Chehalis
(E3, T14) Discovered by Lloyd Lonberg of Oakville in Southwest Washington in 1937 as a scab resistant “sport” on a Golden Delicious tree. Brought to WSU by Dr. Chet Schwartz and others, it was grown around the nation due to its scab resistance and excellent flavor.
Hudson’s Golden Gem
(E3, U13) Discovered in a fence row in Oregon in 1931. Because 0f its total russeting and elongated shape, some wondered if it was a pear. It ripens in late September and has excellent flavor and is a good keeper.
How the Hudson’s Golden Gem Led to Establishing the Fruit Garden
Our fruit garden designer Kristan Johnson, Sam Benowitz and others highly valued the Hudson’s Golden Gem fruit when attending yearly tours of the Mt. Vernon station fruit
variety trials conducted by station manager Dr. Robert Norton. One year, the tree was gone. When asked why the tree had been taken out, Dr. Norton explained that testing had established that the variety had proven superior for our climate and therefore this information was recorded and the tree was removed to make room to test new varieties. Kristan, a landscape architect, then realized that the best tested varieties needed to be dug up or grafted and put into a permanent fruit garden where the public could continue to see and eat them. So in 1991 he started the plans that became the fruit garden.
Puget Spice
(E2, T9 planted 2025) Dr. Robert Norton, Les Price, Gary Moulton and Jacky King crossed a Prima and an Alkemene, both scab resistant varieties and planted about one hundred seedlings to see if they might create a superior variety. The best of the lot turned out to be an amazingly productive and flavorful small crabapple they named Puget Spice.
Shay
(W4, F19 grafted on MacIntosh multi grafted tree) Dr. Ralph Shay was a pomologist at Oregon State University. While working at the PRI, Purdue, Rutgers and Illinois disease resistant apple breeding program he developed a high quality, productive variety that the program did not name but that was named McShay and late Shay after Ralph. It became popular in our area.
NY 75414-1
Another numbered selection from NY Fruit Testing, not named, that became a favorite in trials at the WSU Mt. Vernon station. This large dark red apple is scab, mildew and fireblight resistant. It has an excellent sweet/tart flavor. It ripens in late September.
Red Gravenstein
