By Ines Keane
There is a date in this story that most people repeat and that is probably wrong. We will get to it.
The McIntosh is a red-and-green apple with thick, tender skin and white flesh. It is the kind of apple people buy in October and argue about in December. This piece reads two sources: Wikipedia and the Canadian Encyclopedia. They agree on the main story and differ on several small things, so we show both.
A seedling in an overgrown orchard
Both sources say John McIntosh found the original tree on his farm at Dundela, in what was then Upper Canada and is now Ontario. The Canadian Encyclopedia says he found it in an overgrown part of his orchard in 1811.
The parent is unknown. The Canadian Encyclopedia says only that the parentage is unknown.
How one tree became millions
The Canadian Encyclopedia says his son Allan grafted the cultivar onto winter-hardy rootstock, and that by 1835 Allan was selling trees locally and in the northeastern United States. It entered commercial production in 1870 as “McIntosh Red”. By 1900 it was among the most popular apples in northeastern North America, helped by praise from the Dominion Horticulturist, W. T. Macoun.
Grafting matters. The Canadian Encyclopedia says the tree is propagated by grafting, so offspring match the parent. A seed from a McIntosh does not reliably produce another McIntosh. Every one you eat descends from cut wood.
What the tree needs
The Canadian Encyclopedia describes a tree of 2 to 5 m, with a single trunk, that survives winters as cold as -34 °C. It flowers in early to mid-May and ripens in mid-to-late September. It is not self-pollinating and needs a nearby tree of another variety, with bees carrying the pollen. The apple is highly susceptible to apple scab, a fungal disease. It is harvested in one or two pickings.
Dates in order
- 1811: the seedling is found, according to both sources.
- 1835: Allan is selling trees (Canadian Encyclopedia).
- 1870: commercial production as “McIntosh Red”.
- 1900: among the most popular apples in the northeast (Canadian Encyclopedia).
Where it grows now
The Canadian Encyclopedia says it is grown mainly in eastern Ontario, along Lakes Ontario, Erie and Huron and Georgian Bay, in the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia, and in the northeastern United States. In 2017 it made up 21 per cent of Ontario’s apple production, ahead of Gala at 15 per cent and Empire at 13 per cent. It is a parent of Spartan, Cortland and Empire.
Keeping them
Wikipedia says the Macintosh computer line was named after the cultivar. The spelling was changed to avoid a clash with McIntosh Laboratory, and the line was shortened to “Mac” in 1999. Apple’s 1982 trademark attempt was denied, it licensed the name in 1983, and it bought the trademark in 1986. Our reading: the apple’s fame was wide enough in the early 1980s that a computer company wanted its name.
What kind of sources these are
One user-edited encyclopedia article and one national encyclopedia article. Neither is an orchard or a grower body, so growing and storage times on any given farm may differ.
Quick answers
Where did the McIntosh apple come from? According to the Canadian Encyclopedia, from a seedling John McIntosh found at Dundela, Upper Canada, in 1811.
When is the McIntosh harvested? The Canadian Encyclopedia says it ripens in mid-to-late September.
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Roam first. Shop later.