Wing Sweet

Apple

Wing Sweet

Origin/History

An old variety of unknown origin. Downing notes it as profitable for stock feeding and cooking. Thomas regards it, when well grown on strong soil, as a handsome and fine sweet winter apple.

Tree

Productive to very productive (Warder; Thomas). Downing describes the tree as a moderate grower, spreading, and productive.

Fruit

Size: Medium (Warder; Thomas); medium or below (Downing).

Form: Sources differ somewhat in their characterizations. Warder describes the fruit as oblate and angular. Downing gives roundish, oblate conical. Thomas gives roundish, slightly oblong, and ribbed.

Stem: Long (Warder; Downing), slender (Downing; Thomas).

Cavity: Acute (Warder). Not described in the other sources.

Calyx/Eye: Eye small, closed (Warder). Calyx closed (Downing).

Basin: Wide, deep, regular or folded (Warder). Downing describes it as slightly corrugated. Thomas says the basin and apex are very sharply ribbed.

Skin: Warder describes the surface as very smooth, yellow, mostly covered with red, indistinctly striped with darker red. Downing gives yellow, mostly shaded, splashed, and striped with dark red. Thomas describes bright red in small stripes and shades on a yellow skin. Note: Warder's characterization of the surface as very smooth stands in some tension with Thomas's description of the fruit as ribbed with very sharply ribbed basin and apex.

Flesh/Flavor: Flesh yellow (Warder), yellowish (Downing), or whitish yellow (Thomas); tender (Warder; Downing). Sources conflict on juiciness: Warder describes the flesh as dry, while Downing gives moderately juicy. Flavor sweet and rich (Warder); sweet, rich, and pleasant (Downing); sweet (Thomas). Quality: good (Warder; Thomas); good to very good (Downing).

Core/Seeds: Core small, regular, closed, scarcely touching the eye. Seeds ovate (Warder). Not described in other sources.

Season

Early winter (Warder). September to December (Downing). Winter (Thomas).

Uses

Baking (Warder). Stock feeding and cooking (Downing).

Subtypes/Variants

Not described in source.

Other

Not described in source.

Book Sources

Described in 3 period pomological works

View original book sources (3)

Wing Sweet.

Tree very productive. Fruit medium, oblate, angular; Surface very smooth, yellow, mostly covered with red, indistinctly striped darker red. Basin wide, deep, regular or folded; Eye small, closed. Cavity acute; Stem long. Core small, regular, closed, scarcely touching the eye; Seeds ovate; Flesh yellow, tender, dry; Flavor sweet and rich; Quality good; baking; early winter.

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

Wing Sweet.

An old variety, of unknown origin, profitable for stock feeding and cooking. Tree a moderate grower, spreading, and productive.

Fruit medium or below, roundish, oblate conical, yellow, mostly shaded, splashed, and striped with dark red. Stalk long, slender. Calyx closed. Basin slightly corrugated. Flesh yellowish, tender, moderately juicy, sweet, rich, and pleasant. Good to very good. September to December.

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

Wing Sweet. Medium, roundish, slightly oblong, ribbed; color bright red in small stripes and shades on yellow skin; stalk slender, basin and apex very sharply ribbed; flesh whitish yellow, sweet, good. A good bearer, and when well grown on strong soil, a handsome and fine sweet winter apple.

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