Yates
Apple
USDA Pomological Watercolor Collection
Yates
Origin / History
Origin, Fayette County, Georgia (Budd & Hansen). Thomas attributes the variety to Georgia, and Hedrick notes that Southern catalogs agree the variety is a favorite in Georgia and probably came from there originally. Hedrick further notes that "it is almost impossible properly to place this variety" and that some writers maintain it is identical with the old Nickajack, which in the South has many synonyms. From the fact that it is listed by nearly all southern nurserymen, it would seem that Yates is still popular in many parts of the South.
A related North Carolina variety described by Downing as "Red Warrior" is cross-referenced to Yates by Budd & Hansen ("Red Warrior. — See Mitchell's Red Warrior; an Iowa variety. The name was first given to a North Carolina variety; see also Yates"). Downing describes that North Carolina Red Warrior as: origin North Carolina; distinct from Nickajack, which is sometimes grown under this name; tree upright, with young shoots dark reddish; fruit large, roundish oblate, yellow, striped and marbled with two shades of red; flesh yellowish, crisp, juicy; good; season November to March.
[NOTE: Source text may be incorrect — the Hansen 1902 and Budd & Hansen 1914 entries for "Mitchell's Red Warrior" (originated 1869 or 1870 at Cresco, northern Iowa, by J. B. Mitchell) are explicitly stated to be a different Iowa variety, "Distinct from the Red Warrior described by Downing." Those Mitchell's Red Warrior details are therefore not merged into the Yates description below.]
Tree
Tree very upright (Budd & Hansen). Very productive (Budd & Hansen); a great bearer (Thomas). Hedrick reports the trees are described as vigorous, healthy, and heavy bearers. (Downing's North Carolina Red Warrior, cross-referenced to Yates: tree upright, with young shoots dark reddish.)
Fruit
Size
Small (Thomas, Budd & Hansen, Lowther, Hedrick). (Downing's Red Warrior describes the fruit as large — a conflict with the small size reported in all sources that name Yates directly.)
Form
Oblate (Thomas); oblate or oblate conic (Budd & Hansen); flat (Lowther). (Downing's Red Warrior: roundish oblate.)
Stem
Slender (Budd & Hansen). Not otherwise described.
Cavity
Large, slightly russeted (Budd & Hansen). Not otherwise described.
Calyx
Small, closed (Budd & Hansen). Not otherwise described.
Basin
Not described in source.
Skin
Yellow, covered with dark red stripes, small white dots (Thomas). Whitish yellow, overspread, shaded, splashed and striped with shades of red; dots many, small, light (Budd & Hansen). Color yellow-red (Lowther). Hedrick reports the apples are dark red with white dots. (Downing's Red Warrior: yellow, striped and marbled with two shades of red.)
Flesh / Flavor
Flesh white, sometimes stained next the skin, tender, juicy, pleasant subacid, good (Budd & Hansen). Flesh yellow, spicy, sub-acid (Thomas). Hedrick describes the apples as firm, juicy, and aromatic. Quality good (Lowther; Budd & Hansen). (Downing's Red Warrior: flesh yellowish, crisp, juicy; good.)
(Sources disagree on flesh color: Budd & Hansen give "white, sometimes stained next the skin," Thomas gives "yellow," and Downing's Red Warrior gives "yellowish.")
Core / Seeds
Not described in source.
Season
Winter (Lowther); March to May (Budd & Hansen). A good keeper (Thomas, Budd & Hansen). (Downing's Red Warrior: November to March.)
Uses
Both kitchen and market (Lowther).
Subtypes / Variants
Not described in source.
Other
Hedrick notes the difficulty of placing the variety, with some writers maintaining it is identical with the old Nickajack (which in the South has many synonyms); Downing, by contrast, explicitly states that his North Carolina Red Warrior is "Distinct from Nickajack, which is sometimes grown under this name."
