difference? We had a very hot summer and I beUeve 

 that was the difference. It was extremely attractive, 

 medium size, sweet, crisp, juicy, and shghtly fruity. 

 Last year I described its flesh as tough, dry, and 

 sawdust-like. The bottom Ime here is that it is meant to 

 be grown in warmer climates. In warm years it will be 

 very good. 



Fiorina 



I hear very little about this apple, but it is very 

 good, especially for a disease resistant apple. It is very 

 attractive and its skin is glossy like a HoneyCrisp. It is 

 somewhat crisp, very juicy, with a good mild buttery 

 flavor. Fruit size is medium. I rated it very high. 



Fortune 



Although red color development was delayed, it 

 did come along. It was not very firm or crisp this year 

 and acidity was rather high. Although it was not at the 

 top of the list flavor, overall I rate it as an above 

 average apple. The iiTegular shape is a problem as is 

 its mammoth size. I have serious reservations about 

 whether this will make it with all of the good 

 competition. 



Fuknishiki 



This is the first year I evaluated this apple and it 

 may be my last. It is not attractive with 70% pinkish 

 red color. It has scarf skin and the flesh is greenish 

 yellow. The skin is extremely tough, and the flesh is a 

 nondescript, chalky and astringent flavor. It is not very 

 good. 



Fukutami 



A small bright cherry red apple. While the 

 cosmetics are good, the taste is not. Although it is 

 somewhat sweet, the flavor is masked by extremely 

 high acidity even when it has watercore. It is not good 

 enough. 



Gala Supreme 



A year ago I was quite impressed with Gala 

 Supreme. I am out of favor with this apple now for 

 several reasons. It has no better than "good" 



appearance. It can be quite tart at harvest even though 

 sugars are quite high. The flesh is grainy and the taste 

 is nothing spectacular. It has a chalky aftertaste that I 

 attribute to high tannins. It has problems in storage in 

 that it loses firmness rapidly. 



Ginger Gold 



The luster of this apple was not tarnished this year. 

 It remains a very crisp, juicy, mild tasting apple that 

 has a great deal of customer appeal. It is often 

 harvested too early, when it is still too green. Even at 

 this stage it is good, certainly better than most. It does 

 not hold up well in storage so only those that can be 

 sold at harvest should be planted. It holds up well on 

 the tree. If one follows starch ratings, it loses starch 

 very slowly. It may go from 2 to 5 ( on a scale of 8 ) 

 over a 2.5 week period, whereas others lose starch 

 much faster. This is definitely a winner in New 

 England. 



Golden Supreme 



This is a very high quality apple, both in looks and 

 in quality, but its faults may kill it. It is not precocious, 

 and it IS quite biennial. It ripens irregularly and 

 extensive preharvest drop is possible. Under ideal 

 conditions it is an absolutely beautiful apple. I still like 

 this one a lot and I am not willing to give up on it. It 

 does store quite well. 



GoldRush 



We had a hot summer and consequently this did 

 much better than it has in the past. Normally it is small, 

 russeted, with high acidity. Acidity does mellow in 

 storage, but not enough. This year it did do better, but 

 it will never be a good apple for us unless global 

 wanning pushes the mid- Atlantic region weather up to 

 New England. I do not recommend it for this area. 



Hampshire 



For New England or for cooler areas, I believe that 

 Hampshire has a place. It is medium size plus, quite 

 uniform in size, and attractive. It has a very mild taste 

 at harvest. The apple mellows after 4 to 6 weeks in 

 storage giving it a very tender yet pleasing taste and 

 texture. It holds up well in CA storage. I recommend 



Fruit Notes, Volume 67, Spring, 2002 



15 



