Wagener

Wagener.

This beautiful and useful apple originated at Penn Yan,

Fig. 134.—WAGENER.

Yates County, New York; was described and figured in the Transactions of the State Agricultural Society.

Tree thrifty, upright, productive, and very early bearer.

Fruit large, oblate or globular-oblate, pentangular; Surface very smooth, yellow, well covered with mixed bright red, stripes not distinct; Dots scattered, yellow.

Basin wide, abrupt, regular; Eye small, closed.

Cavity regular, brown; Stem medium, green.

Core regular, wide, heart-shaped, closed, meeting the eye; Seeds numerous, large, angular; Flesh yellowish-white, tender, fine-grained, juicy; Flavor mild sub-acid; Quality good; Uses, market, table and kitchen; Season, November and December.

— John A. Warder, American Pomology: Apples (1867)

Wagener.

Origin, Penn Yan, Yates Co., N. Y. Tree thrifty, upright, hardy, and early bearer ; requires thinning to produce good-flavored fruit ; when grown in the shade is wanting in flavor. Young wood light reddish brown, slightly downy. Buds prominent.

Wagener.

Fruit medium or above, roundish oblate, yellow, mostly shaded with crimson, obscurely striped, and sprinkled with light dots. Stalk nearly an inch long, rather slender, inserted in a large, broad, irregular cavity. Calyx small and closed, set in a rather abrupt somewhat corrugated basin. Flesh yellowish, very tender, juicy, excellent, brisk, somewhat vinous. Very good to best. A very delicate apple. Ripe, November to February.

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

WAGENER.

REFERENCES. 1. N. Y. Agr. Soc. Trans., 1847:315. fig. 2. Ib., 1848:275, 285. fig. and col. pl. frontispiece. 3. Horticulturist, 3:95. 1848. 4. Thomas, 1849:173. fig. 5. Mag. Hort., 16:158. 1850. 6. Emmons, Nat. Hist. N. Y., 3:73. 1851. col. pl. No. 41. 7. Elliott, 1854:114. fig. 8. Am. Pom. Soc. Cat., 1856. 9. Downing, 1857:110. fig. 10. Hooper, 1857:95. 11. Horticulturist, 17:150. 1862. 12. Hovey, Mag. Hort., 29:261. 1863. fig. 13. Warder, 1867:490. fig. 14. Waring, Mich. Pom. Soc. Rpt., 1871:40. 15. Wagener, Ib., 1872:454. fig. 16. Fitz, 1872:175. 17. Barry, 1883:356. 18. Rural N. Y., 47:749. 1888. 19. Wickson, 1889:248. 20. Lyon, Mich. Hort. Soc. Rpt., 1890:298. 21. Can. Hort., 14:91, 131. 1891. 22. Bailey, An. Hort., 1892:252. 23. Can. Hort., 16:406. 1893. 24. Rural N. Y., 56:317, 359. 1897. 25. Waugh, Vt. Sta. Bul., 61:32. 1897. 26. Ib., Rpt., 14:311. 1901. 27. Alwood, Va. Sta. Bul., 130:125. 1901. 28. Budd-Hansen, 1903:195. fig. 29. Powell and Fulton, U. S. B. P. I. Bul., 48:59. 1903. 30. Beach and Clark, N. Y. Sta. Bul., 248:148. 1904.

Wagener, at its best, is an apple of superior excellence. The color is a beautiful bright red with some contrasting pale yellow; it has fine texture, high flavor and excellent quality. It is very desirable for culinary uses but is especially esteemed for dessert. It is in season about with Tompkins King or from October to February, yet often some portion of the fruit may be kept in ordinary storage till late spring. Its commercial limit is December, or, in cold storage, about February 1st. It does not stand heat well before going into storage and is quite apt to scald toward the close of the season, particularly if not well colored. After scalding it goes down quickly (29, 30). Often there is some loss from drops, especially if the crop is not picked as soon as it is well colored, and many times there is a rather high percentage of loss in fruit that is unmarketable because it is undersized or misshapen. In the nursery Wagener is a pretty good grower, upright and well-formed; in the orchard it is quite vigorous at first, but as it advances in maturity it usually becomes a rather weak grower, with branches full of fruit spurs. It comes into bearing at an early age and so long as it remains healthy it is a reliable cropper, yielding moderate to rather heavy crops biennially or nearly annually. In many cases it overbears so that the fruit does not all develop properly in size and color. Under such circumstances it is a great advantage to thin the fruit. To get best results the thinning should be done as early as June. Under favorable conditions the crop is pretty uniform in size, color and quality.

The tree is often short-lived, but some report that it is longer-lived when top-worked upon hardier and more vigorous stock such as Northern Spy, Baldwin and Tolman Sweet. On account of its dwarfish form and habit of coming into bearing at an early age it is recommended by some fruit growers as a filler to plant between the rows of longer-lived apple trees. Some fruit growers consider it a profitable variety, but many do not. Although it was introduced about a half century ago and it is now sufficiently well known so that it may perhaps be regarded as a standard market variety, yet it has not established itself to any considerable extent in the commercial orchards of this state and is not being extensively planted.

