Williams' Favorite.

Williams' Favorite Red, | Williams' Red, Williams' Early, | Williams' Early Red.

From Massachusetts. Tree, medium growth; shoots, reddish brown. Fruit medium to large, oblong; fine clear red, very dark in sun; calyx, closed; basin, narrow; stem, slender; flesh, yellowish white, tender; "very good." August.

— F.R. Elliott, The Western Fruit Book (1865)

Williams' Favorite.

WILLIAMS' EARLY.

Origin Roxbury, Massachusetts.

Fruit small to medium, round, regular; Surface smooth, dark purplish red, indistinctly striped; Dots none.

Basin abrupt, folded; Eye medium, closed.

Cavity wide, shallow; Stem long, slender.

Core large, round, closed; Seeds pointed, brown; Flesh whitish-yellow, streaked red, breaking, not juicy; Flavor sub-acid, peculiar; Quality scarcely good; Season, July and August.

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

William's Favorite.

William's Early. William's Red.

A large and handsome dessert Apple. It originated at Roxbury, near Boston, Mass., bears abundantly, and ripens from the last of July to the first of September. An excellent market variety.

Fruit of medium size, roundish oblong conic, and a little one-sided. Stalk an inch long, slender, slightly sunk. Calyx closed, in a furrowed basin. Skin very smooth, of a light red ground, but nearly covered with a fine dark red. Flesh yellowish white, and of a very mild and agreeable flavor. Good. Requires a strong, rich soil.

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

Williams' Favorite.* (Williams, Williams' Red, Williams' Favorite Red.) Size medium, sometimes rather large; oblong-ovate, remotely conical, very smooth; color mostly fine dark crimson stripes; stalk three-quarters to one inch long, enlarged at insertion, cavity shallow; basin small and shallow, even, or somewhat ribbed; flesh yellowish white, moderately juicy, with sometimes a tinge of red near the surface, mild, agreeable, fine. Ripens for several weeks late in summer. Its handsome appearance has partly contributed to its high reputation. Requires a rich soil and good cultivation. Fig. 363. Origin, Roxbury, Mass.

— John J. Thomas, The American Fruit Culturist (1903)

WILLIAMS.

REFERENCES. 1. Kenrick, 1832:129. 2. Manning, 1838:149. 3. Ib., Mag. Hort., 7:51. 1841. 4. Downing, 1845:79. 5. Hovey, Mag. Hort., 14:118. 1848. fig. 6. Goodrich, 1849:51. 7. Cole, 1849:100. fig. 8. Thomas, 1849:142. fig. 9. Waring, 1851:32. fig. 10. Barry, 1851:282. 11. Emmons, Nat. Hist. N. Y., 3:12. 1851. 12. Elliott, 1854:163. 13. Am. Pom. Soc. Cat., 1854. 14. Hooper, 1857:100. 15. Warder, 1867:618, 736. 16. Fitz, 1872:161. 17. Montreal Hort. Soc. Rpt., 1879:26. 18. Ia. Hort. Soc. Rpt., 1883:507. 19. Hogg, 1884:243. 20. Lyon, Mich. Hort. Soc. Rpt., 1890:300. 21. Bailey, An. Hort., 1892:252. 22. Hoskins, Rural N. Y., 53:248. 1894. 23. Beach, N. Y. Sta. An. Rpt., 14:255. 1895. 24. Gard. and For., 8:248. 1895. 25. Can. Hort., 20:183. 1897. 26. Bunyard, Jour. Roy. Hort. Soc., 1898:357. 27. Waugh, Vt. Sta. An. Rpt., 14:312. 1901. 28. Budd-Hansen, 1903:203. fig.

SYNONYMS. Lady's Apple (5). Queen (5). WILLIAMS (1, 5, 6, 7, 12, 20, 26, 27). Williams (7, 8). Williams Early (5, 12, 15, 19). Williams Early Red (7, 12). WILLIAMS FAVORITE (3, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25). Williams Favorite (5, 7, 12, 27). Williams Favorite Red (5, 8, 12). WILLIAMS Favorite (28). WILLIAMS FAVOURITE RED (2). WILLIAMS FAVOURITE (4, 19). Williams Red (8, 12, 19).

Williams is a very beautiful, bright red apple of mild agreeable flavor, good for dessert but not suitable for culinary uses. It is a favorite in Boston and other eastern markets, and is grown to a limited extent for commercial purposes in some portions of Eastern New York. It does not stand shipping very well, the skin being thin, tender and easily bruised, therefore best handled in small packages. It is in season during late August and early September. Under favorable conditions the fruit becomes rather large, but with very heavy crops it is apt to be rather small unless properly thinned. The crop ripens unevenly, and more than one picking is required to secure the fruit in prime condition. The tree being only moderately vigorous, it is an advantage to topwork it upon some thrifty hardy stock, such as Northern Spy, Rhode Island Greening, or Tolman Sweet. When topworked in this way the Williams becomes a rather vigorous grower, makes a tree of pretty good size, comes into bearing early and in favorable locations, under good treatment, is a reliable cropper, yielding good crops annually or nearly annually. It can be recommended for commercial planting where fruit of this type and season is desired.

Historical. Williams originated in Roxbury, Mass., more than 150 years ago. It was brought to the notice of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society in 1830 and then named Williams. It had previously been known in market under the name Queen and Lady's Apple (5). It was entered in the catalogue of the American Pomological Society in 1854 and is still retained on that list (13). It has become widely disseminated and is still often listed by nurserymen (21) but is nowhere being planted to any considerable extent.

TREE.

