The Heirloom Orchardist

"Kane" Spitzenburgh?

Here we find that the famous Esopus Spitzenburg had a cousin found in Dr. Kane's orchard in the 1820's ("more than sixty years" prior to 1881).  Esopus apparently won out, and Mr. Warren gives some reasons.  BTW, how do we spell Spitzenburg (berg) (burgh)?

The Cultivator and Country Gentleman
Albany, NY
February 17, 1881;  Vol. XLVI, No. 1464

(In a previous issue, M.H. inquires) about a Spitzenburgh apple. I think it is our old "Kane Spitzenburgh." The grafts from which it was started here were taken by Mr. John Ewalt from the orchard of Dr. Kane of New Jersey more than sixty years ago. The apple bears the description given by M. H., but has not kept its position with nurserymen from the fact that its early growth is slow; the small twigs of the nursery stocks twist around, are small and look uninviting to purchasers of nursery stock. The tree, however, when grown up and matured is a fine and well shaped tree, and the fruit (now scarce from lack of propagation by nurserymen) is considered among the best of our winter apples - better than the Esopus Spitzenburgh.  F.K. Warren, Trumbull Co., O.

Highland Beauty Apple

Here’s a typical example of how new apple varieties came to be in the good ol’ days.  No complex breeding.  No cloning.  Just dumb luck.  Apples, as you know, do not come true to seed.  So orchardists would occasionally stumble upon some really good tree in their orchard, or elsewhere.  Then, if they had the energy, they’d  promote it.  This promotion may start with a letter like the one that follows.  Most of the time, I imagine the apple wouldn’t turn out to be as good as they thought.  It’s interesting to note that there is emphasis on how the apple “keeps.”  Today, we can get many of our commercial apples any time of the year.  We tend to forget that how well (how long) an apple would keep in storage, was an important trait.

The Cultivator and Country Gentleman
Albany, NY
February 3, 1881;  Vol. XLVI, No. 1462

A Seedling Apple.

I send you herewith a few specimens of my new seedling apple, Highland Beauty, a seedling from the Lady apple.  I have no suitable place to keep apples, and these have been kept in a room where they have been subject to alternations of heat and cold.  Properly cared for, they may be had in good condition until May.
- E.  P.  H.  Cornwall, N.  Y. 

The apples sent varied in size from that of a large Lady apple to that of a very large Tewksbury Winter Blush.  In coloring it resembles these varieties, but in shape it is flattened, and the cavity and basin are very large, and in some specimens quite irregular in shape.  The apple is very tender, mild sub-acid in flavor, and similar to Rambo in quality.  The core is small, and the flesh white.  It is very attractive in appearance, and worthy of extended trial.
- Ed., The Cultivator and Country Gentleman

And a couple years later, we find this in The Gardener's Monthly and Horticulturalist of June 1883: "HIGHLAND BEAUTY APPLE. We have some specimens before us, on the 9th of April, in good ; preservation. They confirm the opinion we have given of it heretofore—that it is a pretty looking apple, an excellent keeper, though by no means a first class eating variety." We can expect that the Highland Beauty didn't get too far.

A Very Important Subject: Heirloom Fruit

This site is devoted to enthusiasts of heirloom fruit culture.  Here, we will re-publish old historic passages on this huge topic gleaned from antique books and periodicals (and anywhere else we can find them).  Why are these old accounts so interesting?  Well, this stuff was written by those who were growing heirloom fruit before the term “heirloom fruit” came to be.  These are the practices of organic farmers before “organic farming” was a trendy marketing niche.  This is the real stuff.

So, where to begin?  Well, in 1835 a new publication was introduced from the northeast corner of New England:  The Yankee Farmer.  In the third issue, the editor presents a “very important subject” to his readers.  That subject was fruit.  And this is a great start to The Heirloom Orchardist:

    

Yankee Farmer

Cornish, Maine

Monday, February 2, 1835

Volume 1,  No. 3

FRUIT

This is a very important subject, and one that deserves the particular attention of every farmer and gardener.  The climate and soil of this part of the country, in general, is well adapted to raising a great variety of valuable fruits.  He that attends to raising and preserving fruits, may furnish his table every day in the year with several pleasant wholesome dishes, prepared mostly from them; and there is no provision that can be raised with less expense, or that is more conducive to health; and as a luxury, what can be more delicious or innocent in its effects? He that has had the pleasure of tasting a fine bunch of Isabella or Catawba grapes, a delicious plum or peach, a melting pear, a rich crisp apple in the spring or former part of summer, and many other kinds of excellent fruit that may be raised here in abundance - he only … can judge of the value of good fruit; it is vain to attempt to describe it.

It is proper to consider the subject now and ascertain what kind of fruit will be most valuable, and this month is the best time of cutting scions; we have found by experience that scions cut in February or the first of March, are more likely to succeed than those that are cut at a later period or about the time they are set.  They will generally succeed if they are cut any time in March or the first of April, if they are properly set in growing stocks.  We shall give the best information that we have or can obtain as to the best kind of fruit, and in due season give directions for making cement, and the manner and time of engrafting, the comparative advantages of using cement and the clay, and the result of experiments as to different modes of engrafting.  We would invite those that have paid attention to this subject to communicate their opinions and the result of their experience, firstly as to the best kind of apples and pears, as the attention of fruit growers would better be turned to that subject, and the scions selected in season.  We send this paper to some gentlemen who are not subscribers, and we should be pleased to hear from them as we understand that they pay considerable attention to the subject.

    

And here at The Heirloom Orchardist, we invite your comments too.  Please send this web address to some gentlemen (or gentle women) who pay considerable attention to heirloom fruit culture.  We’d be very pleased to hear from them.