…and some further research led me to a later storage variant also called ‘Gideon’, which Peter Gideon himself seems to have marketed as ‘Gideon Late’.
Some information on the MOFGA website seems to consider the early variety to be a Duchess x Yellow Bellflower cross, but not definitively. I grafted mine onto a feral Duchess type and it took off like a shot. Interestingly enough, the best of those feral trees bearing August fruit carry pale yellow fruit blushed with red themselves.
I grafted Gideon from Fedco to antonovka rootstock two years ago. It;s about 4’ tall now. I imagine it’ll be another 6+ years before I get any fruit. There seems to be some confusion about whether it’s Gideon or Gideon Sweet. There also seems to be conflicting information about when it ripens.
Fedco’s scionwood was taken from an August ripening tree, and the type seems to have been verified by a New Brunswick grower. I think the ripening data on the MOFGA site may be a typo. ‘Gideon Sweet’ (or, ‘Late Gideon’) is described separately in at least two 19th century texts I found as a Blue Pearmain x Duchess cross- definitely a late, keeping type apple. Peter Gideon sold both as ‘Early’ and ‘Late’ varieties under his name according to a contemporary list of Minnesota apple varieties I found archived. Interestingly, that book didn’t mention ‘Wealthy’, so I would suspect it was a later discovery of his.
That’s good to know, thank you. My interest isn’t in early ripening varieties. If Fedco’s Gideon is an August ripening variety, I won’t be grafting any more of them.
The late Gideon you mention is more like what I’d like to have.
Interesting place- this is the first I heard of it. The ‘Gideon Sweet’ I found first in a modern pictured reference from a western grower- Oregon iirc- of an apple she had on her property that had passed down as simply ‘Gideon’. It was a late variety, and looked and sounded very much like a Pearmain cross.
The literary reference came from a 19th century text- again iirc, archived through UMinn- describing all the known varieties with potential for that regions growers. Peter Gideon was cited by name, but without special regard, for the “early and late ‘Gideon’ varieties…” he had for sale. I forget the publication date, but with no mention of ‘Wealthy’ would have to assume it was before then.
“Gideon Sweet”- assumed to be ‘Late Gideon’- must have achieved some success, since its name, description, lineage, and color plate can then be found in several later sources, interestingly enough, with no mention of the earlier variety.
MOFGA’s research hints at a Yellow Bellflower/Duchess lineage for the early; a Pearmain/Duchess for the later one would make sense looked at from the perspective of the time.
Yes, that was one of the posts that sent me looking. Here are two more sites referring specifically to what I call ‘early’ Gideon, describing a late summer apple ripening just after Dutchess.
[Google Books]
Well, I’m grafting Gideon Sweet from TOC spring of 2024 (God willing) and have Gideon from Fedco growing now (think I grafted it in '21). With any luck, I’ll be able to taste apples from both trees/varieties in a few years.
The article appears to be describing an apple that is a late fall variety. Given what little I know, that would seem to be referring to Gideon Sweet, not Gideon (as they are referred to today anyway).
FWIW…here’s what Fedco says about the Gideon they sell
" Gideon Apple Scionwood
This is a twig for grafting. Late Summer. Unknown parentage. Peter Gideon intro, Excelsior, Minn., 1888.
Peter Gideon is best known as the originator of Wealthy, one of the most famous of all American apple varieties. Though much less well known, Gideon has its fair share of fans.
The large conic beautiful bright yellow rose-blushed summer apple was first introduced to us many years ago by Tom Roberts, who was then sharing Peacemeal Farm in Dixmont, Maine, with the ancient tree. Tom said the fruit “produced heavily on an almost completely ignored tree that was in decline through age, rotten wood, etc. It grows in the open on a sunny knoll in a field, and produced a majority of very good looking apples with no care whatsoever…a sweet juicy eating apple, and”wonderful for sauce.”
Daryl Hunter of New Brunswick wrote to us: “One of the heritage varieties that I’d never part with is Gideon, with its delicate skin and its very juicy, pear-flavored flesh””
Ripens a bit before Red Astrachan, toward the end of August in central Maine. Use them up quickly—they don’t keep. Seldom any scab. Blooms early. Many thanks to Mark Guzzi, who now tends the Peacemeal tree and provided us with scionwood. Z3." Gideon Apple Scionwood - Fedco Trees (fedcoseeds.com)
I couldn’t find anything relating to Peter Gideon’s claim of an injustice done upon him. This article was from 1893. I did find he was receiving a salary from Minn. state ag, and continued to do so even after he had shut down operations at his farm. Apparently it took the state a while to realize he was doing nothing for his salary, yet he was perfectly content to continue to collect it. Another brief mention notes an article he wrote and was to discuss at a state Horticulture Society meeting. It was titled “Fruit Culture and Fast Horses” and several objections to its content caused him to be insulted and leave the convention claiming he had been insulted repeatedly and stating he would not allow them another chance to do so. He seems to have been quite a character!
I had read an article by him about his “Wealthy” apple. The first economically important apple in that harsh climate, became hugely popular, and propagators-nurseries were snubbing him by not giving him credit for it. It had cost him a lot in money and personal sacrifice to achieve an apple for that area. I bet he was irritated!
Sounds like the guy may have had a few issues to deal with. Maybe people didn’t give him credit for his apples due to him being perceived as “difficult”. Bottom line for me is if the apples will grow and survive here (and be good eating, either fresh or processed somehow) then I’d like to grow them…mainly because they originated in MN.
There are some good biographies of him. His difficulty with Minnesota officials came about due to contractual issues related to his employment status- rendered unto him by virtue of his early work- which fell apart later in his life. He felt cheated, and the state had felt burdened, and it all turned into a simmering pot of lifelong resentment…
Do you have either of the crabs he named after his daughters? One is ‘Martha’, and I forget the other.
I had one successful take of these last year from fedco. I’m really happy to have a story to tell about a grumpy dude who got cheated then collected a paycheck for nothing in revenge. my partner and I are going to be pruning near that tree with the graft next week and I’m going to bore him with every detail of this
