THE DUCHESS APPLE IMPROVED 



Sport with Brilliant Red Color Appears to be Due to Bud Variation- 

 Varieties that Have Originated in a Similar Way' 



M. J. DORSEY 



State Agricultural Experiment Station, St. Paul, Minn. 



Other Apple 



A STRIKING variation from the 

 usual type of the Duchess apple 

 has been found by William Bard- 

 well in his orchard near Ex- 

 celsior, Minn. Since variations so 

 marked are relatively rare, a state- 

 ment of its probable origin and the 

 nature of its departure from the variety 

 type will be of interest to horticultu- 

 rists and geneticists. 



Duchess- is an old and well-known 

 variety, ' ' being one of the four pioneers 

 among Russian apples in America" — • 

 imported by the Massachusetts Horti- 

 cultural Society about 1835. A com- 

 parison of the new type with it will be 

 made only with reference to the princi- 

 pal fruit and tree characters in order to 

 set forth clearly the nature of the sport. 

 In tree and leaf characters Duchess 

 and the sport are identical. Both bloom 

 and ripen at the same time. While 

 their relative keeping qualities have not 

 been experimentally tested in storage, 

 judging from the general characters of 

 the sport, there would probably be 

 little, if any, difference. In such fruit 

 characters as size, shape, cavity, basin, 

 calyx lobes and stem, the sport runs 

 parallel with Duchess. The russet 

 markings of the cavity and the dots 

 are similar in size and distribution to 

 Duchess. The flesh characters are also 

 quite similar, the sport being slightly 

 less tart in flavor, if there is a difference, 

 but both should be given the same rank 

 as to quality. The core lines, core and 

 seeds are so nearly alike as to be in- 

 distinguishable. 



So much for the points of resem 

 blance! The outstanding characteristic 

 difference of the sport coinpared with 

 Duchess is the deeper red and more 

 solid color of the skin. The typical 

 color of Duchess is a pale yellow back- 

 ground more or less covered with ir- 

 regular dark red streaks overlying 

 lighter irregular blotches. The deepest 

 color of Duchess sometimes approaches 

 a solid red, but in many localities this 

 variety lacks color to a fault. The sport 

 has the same yellow background and is 

 covered with a solid, dark red color on 

 exposed parts, shading at the apex into 

 a lighter red overlaid with darker 

 streaks. In some better colored speci- 

 mens there is nearly a solid but quite 

 thin purplish red color at the apex end. 

 Apples of the sport not so well colored 

 have the dark red streaks characteristic 

 of well colored Duchess. The general 

 appearance of the sport in a box pack 

 is decidedly more red. Another point 

 of economic importance is the slightly 

 tougher skin of the sport, although the 

 skin of both is, on the average, made 

 up of three thick-walled cell layers 

 before the larger pulp cells are reached. 

 However, the skin of the sport is not 

 so easily broken and as a result the 

 fruit stands up better when baked. 



Since the history of this variation is 

 known only in part, what reason is there 

 for speaking of it as a bud sport ? The 

 tree was purchased about fifteen years 

 ago from a local nursery and was sup- 

 posed to be Duchess since it came in a 



1 Publi.shed with the approval of the Director as Paper No. 89 of the Journal series of the 

 Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station. 



2 While this variety should be called Oldenburg, according to the rules of the American 

 Pomological Society, it is little known in the Northwest by this name. 



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