Old List of Best Apples for VA, PA, WVA & MD

From 1893 catalog of Franklin Davis Nursery, Baltimore, MD & Richmond, VA
This one predates the commercial release of Stayman Winesap in 1898.


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A lot I’ve never heard of and some that are still well-thought of today. “Horse” makes me think the marketing has improved, if nothing else. It’ll be stiff competition with my “Mule Golden” when I develop and release it. :wink:

Horse is too sour for fresh consumption…but as a kid I ate more than a couple of slices as I peeled and sliced them to go on screens up on the roof of the porch to dry in the sun in August.

Ron Joyner seems to disagree with that fresh eating comment…

I’ll side with him. My Horse tree has bore fruit the last two years and we enjoy them for fresh eating.

So many names, mislabels, sports, etc… Whose to say we’re comparing the same apple though…

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Here’s a related item. A Richmond newspaper notice from 1879 announcing a new partnership for the Franklin Davis Nursery. Note the large quantities of trees and vines available through their combined 400 acres of growing space in MD and VA.

A further side note is that soon after the Civil War counties in eastern Virginia and North Carolina were devoted to the production of early season apples to be shipped north.

I read the Census of Agriculture for 1870, 1920 and 1930. I found large acreages of apples, peaches and pears went in southeast Virginia. The acreage peaked in the 1920 census for apples. The census asks for the number of bearing and non-bearing trees so trends can be seen. In 1930 the southeastern counties of Virginia plus the Eastern Shore totaled 149,582 bearing plus non bearing Apple trees. Which amounts to 3,117 acres assuming a 30x30 spacing. Which is a lot considering flat land and within a max of 70 miles as the crow flies from the ocean that is not ideal for apple production compared to cooler mountains.

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I had 5 Macintosh before Thanksgiving…
I still have 5 minus one big bite out of one of them.

On the other hand, I ate all 8 Red Delicious I had purchased except one I gave to my niece.

If there are several apples to pick from, Horse isn’t one I’m going to eat fresh.
But, some like the acid. I like my Arkansas Black, Braeburn, and winesaps after a bit of storage time…but only for cooking right off the tree. Those all have more sugar than Horse…or so it tastes like. Sliced and fried in some butter and sugar I’d probably enjoy Horse. But, it’s been a long time since I had them.

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