Old mystery apple tree

[Merle Hawggard]

I had a lady contact me about an old apple tree growing on her late parents farm.
Said it was a big tree in 1940 when they bought the place.
Also told me it originally had two trunks till one rotted and her dad cut it off, but two grew back in its place.
I've got scions here at the house already. I hope it turns out to be a missing variety we're searching for, but feel it's going to be a great wildlife apple regardless. It still makes apples every year, she says, that are wonderful in fried pies.
Not sure how the deer feel about those, but sign me up!

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[Native Hunter]

Sounds exciting Merle. Be sure to let us know what it is if you figure out the cultivar. That picture brings back some memories of the old trees we lost to the road construction.....

 

[greyphase]

Good for you Scott. It always feels good to save an old tree that's slowing fading away.

 

[H20fwler]

SWEET! Another local old producer that will live on and help wildlife for decades more with your grafting....that is bad ass!

 

[buckvelvet]

Thatta boy @Merle Hawggard!

Gotta love those types of stories. So many old trees along roads here in W MI. I can't save 'em all but i'd sure llike to know their history.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

Great move Merle !! Saving old warhorse apple trees that have stood the test of time is a pretty noble thing to do. Who knows what you're saving there - it could be a rare variety. And if it produces every year, it's good for critters and maybe a good eater for people too. Well worth the effort. Remote handshake, Merle.

 

[Merle Hawggard]

While it's definitely to early, just from her description it could be an old variety named Arkansas Globe. Her description and the one in the H&H catalogue match up, even down to large blooms, except for she says it makes smaller apples and Mr Hubach says they're large.
With proper thinning and care I'm sure they'll be larger, but we need to see an apple to compare.
If the blooms do turn out to be very large this spring it will be worth having a few other people look at it.
After all the research I've done on Louis Hubach the last 8 months looking for just one of his crosses I'm afraid I'd be to biased to call it!

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[Bill]

except for she says it makes smaller apples and Mr Hubach says they're large.

Sounds like conversation with me and my wife.

All joking aside, good luck with it. Maybe another news article will be in order.

 

[Appleman]

Discovery of a lost known cultivar or a unique chance seedling is exciting. There are groups across the country that search for these treasures of nature throughout the fall in search of a lost variety that can be reintroduced or are looking for the opportunity in discovering of a product of cross-pollination. I was fortunate to come across such a chance-seedling that has brought both monetary reward and has fulfilled a 20 year quest as a land manager to produce the best apple tree plot/s possible for my property. I applauded
you in your interest to identify what otherwise could have been lost.

 

[WTNUT]

First, that is a big’n. Next, educate me. How does one definitively determine that one has found a variety thought to be lost?


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[Merle Hawggard]

First, that is a big’n. Next, educate me. How does one definitively determine that one has found a variety thought to be lost?


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In the case of a tree like this, no one living knows the variety or if it's a seeding, we'd look at shape, size, ripening time and flavor
to see if it matches anything lost or known.
Here is a link to the old H&H catalogue.

https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/176414#page/19/mode/1up

In the case of the H&H trees, it's going to prove difficult, I'm thinking, unless someone can actually remember a variety due to the only descriptions I have are from the 1904 catalogue.
I have found Arkansas Globe mentioned in publications from Ohio, Illinois and I think Indiana so it at least was grown elsewhere and I have a few more descriptions of it, one of which is large blossoms.
Miss Ashcroft says it has very large blooms, but size being relative, I'm waiting for this spring to see if they really jump out at me.
It's from the time that it could be Arkansas Globe, has a White Co connection, but could just as easily be a seeding.
Back to your question, if after seeing the blooms and apples, we think it could be something named, I'd then send it to other apple people to see what they thought.
I'll have to ask David Benscoter since the Arkansas Beauty tree he found was an unnamed variety until it was matched.
I am grafting this on a few g890 as well as standard rootstock this year. I owe Miss Ashcroft a tree for her home now and I'm planting one at my house too.

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[Apple Junkie]

That's a really interesting project you're embarking on Merle. I LOVE that old old catalog you found too, great to have a look back in time. Good luck, keep us posted.

 

[Merle Hawggard]

Here are a few pic Mr Wilson took for me this week showing the size of the blooms with a quarter for reference.
I'm thinking close to if not half dollar size blooms based on the fact that I can see at least half and a little over half of the petals showing past the coin.
I only have a few blooming since I'm quite a bit farther north than this tree, but so far the two I've looked at are smaller.
I've never really paid much attention to blooms before.
What do you all think? Average? Large?

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[Native Hunter]

Seems kind of large to me, but pictures can be deceiving. Our trees just beginning to bloom here.

Keep up posted on this...

 

[Prof.Kent]

It may be a triploid. Triploids usually have larger than normal leaves, also.

 

[H20fwler]

Seems large to extra large......I just started seeing buds on my trees today, I had about forgotten what a blossom looked like.

 

[Native Hunter]

I took some pics for you today Merle. First is a Caney Fork Limbertwig and second is a Myers Limbertwig. All my tree really came on blooming the last couple of days.

 

[Merle Hawggard]

Either they're also large or the mystery is average. They look pretty close to the same.
Thanks for the pics! How's Caney Fork taste? I may get some in a few years!

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[Native Hunter]

Either they're also large or the mystery is average. They look pretty close to the same.
Thanks for the pics! How's Caney Fork taste? I may get some in a few years!

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It's has a really good taste. My crops have been small so far, but tree is still young, so should get more as time goes on.

I remember asking the guy at Big Horse about it when I was considering buying the tree. I think he said it was his wife that is a teacher and she took several of their apples to school. Caney Fork was toward top of the list of people's favorites per what he told me.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

I wish I had about 20 acres that wasn't hunting camp to try growing some of these less-than-common varieties you guys talk about. I'd love to just try tasting some of them.