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806 YEARBOOK OF THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



fine quality of the fruit attracted Mr. Hiatt's attention and he at 

 once began its propagation in a small way for his own planting. 

 The tree proved to be a hardy, vigorous, upright grower, with very 

 heavy, dark-green foliage, and a regular annual bearer. At 15 years 

 of age the original sprout was reported to be 13 inches in diameter 

 at the ground. The originator stated in 1896 that while three-fifths 

 of his orchard had been destroyed by drought and cold during the 

 preceding eight years, " Delicious " had not been injured in any 

 respect. The name " Hawkeye " was at one time applied to the va- 

 riety by the Hiatt family and locally used, but does not appear to 

 have been published in connection with it and is therefore not en- 

 titled to recognition as a synonym. 



The right to propagate and sell the variety for a term of five years 

 having been sold to the Stark Brothers Nurseries and Orchards Com- 

 pany about 1894, with the right to rename the variety, it was com- 

 mercially introduced by that firm in 1895 under the name " Delicious," 

 which word was registered in the United States Patent Office as a 

 trade-mark July 4, 1905. 



DESCRIPTION. 



Form roundish conic, sometimes indistinctly ribbed and knobbed at 

 apex; size medium to large; surface smooth, glossy, taking a high 

 polish when rubbed slightly; color clear, translucent, pale yellow, 

 washed over most of the surface with mixed red, striped and splashed 

 with dark crimson, and in dry climates covered with a thin whitish 

 bloom ; dots numerous, small yellow ; cavity regular, of medium size, 

 deep, russeted; stem medium to long, stout, curved, downy; basin 

 regular, of medium size, depth, and slope, slightly furrowed and 

 somewhat downy ; calyx segments medium, converging, eye of medium 

 size, closed; skin moderately thick, tenacious; core of medium size, 

 oval, clasping, open; seeds numerous, plump, medium, brown; flesh 

 yellowish, moderately fine grained, breaking, juicy; flavor mild sub- 

 acid, quality very good. Season December to March, in Madison 

 County, Iowa. 



Though lacking such marked and distinctive quality as character- 

 izes our best apples, such as Esopus, Jonathan, Northern Spy, Grimes, 

 and Yellow Newtown, this variety is acceptable to most palates and is 

 apparently entitled to high rank as a dessert fruit. The tree is a 

 strong, upright grower, apparently sufficiently productive to. satisfy 

 commercial requirements. In the locality of its origin it is apparently 

 rather susceptible to apple scab and will therefore need to be thor- 

 oughly sprayed for that disease in cool and humid climates. It has 

 been fruited on young trees during the past four or five years in most 

 of the apple districts west of the Mississippi River and appears to be 



a Letter of S. L. Hiatt, Peru, Iowa, November 7, 1905. 



