually. The fruit hangs pretty well to the tree, with comparatively little loss in drops and culls.
Fruit
Size: Below medium to large; most authors call it medium, medium or above, rather large, or medium to large. Beach says it commonly averages below medium but sometimes grows rather large. Pretty uniform in size and shape.
Form: Nearly globular, round, or roundish, regular, varying to roundish conical or slightly conical and to roundish oblate or somewhat flattened. Often inclined to elliptical or obscurely ribbed (Beach).
Stem: Medium to long, slender, inclining to one side (Downing). Warder calls it medium in size and long; Thomas gives nearly an inch long.
Cavity: Wide or broad, regular, pretty symmetrical, obtuse to acute. The depth is in conflict: shallow (Downing), medium deep (Hansen), deep (Beach). Often russeted, often obscurely furrowed (Beach).
Calyx: Small to medium. Warder gives it closed, Hansen closed or half open, and Beach somewhat open or sometimes closed. Segments erect, convergent (Hansen); lobes often long and acuminate (Beach). The calyx tube is funnel-shaped (Hansen) or urn-shape to truncate funnel-form (Beach). Stamens median (Hansen); basal or nearly so (Beach).
Basin: Small and slightly depressed to medium or wide, shallow to moderately deep, regular, distinct. Furrowed, wrinkled or slightly wrinkled, leather-cracked (Warder, Hansen). Often oblique, rather abrupt, sometimes compressed (Beach).
Skin: Tough, smooth (Warder), though Beach says it is apt to be roughened slightly by very inconspicuous capillary russet lines over the entire surface, becoming heavier and concentric at the basin. Yellow, clear light yellow, pale clear yellow, or whitish yellow when fully ripe; Lowther gives greenish yellow. Sometimes or often a soft or faint blush on one side, the sunny side. Generally marked by a distinct line or "pin-scratch," a suture line, on one side, running from the stem or cavity toward the calyx and sometimes reaching even to the basin. Elliott calls the line greenish, Hansen dark, and Thomas clear brownish. Hedrick says the variety is easily distinguished by this suture line. Rather attractive for a yellow apple.
Dots: Few, minute or small, inconspicuous or rather obscure. Dark (Warder); gray, some with whitish bases (Hansen); pale yellow or faint russet (Beach).
Flesh and flavor: Flesh white, quite white by Downing's account; Warder alone gives yellow. Firm or rather firm, rather hard, neither tender nor crisp (Beach), breaking (Warder). Fine-grained to moderately fine. Rather dry to moderately juicy. Flavor rich, very sweet, decidedly sweet.
Most authors rate it good to very good. Hansen calls it "very good for a sweet apple," and Lowther "very good." Downing dissents, calling it "scarcely second rate as a table sort."
Core and seeds: Core medium to rather small, axile, regular, closed, heart-shaped (Warder). Cells symmetrical, closed (Beach); ovate, slit (Hansen). Core lines clasping or slightly clasping. Carpels rather flat, broadly roundish, slightly emarginate, tufted (Beach).
Seeds plump, numerous (Warder), short (Hansen) or medium in size and wide (Beach). Ovate pointed or pointed, acute to somewhat obtuse, tufted (Beach). Seed color is in conflict: light brown (Elliott), dark (Warder).
Season
The recorded season runs from October into April. Most authors give a winter season, November into March or April, "all winter," or "into spring." The fruit keeps well. Warder gives only December and January, and Hedrick begins the season in October.
Beach gives November to January in ordinary storage, with December as the commercial limit, and a cold-storage commercial limit that varies under different conditions from February 1 to April. He adds that its keeping quality varies in different seasons. Some find that it stands heat well before going into storage; others report that it does not. It shows bruises very readily and requires careful handling.
Uses
Chiefly a baking and culinary apple. Thomas calls it "excellent for winter baking." Beach says it is generally much esteemed for certain culinary purposes, as pickling, boiling, and baking. Used also for stock feeding. Stark calls it "a splendid winter sweet and a good cooking apple." Hedrick says the fruits are everywhere liked for dessert but are even more highly esteemed for all culinary purposes.
