FRUIT NOTES 



November 1955 



ORIGIN OF SOME APPLE VARIETIES 



Several times in the last two months the author has been asked the 



origin of soiiie of the apple varieties grovm in Massachusetts, It is felt, 



therefore, that this information also might be of interest to many of the 

 readers of Fruit Notes, 



l^ost of the apple varieties planted in this country originated Here, 

 but the history of many is obscure and except for varieties nore recently 

 introduced fev: came into existence as the product of the plant breeder. 

 ;fost of the varieties originated as chance seedlings and were discovered 

 and introduced into cultivation by some observer and admirer of them, 

 Mcintosh, Delicious, 'Vealthy, Northern Spy and Baldvan are examples of 

 commercial varieties that originated as chance seedlings. 



There are also a number of bud sports of popular varieties on the market, 

 for example: Galbraith Baldvri.n, Richared, Red Gr^venstein and Red Spy, 

 liost of these differ from the parent varieties only in higher color of the 

 fruit, 



■"" The following is a list of some of the apple varieties grown in i-ass- 

 achusetts and their origin. Some varieties resulted from a cross between 

 two varieties, Ihe origin of such varieties is expressed by placing the 

 letter "X" between the parent varieties, for example; the ililton variety 

 is a cross betv/een lellovf Transparent X Mcintosh, 



Mcintosh - Originated as a chance seedling in Dundas County, Ontario, 

 Propagation of this variety began in about I87O, 



' Delicious - Originally distributed under the name Hav/keye, being 

 discovered in Iowa in I88I, 



' Golden Delicious - Originated as a chance seedling in "fest Virginia, 

 Introduced by Stark Brothers in I916, 



Starkinp; -if Bott ble R ed Deliciou& jf - Bud mutation of Delicious. Originat- 

 ed in Tonroeville, New Jersey, by Levds Mood, Introduced commercially in 

 I92U, traderaarked 1930, 



Cortland - Originated from the cross of Ben Davis X Mcintosh, The 

 cross vras made at Geneva, iJew York, by the Nev; York State Agricultural 

 Experiment Station, Introduced for trial about 191$ * 



Early Mcintosh - Yellow Transparent X Mcintosh, Originated in Geneva, 

 New York, by the New York State Agricultural Station, Introduced for 

 trial in 1923, 



• Puritan - Originated from the cross Mcintosh X Red Astrachan made by 

 Professor i''. C. Sears at the University of Massachusetts about 1929, 



