Vintage Virginia Apples

WEALTHY originated from a seed of Cherry Crab planted by Peter Gideon in Minnesota, about 1860, from seeds that came from Albert Emerson of Bangor, Maine. There are many strains of this variety, and at one time, there was commercial production of Wealthy as a dessert apple. Medium to large in size and rectangular to truncate-conic in shape, the yellow skin is flushed and striped carmine, and the greenish-white flesh with a slight pinkish strain under the skin is soft, coarse-textured, with a sweet subacid flavor. It is a very hardy tree that bears early at four to six years of age on standard rootstock, and produces full crops biennially. Its profuse, long blooming period makes it a good pollinator for other varieties. At one time, it was promoted as somewhat disease resistant, but in the hot and humid conditions of Central Virginia, it is susceptible to scab, bitter rot, fireblight and cedar apple rust. The tree is upright growing with brittle wood and there is a heavy "June drop," yet thinning is necessary to produce large fruit. Usually, crop yields are heavy. The small oval leaves are medium-green in color with a dull-pebbled surface, sometimes with a spiral tip. A standard tree will remain fairly small in size. Wealthy ripens in September.