Tree rather small and a slow grower but when topworked on vigorous stock and properly tilled and fertilized it becomes rather large and vigorous. Form upright spreading or roundish, somewhat dense. Twigs short, curved, moderately stout, with large terminal buds; internodes short. Bark dark brown tinged with green, lightly streaked with scarf-skin; slightly pubescent. Lenticels quite numerous, small to medium size, oblong, raised. Buds medium size, broad, plump, obtuse, free, slightly pubescent.

FRUIT.

Fruit medium or under favorable circumstances rather large, pretty form in size and shape. Form oblong conic to roundish conic, broadly ribbed; sides often unequal. Stem medium to long, moderately thick. Cavity obtuse, shallow, rather broad, furrowed, sometimes russeted. Calyx above medium size, usually closed; lobes long. Basin medium to rather shallow, rather narrow to moderately broad, a little abrupt, somewhat furrowed. Skin moderately thick, rather tender, nearly smooth, pale yellow overlaid with bright deep red, indistinctly striped with dark red or crimson. Dots numerous, inconspicuous, small, grayish or russet. Calyx tube long, narrow, funnel-shape or approaching cylindrical, sometimes extending to the core. Stamens marginal. Core medium to rather large, axile; cells closed or slightly open; core lines clasping. Carpels ovate to roundish. Seeds above medium, rather narrow, long, moderately plump, acute or nearly acuminate, dark brown. Flesh sometimes tinged with red, firm, a little coarse, moderately crisp, tender, rather juicy, becoming dry when overripe, pleasant mild subacid, aromatic, good. Season late August and September.

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

Williams Favorite.—Origin, Roxbury, Massachusetts; tree productive, requires a strong rich soil; an excellent market variety.

Fruit above medium, roundish oblong conic, slightly unequal; surface very smooth, yellow, almost or wholly covered with light and very dark purplish red, with numerous brilliant dark crimson stripes and splashes, a beautiful fruit; dots few, very minute; cavity wide, shallow, slightly russeted; stem medium to long, slender; basin shallow, wide, abrupt, corrugated; calyx closed; segments large, connivent. Core closed, barely clasping; cells round, slit; tube funnel-shaped; stamens marginal; seeds, not many, pointed, rather long; flesh yellowish white, often stained with red, tender, moderately juicy, mild, agreeable, aromatic subacid, good. July, August.

— J.L. Budd & N.E. Hansen, American Horticultural Manual, Part II: Systematic Pomology (1914)

Williams (Favorite). Size: medium. Form: "re". Color: yellow-red. Quality: good. Use: market. Season: summer. Northern Division: 15* (reported in more than one division). Central Division: 10* (reported in more than one division). Southern Division: 4* (reported in more than one division).

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

WILLIAM'S FAVOURITE. Dessert, August, medium, 2¼ by 2¼, round to oblong, conical, irregular. Colour, pale greenish-yellow, nearly covered with very dark crimson flush and broad stripes. Flesh, soft, greenish, aromatic. Eye, closed, segments reflexed at tips, in a moderate basin, at the base of which are a few round bead-like knobs. Stem, fairly long, much knobbed each end, in a shallow cavity. Growth, moderate, rather straggling, spurring well; fertile. Leaf, rather large, round, pale, down-hanging, undulating, serrate. Origin, at Roxbury, U.S.A., about 1750. Probably introduced to England, about 1828. One of the best early dessert apples and well worthy of culture.

— E.A. Bunyard, A Handbook of Hardy Fruits (1920)

WILLIAMS. Lady's Apple. Queen. Williams Early. Williams Red. Beautiful bright red color and rich, agreeable flavor characterize the fruits of Williams. As with so many of the tender-fleshed dessert apples, the fruits do not stand shipping well and cannot be kept long. Ordinarily, the apples are large, but with a heavy crop many of them may be small and uneven in size, and they ripen so unevenly that more than one picking is required. The trees are only moderately vigorous, but are healthful and fruitful. Williams originated in Roxbury, Massachusetts, about 1750, and for a century and a half has been a favorite in New England and the Middle Atlantic states.

Tree small, upright-spreading, dense. Fruit medium or large, uniform in size and shape, oblong-conic or round-conic, broadly ribbed, sides often unequal; stem medium to long, thick; cavity obtuse, shallow, broad, furrowed, sometimes russeted; calyx usually closed; lobes long; basin shallow, narrow, abrupt, furrowed; skin thick, tender, smooth, pale yellow overlaid with bright, deep red, striped with dark red; dots numerous, inconspicuous, gray or russet; calyx-tube long, narrow, funnel-shape, sometimes extending to the core; stamens marginal; core large, axile; cells closed; core-lines clasping; carpels ovate; seeds narrow, long, plump, acute, dark brown; flesh white, sometimes tinged with red, firm, coarse, crisp, tender, juicy, becoming dry when overripe, pleasant mild subacid, aromatic; good; August and September.

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

A favorite of long standing and a regular bearer. A familiar old favorite of fine keeping quality, and one of the most extensively planted. In some sections it is propagated by budding, as grafted on Ben Davis it is not always satisfactory. The fruit is medium sized, roundish, prettily striped and colored. Flesh is yellowish, said to be a good shipper. West of the Mississippi the tree is of rather weak growth, and has required support by budding on Ben Davis. Most varieties are more profitable. West of the Mountains, incomparably more profitable. Does not succeed in the far South. Most profitable for New England, Nurseries and some parts of the Northwest. Where as apples of the Ben Davis family is wanted.

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

light red, juicy and aromatic; a very good red - Aug.

— Thomas Rivers & Son, Thomas Rivers Catalogue of Fruits (1914) (1914)