Beach says it meets with little demand in the general market but is sold to a limited extent in special markets and to special classes of trade. The fruit is quite uniform in grade.
Subtypes / Variants
Not described in source.
Other
Illustrated as Fig. 406 in Thomas and Fig. 55 in Hedrick. The Stark entry closes with the notation "NNCS."
Book Sources
Described in 9 period pomological works
- Beach, The Apples of New York Vol. 1 (1905)
- Budd & Hansen, Systematic Pomology (1914) — listed as Tolman Sweet (Tollman Sweet)
- Hansen, A Study of Northwestern Apples (1902)
- Hedrick, Cyclopedia of Hardy Fruits (1922)
- Thomas, The American Fruit Culturist (1903)
- Warder, American Pomology: Apples (1867) — listed as Tallman's Sweet
- Downing, Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900) — listed as Talman's Sweet
- Elliott, The Western Fruit Book (1865) — listed as Talman's Sweeting
- Lowther (ed.), Encyclopedia of Practical Horticulture (1914)
Nursery Catalog Sources
Found in 50 catalogs (1845–1936) from Alabama, California, Illinois, Massachusetts, Missouri, Nebraska, Oregon, Washington
- Winship's Nursery (Brighton Nurseries , operated by the Winship family), Brighton (Boston) , Massachusetts — 1845 — listed as Talman's Sweet
- Azell Bowditch (Nursery / Fruit Catalog) , Boston , Massachusetts — 1850 — listed as Talman Sweet
- Joseph Breck & Co. , Boston , Massachusetts — 1855
- Hutchison Nursery , James Hutchison, Oakland , California — 1881 — listed as Talman Sweet
- Felix Gillet , Barren Hill Nursery, Nevada City , California — 1884 — listed as Talman Sweet
- Felix Gillet , Barren Hill Nursery, Nevada City , California — 1888 — listed as Talman Sweet
- California Nursery Co. , Niles , California — 1889 — listed as Talman Sweet
- Felix Gillet , Barren Hill Nursery, Nevada City , California — 1889 — listed as Talman Sweet
- Felix Gillet , Barren Hill Nursery, Nevada City , California — 1890 — listed as Talman Sweet
- Felix Gillet , Barren Hill Nursery, Nevada City , California — 1891 — listed as Talman Sweet
- Puyallup & Yakima Nurseries , Puyallup, Washington (Lock Box 191) and North Yakima , Washington — 1892 — listed as Talman Sweet
- Milwaukie-Canby Nurseries , Canby, OR (and Milwaukie, OR) — 1893 — listed as Talman Sweet
- Sherwood Hall Nursery Co. , Timothy Hopkins (Menlo Park Nurseries), San Francisco / Menlo Park , California — 1893 — listed as Talman Sweet
- The Vineland Nurseries (Kelsey & Co. , Proprietors), St. Joseph, Missouri (Office: 13th and Atchison Sts., 2 Blocks East of the Citizens St. Car Line) — 1894 — listed as Talman Sweet
- Felix Gillet , Barren Hill Nursery, Nevada City , California — 1895 — listed as Talman Sweet
- Felix Gillet , Barren Hill Nursery, Nevada City , California — 1897 — listed as Talman Sweet
- Alabama Nursery Co. , Huntsville , Alabama — 1900 — listed as Talman Sweet
- Central Experimental Farm , Dominion Department of Agriculture, Agassiz, British Columbia (under test; Bulletin No. 3, Second Series) — 1900
- Washington Nursery Co. , Toppenish , Washington — 1901 — listed as Talman Sweet
- S.L. Watkins , Grizzly Flats, El Dorado County , California — 1901 — listed as Talman Sweet
- Pacific Nursery Company (W. O. Hudson & A. D. Hudson) , Tangent , Oregon — 1903 — listed as Talman Sweet
- Russellville Nursery Co. , Russellville, OR (three miles east of Portland, one mile from Montavilla car line) — 1903
- OSU Bulletin 81 — 1904 — listed as Talman Sweet
- Phoenix Nursery Company (W. E. Rossney , President; Sidney Tuttle, Vice-President), Bloomington , Illinois — 1904 — listed as Talman Sweet
