Tufts
Apple
USDA Pomological Watercolor Collection
Tufts
Origin / History
Tufts originated at Cambridge, Massachusetts, about 1830. Hovey gives 1830 or '31 and places it in the garden of the late Peter Tufts. It was first discovered among a lot of seedling stocks. The size and beauty of its leaf and the vigor of the tree attracted the attention of the owner's son, Mr. C. Tufts, who removed it in the autumn to a favorable situation where it might develop its growth. It advanced rather slowly and did not come into bearing for upwards of sixteen years. It then bore only two or three apples, more the next year, and a larger number the third. The crop continued to increase until the sixth or eighth year, when the tree was loaded with "such specimens as our beautiful figure represents" (Hovey).
The earliest reference in Beach's list is the Magazine of Horticulture for 1848, under the name Tufts Seedling. Hovey described and figured it in the same magazine in 1850, and gave it a colored plate in his Fruits of America; he notes it was called Tufts' Baldwin by some. Mr. E. Tufts first exhibited quite a quantity of the apples at the annual show of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society. Hovey's text gives the year as 1860; Beach, citing Hovey, gives 1848. According to Hovey the fruit "not only attracted universal attention, but obtained the prize as the best specimen offered for exhibition," and the Society's Fruit Committee, after testing it, "pronounced it a superior variety."
An apple of the Baldwin group, much like Baldwin in form, color, size, and general appearance. Hovey credits it with "the same flavor, and delicious admixture of sweet and acid, which have made the Baldwin so popular a fruit." Beach and Hedrick find it milder in flavor, Hedrick "much milder." Hedrick calls it "not so good a variety as Baldwin," but says it "is occasionally preferred, especially in New England, where it is chiefly to be found." Beach records it as rarely listed by nurserymen and seldom or never planted in New York, and does not recommend it for planting there.
Tree
Tree large, moderately vigorous to vigorous, forming a large, handsome, well-shaped head. Hovey finds it not so rapid a grower as Baldwin, nor quite so erect and regular in habit; Beach calls it a pretty good grower. Hovey calls the tree upright; Beach describes the form as very spreading, flat, and open. Annual shoots of moderate length.
Young wood dark chestnut or dark brown, dotted with large white specks, rather short-jointed. Hovey calls the wood moderately stout; Beach calls the twigs slender, moderately long and curved. Old wood brownish chestnut. Bark brown, heavily coated with gray scarf-skin, pubescent. Lenticels scattering, medium size, oblong, not raised (Beach). Buds medium size; broad, flattened, and woolly in Hovey's account, plump, obtuse, free, and slightly pubescent in Beach's.
Leaves large, oblong ovate, broadest near the base, narrowing but little to the point, which is sharply acuminate. They are thick, dull green, flat, rather smooth above, downy beneath, and finely, obtusely, and not very deeply serrated. Petioles of medium length, about one inch long, stout. Flowers of medium size, slightly tinged with pink (Hovey).
Hovey calls it a constant and abundant bearer, and Downing says it bears annually. Beach says it comes into bearing rather early and yields full crops biennially. He adds that the crop does not ripen evenly, and there is apt to be considerable loss from dropping of the fruit.
Fruit
Size: Large, or nearly so. Hovey gives about three and a half inches broad and two and three-quarters deep. Beach finds it quite uniform in size and shape.
Form: Roundish to roundish oblate; Hovey finds it rounder and more flattened than Baldwin. Swollen on one side (Hovey), sometimes with a broad protuberance above the cavity on one side (Beach). Somewhat uneven in outline, slightly to broadly ribbed. Narrowing little to the crown, which is often flattened and, in Hovey's description, oblique.
Stem: Slender to rather slender, deeply sunk. Hovey gives medium length, about three-quarters of an inch; Beach calls it long.
Cavity: Large, rather broad, rather open. Acute to acuminate, medium in depth to deep, often furrowed. Usually with outspreading, irregular greenish russet (Beach); Hovey calls the skin little russeted around the stem.