Book Sources
Described in 6 period pomological works
- Budd & Hansen, Systematic Pomology (1914)
- Hansen, A Study of Northwestern Apples (1902) — listed as Mitchell's Red Warrior
- Downing, Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900)
- Lowther (ed.), Encyclopedia of Practical Horticulture (1914)
- Hedrick, Cyclopedia of Hardy Fruits (1922)
- Thomas, The American Fruit Culturist (1903)
Nursery Catalog Sources
Found in 14 catalogs (1886–1913) from Alabama, Illinois, Missouri, Washington
- Huntsville Wholesale Nurseries (Jessie S. Moss , Proprietor; W.F. Heikes, Manager), Huntsville , Alabama — 1886
- Missouri Nursery Co. , Louisiana , Missouri — 1891
- Stark Bros. Nurseries & Orchards Co. , Louisiana , Missouri — 1898
- J.V. Cotta (Cotta Nursery) , Carroll County , Illinois — 1898
- Alabama Nursery Co. , Huntsville , Alabama — 1900
- Central Experimental Farm , Dominion Department of Agriculture, Agassiz, British Columbia (under test; Bulletin No. 3, Second Series) — 1900
- Benjamin Buckman (personal inventory) , Farmingdale , Illinois — 1901
- Phoenix Nursery Company (W. E. Rossney , President; Sidney Tuttle, Vice-President), Bloomington , Illinois — 1904
- Stark Bros. Nurseries & Orchards Co. , Louisiana , Missouri — 1906
- Stark Bros. Nurseries & Orchards Co. , Louisiana , Missouri — 1910
- Stark Bros. Nurseries & Orchards Co. , Louisiana , Missouri — 1911
- Stark Bros. Nurseries & Orchards Co. , Louisiana , Missouri — 1912
- Vineland Nurseries Company , Clarkston , Washington — 1912
- Benjamin Buckman (personal inventory) , Farmingdale , Illinois — 1913
View original book sources (6)
— A.J. Downing, The Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900)Red Warrior.
Origin, North Carolina. Distinct from Nickajack, which is sometimes grown under this name. Tree upright, with young shoots dark reddish.
Fruit large, roundish oblate, yellow, striped and marbled with two shades of red. Flesh yellowish, crisp, juicy. Good. November to March.
— N.E. Hansen, A Study of Northwestern Apples (1902)Mitchell's Red Warrior—Originated in 1869 or 1870, at Cresco, northern Iowa, by J. B. Mitchell. Tree hardy and very productive—Fruit above medium to large, roundish, slightly conical, regular; surface light yellow, nearly covered with bright mixed red and crimson, heavily and distinctly striped and splashed with carmine, a beautiful fruit; dots obscure, few, very minute, white; cavity regular, narrow, acute, slightly russeted; stem short; basin narrow, very abrupt, wavy; calyx open, segments erect convergent. Core closed; cells ovate, slit; tube funnel-shaped; stamens median; seeds few, flattened, long pointed, medium; flesh white, juicy, pleasant subacid, good. Season same as Wealthy. A good apple, but the present name is too long.
— John J. Thomas, The American Fruit Culturist (1903)Yates. Small, oblate; yellow, covered with dark red stripes, small white dots; flesh yellow, spicy, sub-acid. Great bearer and good keeper. Georgia.
— J.L. Budd & N.E. Hansen, American Horticultural Manual, Part II: Systematic Pomology (1914)Yates. — Origin, Fayette Co., Georgia; tree very upright; very productive; fruit a good keeper.
Fruit small, oblate or oblate conic, whitish yellow, overspread, shaded, splashed and striped with shades of red; dots many, small, light; cavity large, slightly russeted; stem slender; calyx small, closed. Flesh white, sometimes stained next the skin, tender, juicy, pleasant subacid, good. March to May.
[Additional entry in this volume: "Mitchell's Red Warrior", pp. 138–138]
Mitchell's Red Warrior.— Originated in 1869 or 1870, at Cresco, northern Iowa, by J. B. Mitchell; tree hardy and very productive. Distinct from the Red Warrior described by Downing. A good apple, but the present name is too long.
Fruit above medium to large, roundish, slightly conical, regular; surface light yellow, nearly covered with bright mixed red and crimson, heavily and distinctly striped and splashed with carmine, a beautiful fruit; dots obscure, few, very minute, white; cavity regular, narrow, acute, slightly russeted; stem short; basin narrow, very abrupt, wavy; calyx open; segments erect convergent. Core closed; cells ovate, slit; tube funnel-shaped; stamens median; seeds few, flattened, long-pointed, medium; flesh white, juicy, pleasant subacid, good. Season, same as Wealthy.
[Additional entry in this volume: "Red Warrior", pp. 170–170]
Red Warrior. — See Mitchell's Red Warrior; an Iowa variety. The name was first given to a North Carolina variety; see also Yates.
— Granville Lowther (ed.), Encyclopedia of Practical Horticulture (1914)Yates. Size: small. Form: flat. Color: yellow-red. Quality: good. Use: both kitchen and market. Season: winter. N. Div.: no reports. C. Div.: 11 (also reported in another division). S. Div.: 11 (also reported in another division).
— U.P. Hedrick, Cyclopedia of Hardy Fruits (1922)YATES.
It is almost impossible properly to place this variety. Some writers maintain that it is identical with the old Nickajack, which, in the South, has many synonyms. Southern catalogs which describe Yates agree only that the variety is a favorite in Georgia; that it probably formerly came from there; and that the apples are of small size, dark red with white dots, firm, juicy, and aromatic. The trees are described as vigorous, healthy, and heavy bearers. From the fact that it is listed by nearly all southern nurserymen, it would seem that Yates is still popular in many parts of the South.