- The Dalles Nurseries , The Dalles , Oregon — 1906 — listed as Talman Sweet
- Stark Bros. Nurseries & Orchards Co. , Louisiana , Missouri — 1906 — listed as Talman Sweet
- Russellville Nursery Co. , Montavilla Station, Portland, OR (three miles east of Portland, one mile from Montavilla car line) — 1907 — listed as Talman Sweet
- Carlton Nursery Co. , Carlton , Oregon — 1909 — listed as Talman Sweet
- Milton Nursery Co. (A. Miller & Sons , Proprietors), Milton , Oregon — 1909 — listed as Talman Sweet
- Washington Nursery Company , Toppenish , Washington — 1909 — listed as Talman Sweet
- Island Nurseries & Fruit Farm , Vashon (Vashon Island) , Washington — 1910 — listed as Talman Sweet
- Stark Bros. Nurseries & Orchards Co. , Louisiana , Missouri — 1910 — listed as Talman Sweet
- Galbraith Nursery Co. (DeWitt Hansen , Pres.-Mgr.), Fairbury , Nebraska — 1911 — listed as Talman Sweet
- Island Nurseries & Fruit Farm , Vashon (Vashon Island) , Washington — 1911 — listed as Talman Sweet
- Stark Bros. Nurseries & Orchards Co. , Louisiana , Missouri — 1911 — listed as Talman Sweet
- Pacific Nursery Company , Portland , Oregon — 1912 — listed as Talman Sweet
- Stark Bros. Nurseries & Orchards Co. , Louisiana , Missouri — 1912 — listed as Talman Sweet
- Vineland Nurseries Company , Clarkston , Washington — 1912 — listed as Talman Sweet
- Washington Nursery Company , Toppenish , Washington — 1912 — listed as Talman Sweet
- Island Nurseries & Fruit Farm , Vashon (Vashon Island) , Washington — 1914 — listed as Talman Sweet
- Stark Bros. Nurseries & Orchards Co. , Louisiana , Missouri — 1914
- Island Nurseries & Fruit Farm , Vashon (Vashon Island) , Washington — 1915 — listed as Talman Sweet
- Island Nurseries & Fruit Farm , Vashon (Vashon Island) , Washington — 1916 — listed as Talman Sweet
- Island Nurseries & Fruit Farm , Vashon (Vashon Island) , Washington — 1917 — listed as Talman Sweet
- Fancher Creek Nurseries , George C. Roeding, Fresno , California — 1918 — listed as Talman Sweet
- Stark Bros. Nurseries & Orchards Co. , Louisiana , Missouri — 1918
- Oregon Nursery Co. , Orenco , Oregon — 1920 — listed as Talman Sweet
- Island Nurseries & Fruit Farm , Vashon , Washington — 1921 — listed as Talman Sweet
- Hudson's Wholesale Nurseries , Tangent , Oregon — 1936 — listed as Talman Sweet
- North-Western Nurseries , Walla Walla , Washington — listed as Talman Sweet
View original book sources (11)
— F.R. Elliott, The Western Fruit Book (1865)Talman's Sweeting. Tallman's Sweeting, | Tolman's Sweeting, | Brown's Golden Sweet
American. Native of Rhode Island; its name from a family by name of Talman. Its value is for baking and stock feeding. Tree, great bearer, fruit keeping well; growth, rapid, upright, strong; wood, dark. Fruit, medium; form, roundish, slightly conical; color, light yellow, with a greenish line from stem to apex; stem, long, slender; cavity, wide, regular; calyx, medium; basin, moderate depth, furrowed; flesh, white, firm, very sweet; core, medium; seeds, light brown, ovate pointed. November to April.
— John A. Warder, American Pomology: Apples (1867)Tallman's Sweet.
This favorite baking apple of New England has traveled from Rhode Island wherever her hardy sons have gone westward.
Tree hardy, very productive.
Fruit medium to large, nearly round, somewhat flattened, regular; Surface smooth, yellow; Dots minute, dark; frequently a distinct line on one side from stem to eye.
Basin wide, regular, leather-cracked; Eye small, closed.
Cavity rather wide, regular; Stem medium size, long.
