Yellow Bellflower

Yellow Bellflower.

This noble and valuable constituent of our orchards came from Burlington County, New Jersey, where it was first

Fig. 291. — YELLOW BELLFLOWER.

described by Coxe. This apple has succeeded in almost all parts of the country, North and South, and has proved remarkably hardy. The quality of the fruit varies with the soil, being best and most highly flavored and colored on exposed ridges of rather thin soil, while those on rich low bottoms or prairies are slow in bearing, and then produce very large fruit. The crops, however, are not always satisfactory in such situations, though the trees become very large ; the blossoms are often destroyed by spring frosts.

Tree vigorous, thrifty, hardy, large, spreading, drooping ; Twigs slender, brown ; Foliage abundant, long, wavy ; Blossoms very large, on long stems, exposed to the weather and not protected by the leaves.

Fruit large to very large, oblong, ovate, angular, ribbed ; Surface smooth, rich yellow, sometimes blushed ; Dots scattered, gray.

Basin shallow or moderately deep, plaited or folded ; Eye small, closed.

Cavity deep, acute or wide, wavy ; Stem long, curved.

Core large, oval, open, clasping ; Seeds dark, large, angular, imperfect ; Flesh yellow, breaking, fine-grained, juicy ; Flavor acid to sub-acid, aromatic, very rich and satisfying ; Quality best ; Use, table, kitchen, market ; Season, December.

One of the finest culinary apples in the catalogue.

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

Yellow Bellflower.

Bellefleur Yellow. Belle Fleur. Bishop's Pippin of Nova Scotia. Lady Washington. Reinette Musque. Warren Pippin.

The Yellow Belle Fleur is a large, handsome, and excellent winter Apple, everywhere highly esteemed in the United States. It is most abundantly seen in the markets of Philadelphia, as it thrives well in the sandy soils of New Jersey. Coxe first described this fruit ; the original tree of which grew in Burlington, N. J. Tree a moderately vigorous grower, forming a spreading, roundish, rather drooping head. Young wood yellowish brown. A regular and excellent bearer.

Fruit very large, oblong, a little irregular, tapering to the eye. Skin smooth, pale lemon yellow, often with a blush next the sun. Stalk long and slender in a deep cavity. Calyx closed and set in a rather narrow plaited basin. Seeds in a large hollow capsule or core. Flesh tender, juicy, crisp, with a sprightly subacid flavor ; before fully ripe it is considerably acid. Very good. December, February.

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

YELLOW BELLFLOWER.

REFERENCES.

1. M'Mahon, 1806:585. 2. Coxe, 1817, 120. fig. 3. Thacher, 1822:121. 4. Buel, N. Y. Bd. Agr. Mem., 1826:476. 5. Fessenden, 1828:130. 6. Wilson, 1828:136. 7. Cat. Hort. Soc. London, 1831:No. 75. 8. Kenrick, 1832:42. 9. Floy-Lindley, 1833:86. 10. Mag. Hort., 11:326, 78. 1835. 11. Manning, 1838:60. 12. Ib., Mag. Hort., 7:151. 1841. 13. Downing, 1845:100. fig. 14. Horticulturist, 1:482. 1846. 15. Ib., 2:361, 482, 545. 1848. 16. Cole, 1849:119. fig. 17. Thomas, 1849:187. 18. Phoenix, Horticulturist, 4:472. 1850. 19. Emmons, Nat. Hist. N. Y., 3:79. 1851. col. pl. No. 46 and fig. 20. Am. Pom. Soc. Cat., 1852. 21. Hovey, Mag. Hort., 18:542. 1852. fig. 22. Ib., 19:244. 1853. 23. Biedenfeld, 1854:102. 24. Elliott, 1854:70. fig. 25. Hooper, 1857:16, 103, 106, 108. col. pl. 26. Gregg, 1857:50. fig. 27. Flotow, 1:69. 1859. 28. Oberdieck, 4:197. 1862. 29. Warder, 1867:692. fig. 30. Regel, 1868:442. 31. Fitz, 1872:143, 145, 163. 32. Mas, Le Verger, 1873:151. 33. Leroy, 1873:432. 34. Lauche, 1:No. 3. 1882. col. pl. 35. Barry, 1883:358. 36. Rural N. Y., 47:749. 1888. 37. Cat. Cong. Pom. France, 1889:278. 38. Wickson, 1889:247. 39. Lyon, Mich. Hort. Soc. Rpt., 1890:300. 40. Bailey, An. Hort., 1892:235. 41. Ib., 1892:253. 42. Bredsted, 1893:405. 43. Gaudier, 1894:No. 6. col. pl. 44. Waugh, Vt. Sta. An. Rpt., 14:313. 1901. 45. Eneroth-Smirnoff, 1901:266. 46. Sears, Can. Hort., 25:325. 1902. 47. Budd-Hansen, 1903:210. fig. 48. Farrand, Mich. Sta. Bul., 205:43. 1903. 49. Powell and Fulton, U. S. B. P. I. Bul., 48:62. 1903. 50. Beach and Clark, N. Y. Sta. Bul., 248:151. 1904.

