White Doctor
Apple
USDA Pomological Watercolor Collection
White Doctor
Origin / History
Origin, Pennsylvania.
Tree
Vigorous and productive. Lowther's station table lists it at 2 reporting stations in the Northern Division and 2 in the Central Division, each also reported in another division.
Fruit
Size: Large; Lowther's table codes size "DL".
Form: Roundish oblate.
Stem: Short.
Cavity: Acute.
Calyx: Closed.
Basin: Shallow and furrowed.
Skin: Greenish yellow.
Dots: Not described in source.
Flesh and flavor: Flesh white, tender. Acid, sprightly but not rich (Elliott); brisk subacid (Downing). Quality good (Downing; Lowther).
Core and seeds: Not described in source.
Season
September, October; early autumn in Lowther's table.
Uses
Downing calls it "a profitable market sort, and valuable for culinary uses." Lowther lists it for both kitchen and market.
Subtypes / Variants
Not described in source.
Other
Not described in source.
Book Sources
Described in 3 period pomological works
Nursery Catalog Sources
Found in 2 catalogs (1845–1901) from Illinois, Massachusetts
- Winship's Nursery (Brighton Nurseries , operated by the Winship family), Brighton (Boston) , Massachusetts — 1845
- Benjamin Buckman (personal inventory) , Farmingdale , Illinois — 1901
View original book sources (3)
— F.R. Elliott, The Western Fruit Book (1865)White Doctor.
Origin, Pennsylvania. Tree, vigorous and productive. Fruit, large, roundish oblate; skin, greenish yellow; stem, short, set in an acute cavity; calyx, closed; basin, shallow and furrowed; flesh, white, tender, acid, sprightly but not rich. September, October.
— A.J. Downing, The Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900)White Doctor. Origin, Pennsylvania. A profitable market sort, and valuable for culinary uses. Tree vigorous and productive. Fruit large, roundish oblate, greenish yellow. Stalk short, set in an acute cavity. Calyx closed. Basin shallow and furrowed. Flesh white, tender, brisk subacid. Good. September, October.
— Granville Lowther (ed.), Encyclopedia of Practical Horticulture (1914)White Doctor. Size: "DL". Form: roundish (oblate). Color: greenish yellow. Quality: good. Use: both kitchen and market. Season: early autumn. Northern Division: 2 reporting stations (also reported in another division). Central Division: 2 reporting stations (also reported in another division).