Core heart-shaped, regular, closed, clasping; Seeds numerous, plump, pointed, dark; Flesh yellow, breaking, firm; Flavor very sweet, rich; Quality good; Use, baking and stock; Season, December and January.
— A.J. Downing, The Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900)Talman's Sweet. Tolman's Sweeting. Tallman's Sweeting. Brown's Golden Sweet. A native of Rhode Island. In quality the fruit is scarcely second rate as a table sort, but it is a very popular and profitable orchard sort, from the hardihood of the trees, their great productiveness, and its value for stock feeding and various culinary uses. Tree an upright spreading grower, vigorous. Form nearly globular. When fully ripe, whitish yellow, with a soft blush on one side, and generally a line running from stem to calyx. Stalk rather long and slender, inclining to one side, and inserted in a rather wide, shallow, but regular cavity. Calyx set in a small basin, slightly depressed. Flesh quite white, rather firm, fine-grained, with a rich sweet flavor. November to April.
[Additional entry in this volume: "Tolman Sweet", pp. 404–405]
Talman's Sweet.
Tolman's Sweeting. Tallman's Sweeting. Brown's Golden Sweet.
A native of Rhode Island. In quality the fruit is scarcely second rate as a table sort, but it is a very popular and profitable orchard sort, from the hardihood of the trees, their great productiveness, and its value for stock feeding and various culinary uses. Tree an upright spreading grower, vigorous.
Form nearly globular. When fully ripe, whitish yellow, with a soft blush on one side, and generally a line running from stem to calyx. Stalk rather long and slender, inclining to one side, and inserted in a rather wide, shallow, but regular cavity. Calyx set in a small basin, slightly depressed. Flesh quite white, rather firm, fine-grained, with a rich sweet flavor. November to April.
— N.E. Hansen, A Study of Northwestern Apples (1902)Tolman Sweet (Tallman Sweet)—Origin, Rhode Island; tree vigorous; upright, spreading, very productive. One of the hardiest of the old eastern apples in the western prairie region—Fruit medium or above, nearly globular; surface whitish yellow, often with faint blush on sunny side, usually a distinct dark line or pin scratch runs from stem to calyx; dots, few, gray, minute, rather obscure, some with whitish bases; cavity rather wide, obtuse, medium deep, regular; stem long, slender; basin small, shallow, wrinkled, leather-cracked; calyx small, closed or half open; segments erect convergent. Core closed; cells ovate, slit; tube funnel-shaped; stamens median; seeds short, plump; flesh white, firm, moderately juicy, fine grained, rich, sweet; quality very good for a sweet apple. All winter. The American Pomological Society recommends abbreviating the name to Tolman.
— John J. Thomas, The American Fruit Culturist (1903)Tolman Sweet.* Medium or rather large, roundish-oblate slightly conical; clear light yellow, with a clear brownish line from stalk to apex; stalk nearly an inch long; calyx in a distinct, slightly wrinkled basin; flesh white, firm, rich, very sweet. Excellent for winter baking. Keeps into spring. Young tree vigorous, upright, shoots becoming spreading; leaves wavy. Fig. 406. Productive. Hardy. Rhode Island.
— S.A. Beach, The Apples of New York, Vol. 1 (1905)TOLMAN SWEET.
REFERENCES. 1. Thacher, 1822:139. 2. Buel, N. Y. Bd. Agr. Mem., 1826:476. 3. Manning, Mag. Hort., 7:50. 1841. 4. Downing, 1845:137. 5. Phoenix, Horticulturist, 1:361. 1846. 6. Thomas, 1849:162. 7. Hovey, Mag. Hort., 15:162. 1849. fig. 8. Cole, 1849:131. fig. 9. Emmons, Nat. Hist. N. Y., 3:87. 1851. fig. 10. Elliott, 1854:110. fig. 11. Gregg, 1857:60. fig. 12. Hooper, 1857:93. 13. Horticulturist, 17:150, 167. 1862. 14. Am. Pom. Soc. Cat., 1862. 15. Warder, 1867:557. fig. 16. Barry, 1883:355. 17. Lyon, Mich. Hort. Soc. Rpt., 1890:298. 18. Manning, Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt., 1891:137. 19. Taylor, Me. Pom. Soc. Rpt., 1892:57. 20. Bailey, An. Hort., 1892:251. 21. Woolverton, Ont. Fr. Assn. An. Rpt., 26:169. 1894. 22. Can. Hort., 17:229, 280. 1894. col. pl. 23. Hoskins, Rural N. Y., 53:310. 1894. 24. Atwood, Va. Sta. Bul., 130:125. 1901. 25. Waugh, Vt. Sta. An. Rpt., 14:311. 1901. 26. Hansen, S. D. Sta. Bul., 76:106. 1902. fig. 27. Budd-Hansen, 1903:189. fig. 28. Powell and Fulton, U. S. B. P. I. Bul., 48:58. 1903. 29. Beach and Clark, N. Y. Sta. Bul., 248:146. 1904.
