Smith's Cider

[David Pickering]

In the thread ‘Planing to scale up’ Michael Clifford included an image This snippet from the "American Agriculturalist" in 1861  which listed a number of apple varieties. The third grouping which I think reads ‘Boone Co, Ky’ contains a variety named Smith’s Cider.

Smith’s Cider is listed in Muriel Smith’s apple bible (National Apple Register of the United Kingdom) and has a quoted origin of Pennsylvania.

Interesting because I had come across a variety called Smith’s Cider in the wax apple models held at Museums Victoria in Melbourne (Australia).

https://collections.museumsvictoria.com.au/items/381320

In trying to track this variety down I contacted people in the Harcourt area of Victoria (Australia) where the example used to make the model was obtained. Not surprisingly I drew a blank as regards finding this as a live tree since the fruit was supplied to the Museum staff in 1885….

Seeing Michael’s listing I searched for further information and came across a North Carolina webpage which describes and pictures Smith’s Cider:

https://historicsites.nc.gov/all-sites/horne-creek-farm/southern-heritage-apple-orchard/apples/apple-index/apple-index/apple-22

The images on that webpage comprise two examples, a painting presumably taken from a book and a photo of an apple on a tree. There is one obvious difference between the two as regards stem length. The shorter stem more-or-less agrees with the wax model from Melbourne.

Would be interested if anyone has further information on this variety - particularly anyone in Australia.

Cheers - David

David Pickering - "Linden Lea" 681 Huntley Road, ORANGE NSW 2800 Australia

http://www.cideroz.com/
http://www.cideraustralia.org.au/

dav...@cideroz.com
mobile: 0427 271 477
home: 02 6365 5275

[Andrew Lea]

On 10/06/2021 03:10, David Pickering wrote:

> Would be interested if anyone has further information on this variety -
> particularly anyone in Australia.

David,

I expect the North Americans can tell you more, but it is described in
Tom Burford's book "Apples of North America" (2013) and also in Beach
"Apples of New York" (1905). PDF's attached for background info.

Ben Watson also notes it as an old traditional American cider variety in
his book "Cider Hard and Sweet". Fireblight seems to be a serious issue.

Andrew


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Wittenham Hill Cider Portal
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[Michael Clifford]

David,

I have this an many other traditional American cider varieties growing in the Fosterfields heritage orchard in Morristown, New Jersey. The trees are young and won't produce much grafting wood in the first year, but if you can find a way to import scions into Australia, happy to send you some. Here is a complete list of what we have identified with more to come in years two and three:

• Jersey Black
• Yellow Bellflower
• Newtown Pippin
• Roxbury Russet
• Nero
• Maiden Blush
• Poveshon
• Summer Rose
• Campfield
• King of Tompkins County
• Winesap
• Baldwin
• Northern Spy
• Harrison
• Graniwinkle
• Smith's Cider
• Coopers Market

Michael

[Michael Clifford]

Also, good observation on the stem length. "Apple of New York" describes the apple's stem as "short to moderately long, slender," so there does seem to be some variety.

On Thursday, June 10, 2021 at 5:26:23 AM UTC-4 Andrew Lea wrote:

[Ed Varga]

Did you try and contact "Get Smith" cider who are based in Victoria! see webpage https://getsmithcider.com/ 

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[David Pickering]

Thanks Ed - but it is just coincidence that Get Smith Cider in Victoria has a similar name.

They have a young planting of trees and no ’Smith’s Cider’.

Michael - interesting collection you’ve quoted at Fosterfields.

I’d need to get a bit of cider history/data before importation was contemplated. There are a number of European cultivars that are high on my wishlist when someone provides funding to do some more importations into Australia. The thing that would seem to dictate against importation is the note in the Apple Varieties A-Z pdf supplied by Andrew commenting that Smith(s) Cider is susceptible to fireblight and powdery mildew. Fortunately Australia doesn’t have fireblight but susceptibility to powdery mildew would be a negative factor for growers contemplating organic or low-spray production. Conversely the disease description indicates Smiths is ‘...resistant to the other major diseases’ which presumably means it is resistant to scab, a definite plus.

And last but not least. The text below from Kansas State has a couple of mentions regarding propensity for fruit to drop. This would be a factor in an evaluation of the variety but more information on when in the season this begins would be useful to know. If fruit was being shaken from the trees and swept up in harvest then since it appears to be a late maturing variety the dropping might not be a problem.

Cheers - David

David Pickering - "Linden Lea" 681 Huntley Road, ORANGE NSW 2800 Australia

http://www.cideroz.com/
http://www.cideraustralia.org.au/

dav...@cideroz.com
mobile: 0427 271 477
home: 02 6365 5275

The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Apple, by Various

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Title: The Apple

Author: Various

Editor: Kansas State Horticultural Society

Release Date: March 22, 2010 [EBook #31729]

SMITH'S CIDER.

Synonyms: Smith's, Fuller, Pennsylvania Cider, Popular Bluff, and Fowler.

Origin, Bucks county, Pennsylvania. This apple is widely grown and much esteemed as a profitable market sort. The tree is a very vigorous, straggling, spreading grower, and productive. Young wood a rich, dark brown. Fruit medium to large, roundish oblate conic, yellow, shaded and striped with red, sparsely covered with gray dots. Stalk slender, of medium length, inserted in a deep, rather narrow cavity. Calyx closed, set in a broad, rather shallow basin. Flesh whitish, tender, juicy, crisp, pleasant, mild subacid. Good December to March.

Remarks on the Smith's Cider by members of the State Horticultural Society:

C. C. Cook: I planted Smith's Cider pretty heavily, and now regret it. It blights badly, and the apples fall off. I intend to replace it with York Imperial.

E. J. Holman: It deserves a place in the family orchard, and a small place in the commercial orchard. They are as large as Ben Davis, and as great bearers, but they fall from the tree sooner.

James Sharp: We had 500 Smith's Cider. Nearly all blighted and died; have never paid me.

G. Whiteker: It is a splendid apple, but blights; I think it will not be profitable.

B. F. Smith: We should not drop it from the list; it is a fairly good apple.

[Michael Clifford]

Yes, I do have to rely on sulfur and other mild sprays to ensure a harvest. Summers in New Jersey are hot and humid, so disease runs rampant here. Insects also seem to appear out of nowhere in the first two weeks after planting. Last year, almost every abandoned apple tree I found had lost its leaves by mid-summer due to stress from disease and pests. Fireblight killed some of the oldest ones by June.

That said, I try to remember that all these varieties were grown long before pesticides of any sort, and farmers managed to produce enough surplus crop to sell.

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