Calyx: Medium to small, closed or usually closed; segments short (Hovey). Beach gives the calyx tube as medium in length, conical or funnel-shaped, and the stamens as median to marginal.
Basin: Medium in width to very broad. Rather shallow to moderately deep, the eye moderately sunk. Obtuse to somewhat abrupt. Plaited, little furrowed or slightly wrinkled, somewhat ridged.
Skin: Moderately thin, tough, smooth, fair, of an oily touch (Hovey). Ground green, greenish yellow, yellowish, or yellow, nearly covered and much shaded with red. Beach calls the red bright deep red like the Baldwin. Hovey calls it dark, dull crimson, of a deeper and richer hue than Baldwin. Not striped, or sometimes striped (Downing), or with indistinct stripes of purplish carmine (Beach). Handsome.
Dots: Hovey describes a few scattered yellow specks. Beach calls the dots conspicuous, medium to rather small, gray or russet.
Flesh and flavor: Greenish white, or tinged with yellow or greenish. Firm, crisp, tender to rather tender. Hovey calls the flesh fine; Beach calls it moderately coarse. Juice abundant (Hovey), or moderately to rather juicy; Thomas calls the flesh dry. Flavor subacid, rather mild subacid (Beach), "scarcely subacid, and slightly aromatic" (Downing). Hovey describes "a pleasant admixture of sweet and acid." Most authors rate it middling: "Good" (Downing), "moderately good" (Thomas), "fair to good" (Beach). Hovey alone calls it "high flavored and excellent."
Core and seeds: Core medium size and nearly closed (Hovey), or large and axile or nearly so (Beach). Beach gives the cells as closed or partly open and the core lines as clasping. Carpels broadly roundish, rather flat, emarginate, often discolored (Beach). In some years nearly all of the fruit is discolored at the core (Beach). Seeds mostly abortive, often few, not well developed. Hovey calls them medium size; Beach calls them large, long, dark brown, somewhat acute, slightly tufted.
Season
The recorded season runs from September into January, and through the winter in cold storage. Most authors give an autumn season, October to December or January; Downing alone begins earlier, at September and October. Beach gives October to January in ordinary storage, with October as the commercial limit, and says the fruit may be held through the winter in cold storage.
Uses
Beach finds it less desirable than Baldwin for market or culinary uses.
Subtypes / Variants
Not described in source.
Other
Hovey opens his account by observing that the list of late autumn apples, though very extensive, contains only a limited number of superior quality. After the Gravenstein and Porter are gone there is only a moderate supply of fine sorts until the Hubbardston Nonsuch, Greening, and others come in. Accessions of their excellence, size, and beauty are especially to be desired at that period. Supplying them, he says, should be the effort of all who are looking up native seedlings or who may attempt the growth of new sorts by seeds.
Book Sources
Described in 5 period pomological works
- Beach, The Apples of New York Vol. 2 (1905)
- Downing, Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900) — listed as Tuft's
- Hedrick, Cyclopedia of Hardy Fruits (1922)
- Thomas, The American Fruit Culturist (1903) — listed as Tuft's
- Hovey, The Fruits of America (1852) — listed as THE TUFTS APPLE.
Nursery Catalog Sources
Found in 1 catalog (1900)
- Central Experimental Farm , Dominion Department of Agriculture, Agassiz, British Columbia (under test; Bulletin No. 3, Second Series) — 1900
View original book sources (5)
— C.M. Hovey, The Fruits of America (1852)THE TUFTS APPLE.
Tufts. Magazine of Horticulture, vol. xvi. p. 496. Tufts' Baldwin, of some.
Our list of late autumn apples, though very extensive, contains only a limited number of superior quality. After the Gravenstein and Porter are gone, there is only a moderate supply of fine sorts, till the Hubbardston Nonsuch, Greening, &c., come in. At that period, therefore, it is especially to be desired that accessions may be made to the number we already possess of the excellence, size and beauty of the varieties above mentioned. To supply such a desideratum, should be the effort of all who are looking up our native seedlings, or who may attempt the growth of new sorts by seeds.
