Victoria Sweet.

This is quite an old variety, the origin of which is uncertain, although claimed for Chenango County, N. Y.; it may have an older and prior name. Tree a moderate grower, spreading, very productive on alternate years; a beautiful and very good sweet apple of its season.

Fruit medium, oblate, regular; skin entirely covered with light and dark red and crimson, sometimes obscure stripes and splashes of a darker hue, and many rather conspicuous yellowish dots; stalk rather small; cavity medium, regular, sometimes slight russet; calyx small, closed; basin rather large, moderately deep, slightly plaited; flesh whitish, half fine, tender, juicy, sweet, rich; very good; core small. October, November.

— A.J. Downing, The Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900)

VICTORIA.

REFERENCES. 1. Downing, 1881:111 app. fig. 2. Bailey, An. Hort., 1892:251. 3. Powell and Fulton, U. S. B. P. I. Bul., 48:59. 1903. 4. Beach and Clark, N. Y. Sta. Bul., 248:148. 1904.

SYNONYMS. VICTORIA (3, 4). VICTORIA SWEET (1). Victoria Sweet (4). VICTORIA SWEETING (2).

This variety belongs in the same group with Mabie. The fruit is of good medium size, dark red, with conspicuous, large dots somewhat like those seen on Westfield Seek-No-Further and Blue Pearmain. The flesh is moderately coarse, very tender, rather juicy, sweet, good to very good, for either dessert or culinary uses. In ordinary storage it is in season from October to January, with October as the commercial limit; in cold storage it may be held till January (4). The tree is a pretty good grower, comes into bearing rather young and yields full crops biennially. It is recommended for trial in Central and Eastern New York where a variety of this type is desired either for the home or for the local market.

Historical. Origin uncertain. It is supposed by some to have originated in Chenango county. Probably it is nowhere grown extensively but it is cultivated more in Chenango and adjacent counties than in any other region. It is occasionally listed by nurserymen (2).

TREE.

Tree moderately vigorous with rather short, rather stocky, crooked branches. Form spreading. Twigs moderately long, rather slender; internodes medium. Bark dull reddish-brown or olive-green, slightly mottled with scarf-skin; pubescent. Lenticels scattering, usually large and elongated. Buds medium size, rather narrow, plump, appressed, acute, pubescent. Leaves medium size, rather broad.

FRUIT.

Fruit above medium to medium, fairly uniform in size and shape. Form roundish inclined to conic, somewhat flattened at base, faintly and broadly ribbed. Stem usually short, moderately thick. Cavity moderately deep, medium in width to broad, symmetrical, often lipped, sometimes red and smooth, but often bright yellow russet or greenish-russet overspreads the cavity and radiates irregularly over the base in broken lines and splashes. Calyx small to medium, closed or partly open; lobes usually short and not separated at base, acute. Basin medium in depth to moderately deep, narrow to wide, somewhat abrupt, slightly wrinkled. Skin tough, nearly smooth, yellow, blushed and faintly mottled with rather dull red and marked with numerous, narrow stripes of deeper red. Highly colored specimens are purplish-red with obscure stripes. Dots or flecks conspicuous, gray or russet, becoming smaller and more numerous toward the cavity.

Calyx tube short, medium size, conical or somewhat funnel-form. Stamens median to basal.

Core medium to somewhat distant, usually abaxile; cells closed or partly open; core lines clasping the funnel cylinder. Carpels roundish cordate to elliptical, decidedly concave, tufted. Seeds numerous, dark, medium size, flat, acute to obtuse.

Flesh tinged with yellow, firm, moderately coarse, very tender, juicy, sweet, good to very good.

Season October to January.

— S.A. Beach, The Apples of New York, Vol. 2 (1905)

VICTORIA SWEET. Fig. 58. Victoria. Victoria is one of the good red sweet apples. The fruits are easily identified by their dark red color and large, conspicuous dots, which call to mind varieties in the Blue Pearmain group. In quality, while a little coarse, the apples are good to very good for either culinary uses or dessert. Victoria is now grown only in New York, in which state it came to notice about 1840. Tree vigorous, spreading, with short, stocky, crooked branches. Fruit of medium size, uniform in size and shape, round-conic, flattened at the base, faintly and broadly ribbed; stem usually short, thick; cavity deep, broad, symmetrical, often lipped, sometimes red and smooth, yellow-russet often overspreading the cavity and radiating irregularly over the base in broken lines and splashes; calyx small, closed or partly open; lobes usually short and not separated at base, acute; basin medium in depth, narrow, abrupt, wrinkled; skin tough, smooth, yellow, blushed and mottled with dull red and marked with numerous, narrow stripes of deeper red; dots or flecks conspicuous, gray or russet, becoming smaller and more numerous toward the cavity; calyx-tube short, conical; stamens median; core medium in size, abaxile; cells closed or partly open; core-lines clasping the cylinder; carpels round-cordate, concave, tufted; seeds numerous, dark, flat, acute; flesh yellow, firm, coarse, very tender, juicy, sweet; good to very good; October to January.

— U.P. Hedrick, Cyclopedia of Hardy Fruits (1922)