Historical. The first published reference to the Wagener which we find is that given in the Report of the N. Y. State Agricultural Society for 1847, in which it is stated that it was awarded second premium as a seedling of merit (1). In 1848 it was again presented for competition and was placed by the committee in the list of first-class apples, awarded an additional premium and also a diploma. An illustrated description of it was published in the report of this Society for that year with the remark "This very fine apple the committee consider a desirable addition to the list of first-rate fruits. Its appearance is prepossessing as is also its size and form" (2). An account of the history of Wagener was also given in which it was stated that in the spring of 1791 Mr. George Wheeler brought with him from Dover, Dutchess county, N. Y., to Penn Yan, Yates county, a quantity of apple seeds which he sowed that spring in the nursery upon his farm which he was then reclaiming from the wilderness. In 1796 Abraham Wagener, from whom the name of the apple is derived, bought this seedling nursery and planted trees from it upon his place in what is now the village of Penn Yan. In 1848 it was remarked that the old tree was producing an annual and abundant yield of beautiful and delicious fruit (2). It continued to bear full crops till about the year 1865 (15). After it was brought to the notice of the State Agricultural Society, the Wagener soon began to be propagated quite extensively and it has since become widely disseminated throughout the country. In 1892 Wagener was being offered quite generally by nurserymen throughout the country except in the North Mississippi valley, the Rocky Mountain region and the plains from Nebraska to Texas (22). It is generally known throughout New York but is not planted extensively in any section of the state.

TREE.

Tree dwarfish to medium size, at first moderately vigorous but soon becoming a slow grower; branches short, stout and filled with spurs. Form roundish to spreading, open. Twigs short to medium, often somewhat curved, moderately stout, usually quite blunt; internodes medium to short. Bark clear dark reddish-brown mingled with olive-green, lightly streaked with scarf-skin; pubescent near tips. Lenticels scattering, medium or below, elongated or sometimes roundish, not raised. Buds medium to rather large, sometimes projecting, plump, acute, free, pubescent.

FRUIT.

Fruit medium to rather large. Form oblate to roundish oblate, broadly ribbed or irregularly elliptical; sides often unequal. Stem short to moderately long, moderately thick to rather slender. Cavity variable, acute, moderately deep to deep, broad or sometimes compressed and rather narrow, often angular or furrowed, sometimes thinly russeted. Calyx small to medium, closed or partly open; lobes small, usually short, acute to acuminate, connivent, reflexed. Basin medium in width and depth, abrupt, somewhat furrowed.

Skin thin, tough, smooth, glossy, bright pinkish-red striped with bright carmine and mottled and streaked with thin whitish scarf-skin over a clear, pale yellow background. Dots numerous, whitish or russet, sometimes mingled with light russet flecks. Prevailing color bright light red.

Calyx tube long, rather narrow, funnel-form, often elongated and extending to the core. Stamens median to marginal.

Core below medium to moderately large, somewhat abaxile with hollow cylinder in the axis, varying to nearly axile; cells symmetrical, closed or open; core lines clasping the funnel cylinder. Carpels broadly roundish or approaching elliptical, but little emarginate if at all, smooth or nearly so, mucronate. Seeds moderately numerous, rather small to above medium, short to moderately long, moderately wide, obtuse, rather light brown; often some are abortive.

Flesh whitish slightly tinged with yellow, moderately firm, rather fine-grained, crisp, tender, juicy to very juicy, subacid, aromatic, sprightly, very good to best.

Season October or November, to February or later.

— S.A. Beach, The Apples of New York, Vol. 1 (1905)

Wagener

The Wagener is grown in certain sections of the country, and at its best is an excellent apple. The color is a beautiful red with some contrasting pale yellow; it has a fine texture, high flavor and excellent quality. Fruit medium to large. Form oblate to roundish oblate, broadly ribbed or irregularly elliptical; sides often unequal. Skin thin, tough, smooth, glossy, bright, pinkish red striped with bright carmine and mottled and streaked with thin whitish scarf skin over a pale yellow clear background. Flesh whitish, slightly tinged with yellow, moderately firm, rather fine-grained, crisp, tender, juicy, subacid, aromatic, sprightly, very good.

Tree dwarfish, at first moderately vigorous, but soon becoming a slow grower; branches short, stout, and filled with spurs. Form, as described in the "Apples of New York," roundish to spreading open. However, as it grows in Washington, it is an upward grower, and branches shaped more like those of the Bartlett pear. Twigs dark to medium, often somewhat curved, moderately stout, usually quite blunt, internodes medium to short. Bark clear dark reddish brown, mingled with olive green, lightly streaked with scarf skin; pubescent near the tips. It comes into bearing at an early age; but the tree is rather short lived.

Historical. The first historical reference to the Wagener is that given in the report of the New York State Agricultural Society for 1847, in which it was said that it was awarded second premium as a seedling of great merit. In 1848 it was entered again and took first prize. It is said to have originated from seed sown by George Wheeler of Dover, Duchess county, New York. In 1848 Abraham Wagener propagated it so largely that it was given his name.

— Granville Lowther (ed.), Encyclopedia of Practical Horticulture (1914)

Beautiful colored red apple with outstanding quality. Large, handsome fruit that is smooth, bright red or short lived, is overshadowed as a filler. Popular variety. It is prolific and will keep in condition for a month or more. Successful in all Northern sections and wherever the Wagener will move Stayman. King David. and Delicious. NC

— Stark Bros. Nurseries & Orchards Co., Stark Bros. Year Book (1910) (1910)