Buckingham Apple

Exerpt from American Pomology. Apples. 1867

Buckingham
Byer's red—Fall Queen (of some)—BLACKBURN (erroneously.)

This favorite southern apple, from Louisa County, Virginia, has worked its way northward into public favor at rapid rate, under the influence of railways and Pomological Societies. It was first presented to the American Society at the Philadelphia meeting, in 1860, when it was figured and reported on by the Committee on Native Fruits, to some of whom, as to thousands of others in the West, it was familiar as household words. This fruit was brought by settlers to Southern Illinois, and thence distributed, by taking up the sprouts that formed about the base of the stocks, and setting them out for an orchard. I have some of these growing, and they make nice plants.

Tree vigorous, upright, compact while young, spreading with the weight of fruit, never large; the shoots rather slender, red, dark; Leaves medium, rather narrow, wider towards the end, dark, footstalks red. The stems of these trees are characterized by curious enlargements of an irregular, mammellar form, and reddish color, and appear to he like the knaurs of the olive tree.

When this apple was first brought to the notice of the Cincinnati Horticultural Society, twenty years ago, it was thought to resemble the Winter Queen of Kentucky so closely that it was considered only a variety or sport, and called the Striped Fall Queen^ but it has since been deemed a distinct sort.

Fruit large to very large, variable in form, but generally conical, or oblate-conic, truncated, angular ; Surface smooth, greenish-yellow, mixed and striped pale purplish-red; Dots scattered, prominent, yellow.;

Basin deep, abrupt, wavy; Eye large, long, open.

Cavity wide, wavy, brown ; Stem short.

Core large, regular, closed ; Axis very short ; Seeds numerous, long, pointed ; Flesh yellow, tender, fine-grained, juicy; Flavor mild sub-acid, rich, agreeable; Quality best, or nearly so; Use, table, kitchen, drying; Season, October to December.

Warder, John. American Pomology. Apples. Orange Judd and Company. 1867