Story Of An Apple: Rome Beauty

Named non for the nifty Italian city, but rather for a modest town inward the southern most tip of Ohio, the Rome Beauty, also known equally the Red Rome or but Rome, similar many apples of its fourth dimension was discovered past times accident.  Joel Gillet (also spelled "Gillett" or "Gillette" past times his descendants) encountered a seedling tree inward a shipment of trees he had received from a plant nursery that did non look to fit the residual of the stock he had ordered. He gave it to his boy Alanson, who chose to works life it on the banks of the Ohio River.  That was the twelvemonth 1817.  Several years subsequently the tree was constitute however last in addition to bearing deep red, slightly glossy fruit.  His cousin Horatio Nelson (or H.N. Gillett) taking the initiative, took cuttings of the immature tree in addition to started a modest plant nursery of the apple tree he called "Gillett's Seedling."  The apple tree gained popularity equally a expert cooking apple tree equally good equally a staple inward cider.   H5N1 decade or in addition to thus after it was starting fourth dimension discovered, the apple tree was renamed the Rome Beauty after the Township from which it descended.  The town of Proctorville, on the banks of the Ohio close where the master copy tree stood until the 1850's, calls itself the "Home of the Rome Beauty Apple." 

Rome Apples, Cornell Orchard, Oct 2010

 In the 20th century, the Rome's popularity equally the "Queen of the Baking Apples" had made it a pop apple tree inward the expanding marketplace position created past times the Washington apple tree industry.  Part of what the Washington Apple Commission referred to equally the "Big Six" which also included Reds, Goldens, Winesap, Jonathan in addition to Newtowns, the Rome also constitute a habitation inward orchards of the eastern in addition to mid-Atlantic Sates.
Though it has non made much headway inward the always expanding line-up of eating apples such equally Fuji, Gala in addition to Honey Crisp that bring flooded the marketplace position over the past times decades, the Rome equally remained a staple for many growers because it is a reliable producer, non susceptible to biennial bearing which plagues some apple tree varieties.  Romes also flower relatively slow inward the jump putting them out of harm's means for slow frosts which tin plough a bumper crop into slim pickings (literally) for many apple tree growers inward northern climates.  The Rome has also constitute a next amid growers inward to a greater extent than temperate regions because it has a relatively depression chilling requirement. This allows it to last grown inward places that sense picayune or no winter.  H5N1 grower inward the warm valleys of California talks virtually his sense growing in addition to harvesting Romes inward his spider web log Apples in addition to Oranges which you lot tin read here

He had this to twenty-four hr menstruum virtually them, "Rome Beauty grows good inward the torrid zone also, but doesn't bring the same zing equally inward colder climates.  The Rome you lot catch inward the supermarket is Red Rome, a better-colored but inferior-tasting sport."  

Photo from Kevin Hauser, writer of Apples in addition to Oranges in addition to possessor of Kuffel Creek Nursery.  Apples are from the mountains precisely about where he lives inward southern California

 

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