Apple Varieties Originated in Washington County

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APPLE VARIETIES ORIGINATED IN WASHINGTON COUNTY

In a bulletin published in 1913 by the U.S.Department of Agriculture 
there appears a list of apple varieties grown in the Arkansas and 
Missouri Ozarks. Says the bulletin: "A remarkably large number of 
apple varieties have originated in Washington County,Ark., and several 
of them have become of commercial importance." For the historical rec-
ord, we are publishing the apple varieties known to have originated in 
our county, as reported in this old bulletin.
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SHANNON (also called Shannon.Pippin). Richard Thurston of VanBuren, 
Ark., in 1878 this account of its origin: "I have been engaged in this 
section of Arkansas since 1873 in fruit growing and know about the 
Shannon Pippin. One Granville Shannon, some 35 years ago, bought of a 
tree peddler and planted at or near Evansville, Washington County,Ark. 
quite a number of apple trees and when they came into bearing several 
of the trees bore the apples which, in consequence of having lost the 
labels and name if any had been attached, took the name of Shannon 
Pippin."
John B. Gill of Springdale, Ark., wrote in 1884: "The Shannon apple 
was brought to Boonsboro (Cane Hill), Washington County, Ark., in 1833 
by a Mr. Rector from Indiana, along with a lot of other trees which 
he brought here for sale, I think from an Ohio nursery, and heeled in 
at Kidd's Mill, one mile south of Boonsboro. The Shannon Pippin being 
small and scrubby, no one cared to buy them. The labels we re lost from 
the trees and Granville Shannon bought the lot (only 20) at a reduced 
price and planted them six miles south of Boonsboro, where sane of the 
trees at least are growing." The source of Mr.Gill's information, he 
further states, was "one J.B. Russell of Boonsboro, who had operated a 
nursery almost in sight of Kidd's Mil since about the time the trees 
were brought there."
while the above statements do not construct a clear historical ac-
count of the Shannon apple, they at least suggest what appears to be a 
reasonable probability as to its origin, so far as it relates to the 
Ozark region. The circumstances as recited offer a logical explanation 
of the manner in which a variety of Ohio origin may have reached Ark-
ansas and there received another name, in case the identity of Shannon 
and Ohio Pippin is ever established.
The fruit of the Shannon is large, surface very smooth, yellow,occa-
sionally faintly blushed with dull overcast of whitish blotches and 
streaks; stem very short, flesh yellow, rather coarse, juicy, flavor 
mild subacid, quality good; season fall and early winter.

WILSON JUNE. The history of the original tree of this variety traces 
back to a period shortly preceding the Civil1 ar and to the Earles Holt 
nursery which was located at or near Cane Hill, Washington County, Ark. 
Earles Holt died just prior to the war, and during the war period the 
nursery existed in what was practically an abandoned condition. Fol-
lowing the close ofthe war this nursery was cleaned up and many of the 
trees sold. In the spring of 1865 about 1,000 of them were planted by 
Albert Wilson, then a boy of 18 years of age, and a younger brother, 
A.J.Wilson, on their father's faim,the "William Wilson place", located 
6 or 7 miles northeast of Lincoln, Ark. The farm is still operated by 
Albert Wilson, by whom the early history of this variety was supplied.