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[derry&bill <wchase@interchange.ubc.ca>]

Don, Mark, and Ed,

MY Mutsu certainly does match Mark's apple! As grown here in south coastal
B.C., the apple is very large, green, round-conical or oblong-conical, with
the bumps on the calyx end, but not as prominent as Red Delicious bumps -
more like Golden Delicious, it's parent.

None of the apples are 'flattened'.

I don't know Criterion, so it could also match Criterion. Criterion is
another Golden Delicious cross which Crawford describes as 'long-conical'.

I pick them in October when the green has turned to light green. Sometimes
they shows a brownish blush especially if sun-burned.

I would describe Mutsu as crisp and medium sweet, not tart.

In 2002 I picked them Oct 21. This year it will be earlier because we've had
a lot of heat units.

The remarkable thing in my orchard this year is that the Mutsu leaves were
huge: some were 6" long x 3" and a very lush green. I've never noticed this
before. It probably has to do with the fact they are sheltered, but almost
all my apple trees are sheltered and only Mutsu had these huge lush green
leaves.

In the early stages up to mid-summer, Mutsu looks like Ambrosia another Red
Delicious x Golden Delicious, but in late summer Ambrosia will turn red and
Mutsu will not.

Derry

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Bill Chase & Derry Walsh
Aldergrove, B.C., Canada
phone/fax (604) 856-9316
www.interchange.ubc.ca/wchase/HTML
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>
> Certainly agree with Ed that your apple doesn't sound like a Mutsu,
> which I grow here and is a round, slighly flattened apple.  I also have
> Criterion, which is a dead ringer for Red Delicious in size and shape,
> but greenish in color unless it is left to hang very late, at which
> point it turns yellow with a pink blush.  >
> Don Yellman, Great Falls, VA