Oel Austin

type: Dessert

synonyms: Austin, also listed as "Oel" in Samuel Heiges' 1894 "Report of the Pomologist"

summary: Stemming from the Blue Pearmain, this tree grows vigorously, tolerates cold weather and produces multi-purpose fruit. Well suited to small orchards and farm-gate sales. Unfortunately, difficult to find now.

identification: A pearmain-style apple, small tending to medium. Round to round conic, lightly ribbed. Skin is thin, base colour yellow, washed dull maroon over which are bright red stripes. Lenticels are abundant, indented and russetted. The stem is stout, tending to long and set in a shallow, narrow and russetted cavity. The calyx is medium to small and partly open, set in a shallow, narrow and somewhat pleated basin.

characteristics: The flesh is yellowish, often stained red next to the skin. Firm, fine-grained, crisp. Juicy and lightly sweet-tart.

origins: Found as an old tree well past its prime in 1891 in a derelict orchard near Raymondville, St. Lawrence County, New York State (U.S.A.) by orchardist Amos F. Clark who promoted the variety throughout the northeastern states. Named for Oel Austin, a Civil War soldier enlisted in army from 1862 to 1865. S.A. Beach listed the variety in his 1906 edition of "The Apples of New York" with the comment "The original tree, 16 to 18 inches in diameter was standing neglected in an old pasture. Mr. Clark began to propagate the variety in about 1891. He believes that it is a seedling of Stone , a variety which is highly esteemed locally in St. Lawrence county." However, Samuel Heiges' earlier description of apple in the 1894 "Report of the Pomologist" suggests that the apple stems from the Bethel . "He (Amos F. Clark) has no doubt that it is a seedling of Bethel, but believes that the faults of Bethel are corrected in this, in that the fruit is of uniform quality and a little more acid than Bethel."

cultivation: According to S.A. Beach "The Apples of New York" (published 1906) "Tree rather vigorous. Form upright, somewhat spreading, rather dense. Twigs medium to long, rather slender to moderately stout, nearly straight, somewhat pubescent; internodes short. Bark clear olive-green tinged with reddish-brown and mottled with gray scarf-skin."

cold storage: Keeps up to four months, sometimes a bit more.