Waupaca County "Seedlings"

The Waupaca County Seedlings were well known around the Midwest and possibly the country for their hardiness and fine qualities. The following varieties are all varieties that the Central Wisconsin Apple Rediscovery Project has researched and found short descriptions of the apples. The following were very common in Waupaca County and surrounding counties and states. Many varieties were sent to testing stations in Ames, Iowa, Minnesota, and even Maine. Two varieties that do not need saving: the Wolf River and the Northwestern Greening.

Alden: Yellow-red apple that is medium to large in size. Form is conical and is a keeper. Early season apple. It is much like the Blaine but better quality.

Bessie: Resembles the Duchess or Duchess of Oldenburgh but redder. It weighs around 5-6 ounces. It is a mid to late season apple.

Casey: Green with red stripes and the size is very large. Mid to late season apple.

Crocker: Large, red-striped apple that is round-oblong is form.

Jenney: Large, white with red stripes. It's flavor in sub-acidic and is used in the market and for dessert. Late season apple.

Lind: Large, red apple with acidic flavor. Late season apple.

Lindfield: Large, yellow-greenish apple with red blush.

Martha: Medium, red apple with good quality. Dessert and market apple. Mid to late season apple.

Mary: Large, red apple that is used for desserts. Late season apple.

Ratsburg: Large dessert and keeping apple. Mid season apple.

Waupaca: Medium, yellow with red stripes. Flesh is tender and juicy and is yellow. Flavor is sub-acidic and is a keeping apple. Late season apple.\

Waupaca Greening: Medium to Large apple. Greenish-yellow in color. Late season apple.

Wisconsin Russet: Large, green russeted apple with sub-acidic flavor. It has good quality and is a dessert apple. Mid to late season apple.

Wisconsin Spy: Medium sized yellow apple.

Wrightman or Wrightman's Blush: large, yellow blushed apple. Very good in quality and a late season apple.

There is another short list with no descriptions that were high in rankings at the 1884 New Orleans Exposition from Waupaca County. Obviously the Wolf River was the highest ranked out of all the Wisconsin seedlings but others from Waupaca County were ranked high as well.

Wrightman, Wrightman's Winter Blush, Lovejoy, Blanche, Nora, Bertha, Baker's Sweet, Bloomfield, Daniel, Vosburg, Barnard's Red Winter, Long John, Longfield, Bone's Greening, Thina, David's Seedling, Plymouth, Winter Pepper, Canada Red, Red Seek, and Feather.

This is but a handful of the hundreds of varieties that Waupaca County once proudly presented in fairs, shows, and local and state societies.

*Note that some of these varieties might be extinct. If not please, please, please contact me. If you have a really old apple tree in surrounding counties such as Portage, Waukesha, Brown, Outagamie, Winnebago, and Shawano counties, also feel free to contact me.