Vintage Virginia Apples

BRAMLEY'S SEEDLING originated in Southwell, Nottinghamshire, England, from a seedling. Introduced in 1809, it is a large greenish-yellow apple with broad broken brown and red stripes. The firm flesh is of a yellow, white-tinged green and is juicy and acidulous. It contains 1% acid, which makes it useful as a culinary fruit. The vitamin C content is 16.0 mg/100 gm, one of the highest for a cooking apple. Leaves are dark green and very downy, and the hardy tree is spreading and a regular and heavy bearer. There are conflicting reports to its resistance or susceptibility to scab, but in Central Virginia, scab infection has not been a problem, nor has mildew. It is not particularly resistant to frost damage. A triploid that needs a pollinator, Golden Delicious and Spartan work well. There is some tendency to biennial bearing. It keeps well, becoming quite greasy in storage, and ripens in early October.