SYNONYMS. Brown's Golden Sweet (10). TALLMAN'S SWEET (15). TALLMAN SWEET (26). Tollman Sweet (27). TALLMAN SWEETING (2, 6, 11). Tollman's Sweeting (10). TALMAN SWEET (5, 17, 20, 21, 22, 23). TALMAN'S SWEET (14, 16, 19). Talman Sweet (28). TALMAN SWEETING (8). TALMAN'S SWEETING (9, 10, 12). TOLMAN (25, 28). TOLMAN SWEET (3, 13, 18, 24). Tolman Sweet (25, 28). TOLMAN'S SWEETING (4, 7). TOLMAN SWEETING (1). Tolman's Sweeting (6, 10).
Fruit medium or below, rather attractive for a yellow apple. It meets with little demand in the general market, but is sold to a limited extent in special markets and to special classes of trade. The fruit is generally much esteemed for certain culinary purposes as pickling, boiling and baking. Its keeping quality varies in different seasons. In ordinary storage it is in season from November to January with December as the commercial limit. In cold storage its commercial limit varies under different conditions from February 1 to April (29). Some find that it stands heat well before going into storage; others report that it does not. It shows bruises very readily and requires careful handling. The fruit hangs pretty well to the tree, is quite uniform in grade and suffers comparatively little loss in drops and culls. The tree is a good grower, long-lived and very hardy. Throughout Northern New York, Northern New England, certain portions of Canada and the northern portion of the apple belt in the prairie region of the Middle West, Tolman Sweet has gained the reputation of being one of the hardiest of the old New England varieties. For this reason it is often selected as a stock upon which to top-graft less hardy kinds. The tree comes into bearing at a moderately early age, and, generally speaking, is a reliable cropper, yielding from moderate to heavy crops biennially or sometimes almost annually.
Historical. Thacher's description of this variety is the earliest one of which we have any record. He was unable to trace it to its origin (1). Manning (18) in 1891 called attention to the correct orthography, the name having been differently spelled by various authors, and mentioned the supposition that the variety originated in Dorchester (Massachusetts). It has long been known in cultivation in New York and it appears that it is more generally grown in the home orchards of this state than any other sweet apple.
TREE.
Tree moderately vigorous. Form upright, very spreading, drooping, open; top roundish; branches long, moderately stout, curved and drooping. Twigs medium to long, straight or bowed, stout; internodes medium to short. Bark clear brownish mingled with olive-green, lightly streaked with scarf-skin, heavily pubescent. Lenticels rather conspicuous, scattering, medium or above, roundish or oval, not raised. Buds medium in size, broad, plump, obtuse, appressed, pubescent.
FRUIT.
Fruit commonly averages below medium but sometimes grows rather large. It is pretty uniform in size and shape. Form nearly globular or varying to roundish conical or to roundish oblate, often inclined to elliptical or obscurely ribbed. Stem medium to rather long, slender. Cavity obtuse to acute, broad, deep, often russeted, often obscurely furrowed yet pretty symmetrical. Calyx medium to small, somewhat open or sometimes closed; lobes often long and acuminate. Basin small to medium, often oblique, moderately shallow to moderately deep, medium in width, rather abrupt, furrowed, wrinkled, sometimes compressed.