The Tufts originated in 1830 or '31, in Cambridge, Mass., in the garden of the late Peter Tufts. It was first discovered among a lot of seedling stocks, and from the size and beauty of the leaf, and vigor of the tree, it attracted the attention of the son of the owner, Mr. C. Tufts, who removed it in the autumn to a favorable situation, where it might develop its growth. It advanced rather slowly, and did not come into bearing for upwards of sixteen years ; it then only bore two or three apples ; the next year it produced more ; the third year a larger number, and continued to increase the crop until the sixth or eighth year, when the tree was loaded with such specimens as our beautiful figure represents. In 1860, Mr. E. Tufts first exhibited quite a quantity of the apples at the annual show of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society, which not only attracted universal attention, but obtained the prize as the best specimen offered for exhibition. Subsequently, it was tested by the Fruit Committee, who pronounced it a superior variety.
The general appearance of the Tufts is similar to the Baldwin ; but the form is rounder and more flattened, and the skin is of a deeper and richer hue. It also possesses the same flavor, and delicious admixture of sweet and acid, which have made the Baldwin so popular a fruit. The tree is not so rapid a grower as the Baldwin, nor quite so erect and regular in its habit ; it, however, forms a large and well-shaped head. It is a constant and abundant bearer.
Tree. — Moderately vigorous, upright, and well shaped ; annual shoots of moderate length.
Wood. — Dark chestnut, dotted with large white specks, moderately stout, and rather short-jointed ; old wood, brownish chestnut ; buds, medium size, broad, flattened, woolly.
Leaves. — Large, oblong ovate, broadest near the base, narrowing but little to the point, which is sharply acuminate, thick, dull green, flat, rather smooth above, downy beneath, finely, obtusely and not very deeply serrated ; petioles, medium length, about one inch long, stout.
Flowers. — Medium size ; slightly tinged with pink.
Fruit. — Large, about three and a half inches broad, and two and three quarters deep : Form, roundish oblate, swollen on one side, somewhat uneven in its outline, being slightly ribbed, and narrowing little to the crown, which is oblique : Skin, fair, smooth, of an oily touch, with a greenish yellow ground, nearly covered with dark, dull crimson, little russeted around the stem, and the surface interspersed with a few scattered yellow specks : Stem, medium length, about three quarters of an inch long, slender, and deeply sunk in a large rather open cavity : Eye, small, closed, and moderately sunk in a very broad and little furrowed basin ; segments of the calyx short : Flesh, greenish white, fine, crisp, and tender : Juice, abundant, with a pleasant admixture of sweet and acid, high flavored and excellent : Core, medium size, nearly closed : Seeds, medium size, mostly abortive.
Ripe from October to December.
— A.J. Downing, The Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900)Tuft's.
Tift's Baldwin.
Originated in Cambridge, Mass. The tree is vigorous, forming a handsome head, and bearing annually. Young wood dark brown.
Fruit large, roundish oblate, yellowish, much shaded and sometimes striped with red. Stalk in a large cavity. Calyx closed, in a plaited basin of moderate depth. Flesh crisp, rather juicy, with a flavor scarcely subacid, and slightly aromatic. Good. September, October.
— John J. Thomas, The American Fruit Culturist (1903)Tuft's, or Tuft's Baldwin. Large, red on yellow ground, handsome; flesh dry, with a moderately good, sub-acid flavor. Autumn. Mass.
— S.A. Beach, The Apples of New York, Vol. 2 (1905)TUFTS.
REFERENCES. 1. Mag. Hort., 14:519. 1848. 2. Cole, 1849:107. 3. Hovey, Mag. Hort., 16:496. 1850. fig. 4. Hovey, 2:23. 1851. col. pl. 5. Downing, 1857:198. 6. Warder, 1867:734. 7. Thomas, 1885:527. 8. Bailey, An. Hort., 1892:251. 9. Ib., 1892:251. 10. Beach, N. Y. Sta. An. Rpt., 11:589, 596. 1892. 11. Burrill and McCluer, Ill. Sta. Bul., 45:344. 1896. 12. Powell and Fulton, U. S. B. P. I. Bul., 48:58. 1903. 13. Beach and Clark, N. Y. Sta. Bul., 248:147. 1904.
