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nafex - Re: [NAFEX] Red Delicious/sheepnose/shape on end

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  • From: Heron Breen <breen@fedcoseeds.com>
  • To: North American Fruit Explorers <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [NAFEX] Red Delicious/sheepnose/shape on end
  • Date: Tue, 29 Mar 2005 11:42:32 -0600

Hi Folks,

Two things to say about this:
Lathrop was also the person responsoble for cutting down and eradicationg
hundreds of trees and varieties. The ones he preserved were only the ones he
deemed "worthy". More of an egotist than a preservationist. It was his job to
direct the cutting of old orchards and individual trees throughout Mass,
eliminating many original trees and making way for development. as with us
all,
good and bad combined by the glue of ego to make us gray. His preserved works
are
also maintained by Tower Hill Botanical Gardens which sells scionwood and does
fruit tastings in the Fall.
The Red Sheepnose you may be refering to might be Black Gilifower, which does
become mealy quickly, but is excellent picked and eaten at the "right" time.
Another Sheepnose I have seen is yellow in color.
On a tip from another fruit-interested person, I talked with an older man 2
years
ago that owned Lathrop's original home orchard. When he had purchased the home
and orchard from the Lathrop's, it was comprised of all his preserved
varieties
and some he had not "released" to the public. This new owner then topworked
most
of the trees (as well as tearing out and replanting many) so that only 3 or 4
of
the preserved varieties remained.
Heron Breen

On Tue Mar 29 10:35 , Charles Paradise <machelp@attglobal.net> sent:

>
>
>
>Sam mentioned the "knobs" found on the blossom ends of RD,s.
>I have heard
>
>them referred to as "sugar lumps" or something like that. Probably
>so named
>
>by an enterprising marketeer.
>The knobs on the bottom end I call "Sheep-nosing". The oldest apple
>with such protrusions on the bottom is "Sheepnose", I have tasted it grown
>at the Lathrop Davenport Preservation Orchard at Sturbridge Village, a
>historical village in Massachusetts.
>The Sheepnose apple is similar to the "Red Delicious" group, mealy,
>low taste, origin Connecticut mid-1800's [if I recall correctly]
>Scionwood should be available from Worcester County Horticultural Society
>scionwood distribution program. I think it was a deep red color.
>I have always assumed "Hawkeye" red delicious was a seedling of "Sheepnose".
>
>S. Lathrop Davenport was a foremost New England apple preserver of the
>1940's, also was NNGA member, I have grafted from a giant persian walnut
>he planted. S. Lathrop preserved the original-real Macintosh, 20
>oz. pippen, Palmer Greening, etc. etc.
>Charlie Paradise Massachusetts
>






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