SYNONYMS.

BELLE FLAVOISE (28). Belle Flavoise (33, 43). BELLEFLEUR JAUNE (32, 37). Belle-Fleur (33). Belle-Flower (33). BELL-FLOWER (2). BELL FLOWER (9). BELL FLOWER (3). BELLFLOWER (4, 6, 8, 11, 21, 24, 40). Bellflower (13, 17, 25, 43, 49). Bell-Flower (5). Bishop's Pippin of Nova Scotia (33). GELBER BELLEFLEUR (23, 27, 34, 43, 45). Gelber Bellefleur (28). Gelber Belle Fleur (33, 43). Gelber Englischer Schonbluhender (43). GUL. BELLEFLEUR (42). Lady Washington (24, 33, 43). Lincoln Pippin (43). Lineous Pippin (43). LINNAEUS PIPPIN (33). Metzgerapfel (43). Metzger Cahill (28). Metzger's Cahill (33, 43, of John 34). YELLOW BELLE FLEUR (7, 13). YELLOW BELLEFLEUR (19, 20, 31). Yellow Bellefleur (17, 21, 24, 33, 43). YELLOW BELLEFLOWER (46). Yellow Bellflower (8, 13, 21, 24, 33, 40, 43). Warren Pippin (33, 43). Weisser Metzgerapfel (43).

Yellow Bellflower grows large or even very large, but usually it is so variable in size that the marketable grades are not very uniform and there is a relatively large percentage of apples that are too small for market. It is decidedly attractive in color for a yellow apple and the color improves in storage, becoming more clearly yellow as the fruit matures. It is well known throughout the state and is generally highly esteemed for culinary uses and also for its excellent dessert qualities, although it is rather too briskly subacid to suit the tastes of some, particularly during the early part of its season. It does not reach its best condition for dessert use till January or later, when its acidity becomes somewhat subdued. It is quite susceptible to injury by the apple-scab fungus. It must be handled very carefully because it very easily shows bruises. It does not stand heat well before going into storage and when it begins to deteriorate goes down quickly. Some do not regard it as a good keeper, while others find that it keeps pretty well. To get best results in storage the fruit must be thoroughly protected from the scab in the orchard, picked and handled with extra care and kept from heat from the time it is picked till it is stored as well as while it is in storage. As grown at Geneva it is in season from December to April with January or February as the commercial limit. In cold storage it keeps about with Tompkins King, but not as well as Rhode Island Greening.

The tree is a good grower and pretty hardy. In favorable locations it is healthy and long-lived. It seems to thrive particularly well on warm, well-drained soils. Many orchards are found throughout the state having from one to several trees of this variety and the aggregate yield of Yellow Bellflower in New York is of considerable importance. The surplus over what is required for home use is commonly disposed of in the local market. Although the fruit sells at good prices, Yellow Bellflower is not generally a satisfactory cropper and is not a good variety to plant in commercial orchards in New York except in the few districts where it has proved profitable.

Historical. In 1817 Coxe (2) reported that the original tree, very large and old, was said to be still standing on a farm near Crosswicks, Burlington county, N. J. In 1852 Hovey (21) remarked that the Bellflower was then extensively cultivated in New Jersey, but its cultivation in New England was as yet extremely limited. A century or more ago it was being grafted into the farm orchards and propagated in the nurseries throughout New York, and it is to-day well known among fruit growers in most parts of the state but it is nowhere extensively cultivated. It was early introduced into cultivation through the Middle West and within recent years it has come to be one of the important commercial varieties in certain apple-growing districts in the Pacific states. Wickson says that "The Yellow Bellflower, as grown in California, has such conspicuous excellence that during its season it is hardly likely to be misplaced for any other variety."¹ It is now offered by nurserymen in nearly all of the more important apple-growing sections of the country.

TREE.