SYNONYMS. TUFTS (3, 4, 7, 8, 10, 11, 12, 13). TUFTS BALDWIN (2, 5, 6, 9). Tufts Baldwin (7, 10, 12, of some 3 and 5). TUFTS SEEDLING (1).
An apple of the Baldwin group, somewhat like Baldwin in form, color and general appearance, but more mild in flavor and less desirable for market or culinary uses. In ordinary storage it is in season from October to January with October as the commercial limit, but in cold storage it may be held through the winter (13). In some years nearly all of the fruit is discolored at the core. The crop does not ripen evenly, and there is apt to be considerable loss from dropping of the fruit. The tree is large, a pretty good grower, comes into bearing rather early and yields full crops biennially. Not recommended for planting in New York.
Historical. This variety originated in Cambridge, Mass., about 1830. It was first exhibited at the annual show of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society in 1848 (4). It is now rarely listed by nurserymen (8, 9) and is seldom or never planted in this state.
TREE.
Tree large, moderately vigorous. Form very spreading, flat, open. Twigs moderately long, curved, slender; internodes short. Bark brown, heavily coated with gray scarf-skin; pubescent. Lenticels scattering, medium size, oblong, not raised. Buds medium size, plump, obtuse, free, slightly pubescent.
FRUIT.
Fruit large or nearly so, quite uniform in size and shape. Form roundish to roundish oblate, sometimes with a broad protuberance above the cavity on one side, often flattened at apex, broadly ribbed. Stem long, rather slender. Cavity acute to acuminate, medium in depth to deep, rather broad, often furrowed, usually with outspreading, irregular, greenish-russet. Calyx medium to rather small, usually closed. Basin rather shallow to moderately deep, medium in width to wide, obtuse to somewhat abrupt, slightly wrinkled, somewhat ridged. Skin moderately thin, tough, smooth, green or yellowish nearly covered with bright deep red like the Baldwin, not striped or with indistinct stripes of purplish carmine. Dots conspicuous, medium to rather small, gray or russet. Calyx tube medium in length, conical or funnel-shape. Stamens median to marginal. Core large, axile or nearly so; cells closed or partly open; core lines clasping. Carpels broadly roundish, often discolored, rather flat, emarginate. Seeds often few, not well developed, dark brown, large, long, somewhat acute, slightly tufted. Flesh tinged with yellow or greenish, firm, moderately coarse, crisp, rather tender, moderately juicy, rather mild subacid, fair to good.
Season October to December or January.
— U.P. Hedrick, Cyclopedia of Hardy Fruits (1922)TUFTS.
Tufts Baldwin. Tufts Seedling.
This apple is of the Baldwin type; the fruits are very similar in form, color, and size, but differ somewhat in flavor, being much milder. It is not so good a variety as Baldwin, but is occasionally preferred, especially in New England, where it is chiefly to be found. It originated at Cambridge, Massachusetts, about 1830.
Tree large, vigorous, spreading, flat, open. Fruit large, uniform in size and shape, round or round-oblate, sometimes with a broad protuberance above the cavity on one side, often flattened at apex, broadly ribbed; stem long, slender; cavity acute, medium in depth, broad, often furrowed, usually with outspreading, irregular, greenish-russet rays; calyx small, usually closed; basin shallow, wide, obtuse, wrinkled, ridged; skin thin, tough, smooth, green or yellow nearly covered with bright, deep red, with indistinct stripes of purplish-carmine; dots inconspicuous, gray or russet; calyx-tube medium in length, conical; stamens median; core large, axile; cells closed or partly open; core-lines clasping; carpels broadly round, often discolored, flat, emarginate; seeds few, not well developed, dark brown, large, long, somewhat acute, tufted; flesh yellow or greenish, firm, coarse, crisp, tender, juicy, mild subacid; fair to good; October to December or January.