134 



THE ORIGINAL GRIMES GOLDEN APPLE TREE. 



Historical Sketch as given by Hon. Henry C. HervEy in 1906. 



The Grimes Golden is a seedling which originated on the farm of 

 Thomas Grimes, situated about three miles east of Wellsburg, on the Wells- 

 burg pike, in Brooke County, West Virginia. Thomas Grimes, Jr., sold the 

 farm about the year 1874 to Dr. J, W. Gist, who was my father-in-law. I 

 have seen the original tree often. 



I was chairman of the Horticultural meeting held at Wellsburg in 1896. 

 I met Profs. L. C. Corbett and A. S. Hopkins, of the State Experiment 

 Station, going out to see the tree as I was going to Wellsburg to attend the 

 meeting. When they came back I asked them what condition the tree was 

 in and they said it was on the decline. Councilman told me the other day 

 that it was lying on the ground dead. 



I am now sixty-four years old. I remember the tree for at least fifty 

 years. When I was a boy these apples were prized and my recollection is 

 that about fifty to sixty years ago people in this section began planting graft- 

 ed trees. My father planted an orchard about the time of grafted fruit. At 

 that time people went to Wood's Nurseries, some place in Ohio, from this 

 section in wagons and my recollection is that about that time the Grimes' 

 Golden got into the market and w^as named Grimes' Golden after the man 

 on whose farm it originated. 



Dr. J. H. Funk, of Boyertown, Pa., in "Fruits for Pennsylvania," refers 

 to Grimes' Golden as follows : 



"Introducing this variety, Mr. S. B. Marshall, of Massilon, Ohio, con- 

 ferred a blessing upon posterit}^ that cannot be estimated. This beauty is 

 among the apples what Seckel pear is among the pears — the standard of ex- 

 cellence. Tree vigorous, healthy, spreading and very productive ; the tree 

 comes into bearing at an early age. The one weak point in this variety is 

 stem blight or canker ; when trees are purchased from the nurseries root- 

 grafted, they are short-lived, seldom living over twenty years ; but this can 

 be avoided by top working on some strong growing variety. 



''Fruit above medium, cylindrical, regular ; surface yellow, vein russetted ; 

 dots numerous, minute ; basin abrupt, folded ; eye large, closed ; cavity wide, 

 regular, green ; stem long, curved ; core small pyriform, closed ; seeds numer- 

 ous. Flesh yellow, firm, breaking, very fine grained, juicy; flavor sub-acid, 

 aromatic, spicy, rich ; quality very best ; use dessert market. There is such a 

 demand for this fruit that buyers are willing to pay from ten to twenty cents 

 more per bushel from the orchard than for any other variety. Season Decem- 

 ber to ]\iarch. Does well wherever tried." 



