Cultivar 318: Exeter

Exeter is a prairie apple introduced by the University of Saskatchewan in 1959 from a Columbia x Melba cross made by Dr. C. F. Patterson at Saskatoon. [S4] [S7] It was selected as A58-305 and described under dry field conditions at Saskatoon. [S7] Prairie references describe it as a productive early apple for dessert and cooking, and later extension sheets continued to list it as a hardy cultivar for Saskatchewan. [S1] [S4] [S5]

The fruit is described as medium to fairly large, about 6 cm or up to 2 1/2 inches across, and slightly conical, with a cream ground color overlaid or streaked with bright red. [S1] [S4] [S7] The flesh is creamy white and medium coarse, with a mildly sub-acid flavor rated fair to pleasing. [S5] [S7] Sources describe it as good quality and attractive, fair for dessert, useful for cooking, and notable for producing excellent quality apple juice. [S1] [S3] [S5] [S6] Its season is late summer or early September. Its weakest consistent trait is storage life. Multiple sources say it does not keep or keeps poorly. [S1] [S4] [S5] [S7]

Tree performance is one of Exeter's stronger points. Sources describe very heavy yields, and prairie references continued to recommend it on that basis. [S1] [S4] Later University of Saskatchewan tables rate it as hardy in Saskatchewan, while an earlier Hort-Facts note says it appears suitable for zones 3B and 4. [S3] [S5] [S6] This suggests real prairie usefulness, even though the zone wording varies by source and period. [S3] [S5]

Exeter also shows how prairie fruit literature preserves practical and personal judgment in a few lines. Erskine is noted as recommending it, and a later directory preserves Coutts's remark calling it "a good breeder." [S1] [S4] Sources disagree on fireblight. One Saskatchewan table rates it susceptible, while later tables place it in the moderately resistant group. [S5] [S3] [S6]

Summary source basis

• S1: Edible Apples in Prairie Canada
• S2: An index of fruit cultivars tested or developed on the Canadian prairies.
• S3: HortFactsAppleCultivars CStushnoff 1985
• S4: Exeter
• S5: hortfacts_1976_3.pdf
• S6: hortfacts stushnoff
• S7: University of Saskatchewan fruit introductions 1959-1960

This summary currently draws chiefly from Exeter, with 6 additional supporting sources linked below.

Featured source descriptions

“Maturity is late.”
— ^[3]

“Good hardiness.”
— ^[4]

“Fair quality.”
— ^[2]

“Very heavy yield.”
— ^[2]

Direct parent cultivars

• No direct linked parent cultivars promoted yet.

Parentage claim text

• Columbia x Melba.
• 'Columbia' x 'Melba'.
• Lineage: Columbia x Melba.
• Parentage: Columbia x Melba.

Derived or downstream cultivar links

• No derived or downstream lineage links yet.

Source-story quotations

• A58-305 Exeter Columbia x Melba 1959 Early Sept. slightly conical; cream ground over-laid with bright redUniversity of Saskatchewan fruit introductions 1959-1960, p2
• A58-305 Exeter Columbia x Melba 1959 Early Sept. slightly conical; cream ground over-laid with bright redUniversity of Saskatchewan fruit introductions 1959-1960, p2
• A58-305 Exeter Columbia x Melba 1959 Early Sept. slightly conical; cream ground over-laid with bright redUniversity of Saskatchewan fruit introductions 1959-1960, p2
• A58-305 Exeter Columbia x Melba 1959 Early Sept. slightly conical; cream ground over-laid with bright redUniversity of Saskatchewan fruit introductions 1959-1960, p2

Taxonomy context: No family-tree context surfaced yet.

Related cultivars mentioned in source context