Tree medium to large, vigorous to very vigorous. Form upright spreading; laterals drooping, particularly after they have borne heavy crops. Twigs medium to long, rather stocky, geniculate; internodes medium to large. Bark ¹Letter, E. J. Wickson, 1899. dull brownish-red with shades of green, uniformly overlaid with moderately thick scarf-skin; more or less pubescent. Lenticels rather inconspicuous, above medium in size, roundish to elliptical; rather numerous, dull, not raised. Buds above medium to large, rather prominent, acute to roundish acute, free or nearly so, quite pubescent.

FRUIT.

Fruit variable in size, small to large or very large. Form roundish oblong narrowing toward the basin varying to oblong conic, frequently somewhat ovate, irregularly elliptical and more or less ribbed, often with prominent ridges at the apex; sides usually unequal. Stem medium to rather long, rather slender to moderately stout. Cavity medium to large, acute to acuminate, deep to very deep, moderately narrow to wide, furrowed, sometimes compressed, sometimes lipped, usually with outspreading broken rays of brownish russet. Calyx below medium to above, closed or partly so; lobes narrow, acuminate, pubescent. Basin small, oblique, abrupt, narrow, shallow to rather deep, distinctly ridged and wrinkled. Skin smooth, bright, pale lemon-yellow varying to whitish in the shade and often with a shade of brownish-red in the sun which in highly colored specimens deepens to a pinkish-red blush. Dots whitish or russet, numerous and small toward the basin, larger, irregular and scattering toward the cavity. Prevailing effect bright pale yellow. Calyx tube yellowish, elongated funnel-shape, sometimes extending to the core. Stamens median to basal. Core large, long, remarkably abaxile; cells sometimes unsymmetrical, wide open or partly closed; core lines clasping the funnel cylinder. Carpels long, narrow, roundish obovate, much concave, much tufted. Seeds large, long, obtuse to acute. Flesh whitish tinged with pale yellow, firm, crisp, moderately fine-grained, rather tender, juicy, aromatic, very good for culinary use, rather too acid for dessert early in the season but later its acidity becomes somewhat subdued.

THE YELLOW BELLFLOWER GROUP.

The Yellow Bellflower belongs to a group of apples most of which have fruit that is predominantly yellow. The fruit of the group is characteristically oblong or roundish oblong and often markedly ovate or conic, with the core large and remarkably abaxile, cells wide open and carpels elongated, rather narrow and much concave. The group is now represented by varieties well known in cultivation in various parts of the country. It appears that the oldest members of which we have any record in this country are Yellow Bellflower and Ortley, both of which originated in New Jersey. The varieties mentioned in this volume which appear more or less closely identified with the Yellow Bellflower group are Dickinson, Flory, Kirkland, Mason Orange, Minister, Moyer, Newman, Occident, Ortley, Titus Pippin, Yellow Bellflower.

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

Yellow Bellflower

The Yellow Bellflower belongs to a group of apples, most of which have fruit predominantly yellow. The fruit of the group is characteristically oblong or roundish oblong and often markedly ovate or conic, with the core large and abaxial, cells wide open and carpels elongated, rather narrow and much concave. The group is represented by the following varieties: Dickinson, Flory, Kirkland, Mason Orange, Minister, Moyer, Newman, Occident, Ortley, Titus, Pippin, Yellow Bellflower.

The fruit of the Yellow Bellflower is large, but is somewhat variable in size so that there is often a large per cent of the apples, especially when grown where the rainfall is scarce during the growing season, that do not reach marketable size. At the time of picking it is generally a greenish yellow, but as it ripens it comes to be a light golden yellow. It is rather acid until well ripened when it is pleasant and luscious. It is tender and easily bruised, yet when grown in some sections, if carefully handled, it keeps well, while in others it deteriorates rapidly. In California it is one of the best apples when grown upon the highlands or mountain sides.

It originated in New Jersey, and the first account we have of it is in 1817, but it soon came to be largely propagated in all the eastern and middle states and is now fairly well distributed throughout the United States.

The tree is from medium to large, vigorous, upright, with spreading branches, bark dull brownish red with shades of green, uniformly overlaid with moderately thick scarf skin, more or less pubescent.

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

Yellow Bellflower.* (Bellflower, Yellow Belle Fleur.) Large, often quite large, oblong-ovate, apex quite narrow and conical, more or less irregular; surface pale yellow, often with a blush; stalk slender; basin ribbed; seeds long; flesh very tender when ripe, fine grained, crisp, juicy, acid, becoming sub-acid, excellent. keeps through winter. Shoots yellowish, rather slender; growth of the tree rather upright; succeeds best on rather light soils. Adapted to the climate of the Northern and Middle States, as far south as Kentucky, but fails by premature dropping in many localities. More tart and less rich in cold summers, and far North. Hardy at the West. Fig. 481. New Jersey.

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