The Brock Apple 



James R. Schupp 



Highmoor Farm, University of Maine 



Brock is a high quality dessert apple of the Jona- 

 gold type that is worthy of trial by New England 

 growers. Although not widely known, it has been a 

 popular gourmet apple in localized parts of Maine, 

 Ohio, and Oregon. 



Origin 



Brock resulted from a cross of Golden Delicious 

 and Mcintosh made at Highmoor Farm (Monmouth, 

 ME) in 1933 and was first designated as Me. 7-492. 

 After a long period of observation and tests, Russ 

 Bailey, the plant breeder at the University of Maine, 

 released it for public trial in 1966. The selection was 

 named Brock after Heniy Brock, an apple grower from 

 Alfred, ME who tested 7-492 in cooperation with the 

 University. The fruit of 7-492 became veiy popular 

 with consumers in the Alfred area who referred to it as 

 "Brock's apple." 



Description 



The Brock tree is vigorous and similar in appear- 

 ance to Golden Deli- 

 cious with a wider leaf 

 blade and redder bark. 

 Brock is productive 

 and crops annually if 

 chemically thinned. 

 The fruit ripen in early 

 October, with Deli- 

 cious, under Maine 

 conditions. The fruit 

 are uniformly large, 

 rounded conic, and 

 somewhat angular. 

 The stem is of medium 

 length and thickness 

 and the fruit hang well 

 prior to picking. The 

 skin is 30 to 90% 

 blushed with bright 

 red over a light yellow 

 ground color, with 

 prominent white len- 

 ticels (see Figure 1). 



The flesh is 

 creamed-colored, firm, 

 crisp, juicy, and sub- 

 acid to sweet. The fla- 



vor is very good, and in taste tests at the University of 

 Maine in the 1950's and 1960's, Brock was ranked as 

 good as or better than the cultivars to which it was 

 compared: Delicious, Golden Delicious, Northern Spy, 

 Mcintosh, Macoun, and Idared. More recently, Brock 

 has received rankings as high as or higher than Golden 

 Delicious and others in taste tests in Oregon (see 

 GoodFruit Grower May 1, 1989. pp. 44-45). 



The core of Brock is unusually small, a desirable 

 feature for culinary use. Samples of Brock from 

 Highmoor Farm on October 4, 1989, yielded the follow- 

 ing characteristics: 7.6 ounces weight, 3.25 inches 

 diameter, 15.7 pounds flesh firmness, and 13.5% sol- 

 uble solids. 



In summary, Brock is a high-quality, dessert-type, 

 blushed, golden apple that has been a successful addi- 

 tion to the limited markets in which it has been tried. 

 Growers interested in a Jonagold-class apple with 

 superior storability should test it on a trial basis. Trees 

 of Brock are available from a few nurseries and scion 

 wood for budding or grafting is available from 

 Highmoor Farm. 



Fruit Notes, Winter, 1990 