Skin tough, often marked by a suture line extending out from the cavity, sometimes reaching even to the basin; color pale clear yellow or whitish-yellow, sometimes a little blushed. Dots small, inconspicuous, pale yellow or faint russet. The skin is apt to be roughened slightly by very inconspicuous capillary russet lines over the entire surface, becoming heavier and concentric at the basin.
Calyx tube urn-shape to truncate funnel-form. Stamens basal or nearly so. Core medium to rather small, axile; cells symmetrical, closed; core lines slightly clasping. Carpels rather flat, broadly roundish, slightly emarginate, tufted. Seeds medium in size, wide, plump, acute to somewhat obtuse, tufted.
Flesh white, firm, neither tender nor crisp, rather hard, moderately fine, rather dry to moderately juicy, decidedly sweet, good to very good.
— J.L. Budd & N.E. Hansen, American Horticultural Manual, Part II: Systematic Pomology (1914)Tolman Sweet (Tollman Sweet). — Origin, Rhode Island; tree vigorous, upright, spreading, very productive. One of the hardiest of the old eastern apples in the western prairie region.
Fruit medium or above, nearly globular; surface whitish yellow, often with faint blush on sunny side, usually a distinct dark line or pin-scratch runs from stem to calyx; dots few, gray, minute, rather obscure, some with whitish bases; cavity rather wide, obtuse, medium deep, regular; stem long, slender; basin small, shallow, wrinkled, leather-cracked; calyx small, closed or half open; segments erect convergent. Core closed; cells ovate, slit; tube funnel-shaped; stamens median; seeds short, plump; flesh white, firm, moderately juicy, fine-grained, rich sweet, quality very good for a sweet apple. All winter.
— Granville Lowther (ed.), Encyclopedia of Practical Horticulture (1914)Tolman Sweet is a medium-sized apple of round form. The skin color is greenish yellow. Quality is very good. Season is winter. It was reported by 19 stations in the Northern Division (also reported in another division) and 18 stations in the Central Division (also reported in another division).
— U.P. Hedrick, Cyclopedia of Hardy Fruits (1922)TOLMAN SWEET. Fig. 55. Tollman Sweet. Tolman. Tolman Sweet is the leading sweet apple of this continent. It has attained and holds this high place by virtue of good characters of both fruit and tree. The fruit-characters which commend it are attractive appearance, fair size, and good quality. The fruits are everywhere liked for dessert, but are even more highly esteemed for all culinary purposes. The variety is easily distinguished by a suture line which runs from the cavity to the basin. The trees are preeminent among those of all apples—hardy, healthy, vigorous, productive, long-lived, hold the crop well, and come into bearing early. The many good characters of the trees make Tolman a favorite as a stock upon which to top-work kinds less well endowed. The origin of this best of all sweet apples is unknown. It was brought to the attention of fruit-growers in 1822. Tolman is grown in all the leading apple regions of America. Tree vigorous, upright-spreading, drooping, open; branches long, stout, curved and drooping. Fruit medium to large, uniform in size and shape, globular or round-conical, often elliptical or obscurely ribbed; stem medium to long, slender; cavity obtuse, broad, deep, often russeted, obscurely furrowed; calyx small, open or closed; lobes long and acuminate; basin small, often oblique, shallow, abrupt, furrowed, wrinkled, sometimes compressed; skin tough, marked by a suture line extending from the cavity to the basin; color pale yellow, sometimes blushed; dots inconspicuous; capillary russet lines over the surface, becoming heavier and concentric at the basin; calyx-tube urn-shape; stamens basal; core small, axile; cells symmetrical, closed; core-lines clasping; carpels flat, broadly round, emarginate, tufted; seeds wide, plump, acute, tufted; flesh white, firm, fine, dry, sweet; good to very good; October to March.
— 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 productive. Fruit nearly globular. Skin whitish yellow, with sometimes a soft blush, with a distinct line running from stem to calyx. Flesh white, firm, fine grained, with a rich sweet flavour, quality good. Season November to March.
— Stark Bros. Nurseries & Orchards Co., Stark Bros. Year Book (1910) (1910)Light yellow with a soft blush—rather attractive for a yellow apple. A splendid winter sweet and a good cooking apple. Tree a good grower, long-lived and very hardy; is a reliable cropper and comes into bearing at an early age. NNCS