Cultivar 327: Harvester

Harvester is a prairie apple from the University of Saskatchewan. Sources describe it as a cross of Sylvia or Silvia with Melba and say it was released through Dr. C. F. Patterson's program at Saskatoon. Most sources place its introduction in 1960, though one prairie index gives 1950. It appears in University of Saskatchewan introductions as A59-379. [S3] [S5] [S2]

Sources describe Harvester as an early to midseason or midseason apple. The ground color is cream to light green, with a blush and striping or a dull red overcolor. The fruit is small to medium, about 5.2 cm, and some reports describe it as slightly conical, reaching about 2 1/4 by 1 3/4 inches under Saskatoon conditions. The flesh is white, mild, and not very juicy. Quality is described with different wording but in a similar direction. One source calls it mildly acid and of good quality in season, while others describe it as dry, mild, and almost insipid. [S5] [S3] [S1] [S2]

Its main weakness is keeping quality. Sources say Harvester does not keep, and Saskatchewan introduction notes say it tends to break down early. It is therefore better for use in season than for storage. [S1] [S3] [S5]

Harvester belongs to the University of Saskatchewan effort to find usable apples for prairie field conditions, including unirrigated trials at Saskatoon. It remained known, but not as a top quality variety. A 1976 Saskatchewan assessment grouped it with kinds that lacked size and or quality compared with stronger introductions. It still preserves a clear record of mid century prairie breeding work and the effort to combine Melba quality with a harder adapted background. [S5] [S4] [S3]

The cited sources do not state hardiness in zone terms. The strongest support comes from its University of Saskatchewan origin and evaluation under Saskatoon field conditions without irrigation. That places it clearly in a prairie testing context, but these sources alone do not support a more exact zone claim. [S5] [S3]

Summary source basis

• S1: Edible Apples in Prairie Canada
• S2: An index of fruit cultivars tested or developed on the Canadian prairies.
• S3: Harvester
• S4: hortfacts_1976_3.pdf
• S5: University of Saskatchewan fruit introductions 1959-1960

This summary currently draws chiefly from Edible Apples in Prairie Canada, with 4 additional supporting sources linked below.

Featured source descriptions

“University of Saskatchewan, Saskatchewan.”
— ^[3]

“Table row 343 appears to describe Harvester as large, light green with dull red, and late.”
— ^[3]

“Afine white fleshed, not very juicy, mild tasting apple.”
— ^[4]

“Midseason.”
— ^[1]

Direct parent cultivars

• No direct linked parent cultivars promoted yet.

Parentage claim text

• Parentage given as Sylvia x Melba.
• 'Silvia' x 'Melba'.
• Parentage: Sylvia x Melba.
• Parentage: Silvia x Melba.

Derived or downstream cultivar links

• No derived or downstream lineage links yet.

Source-story quotations

• A59-379 Harvester Silvia x Melba 1960 Early to mid-seasonUniversity of Saskatchewan fruit introductions 1959-1960, p4
• Harvester (Sylvia x Melba) Patterson (1960) STEdible Apples in Prairie Canada, p35
• Harvester (Sylvia x Melba) Patterson (1960) STEdible Apples in Prairie Canada, p35
• A59-379 Harvester Silvia x Melba 1960 Early to mid-seasonUniversity of Saskatchewan fruit introductions 1959-1960, p4

Taxonomy context: No family-tree context surfaced yet.

Related cultivars mentioned in source context