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Harrison Apple Scionwood (Spring 2024)


The most important apple for traditional Newark cider production. Also known as Harrison's Cider, Long Stem, Osborne Apple.

This tree is vigorous and very productive; Tom Burford (Apples of North America) states that a single tree can produce about 100 bushels of apples! It will need thinning to maintain annual bearing and it is tip bearing. It is scab resistant and resistant to rot.

Harrison apples are smallish, round, long-stemmed (hence their alternative name "Long Stem"), and yellow. With a smattering of dark spots and a slightly scruffy exterior, this is not going to win any beauty contests. But when pressed, Harrison yields abundant dark, rich juice that contains an excellent balance of tannin, sugar, and acid, and that can be fermented to a single-variety cider. Along with Campfield and Graniwinkle, this apple was central to Newark cider production before prohibition, and in 1817, Coxe wrote that Harrison commanded the highest price on the New York market as a single-variety cider. (From WSU: Tannin (percent tannic acid): 0.10; Acid (percent malic acid): 0.64; pH: 3.46; SG: 1.061; oBrix 14.6.)

The first Harrison is thought to have been grown by a Mr. Osborne in the early 1700s. These apples were widely grown in Essex County in the early 1800s, but during the 20th century the apple almost disappeared completely, driven almost to the point of extinction by urbanization and lack of interest in cider production. In 1976, the orchardist Paul Gidez happened to stumble across a single tree in Livingston, New Jersey, and in 1989, the pomologist Tom Burford found another Harrison and began to propagate the tree. Thanks to the efforts of these two men Harrison has been resurrected and now enjoys renewed popularity among cider enthusiasts. A more detailed account of this apple's rediscovery can be found in Lost and Found: The Search for the Harrison Apple by Fran McManus.

Volume Pricing

Premiums are included in the following prices if applicable. These prices are for regular scion. Add $1 for clean scion.

Quantity Harrison Apple Scion
1 $12.00
2-5 $7.00
6-10 $6.00
11-99 $5.00
100+ $4.00

Order Your Scions

Select clean or regular:

$13.00 ea.

This is the full retail price for orders of 1 scion. You can get these scion for as low as $4.00 each – see Volume Pricing above. More about Pricing & Grading.

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Clean vs. Regular

Our clean scion is harvested from trees grown on G.16, which is extremely sensitive to viruses. These trees would not have survived if the scion contained viruses. Our clean wood has not been lab tested. Regular = may contain one of the common latent viruses; this is not usually a problem and can be used with most rootstocks.

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This tree is vigorous and very productive; Tom Burford (Apples of North America) states that a single tree can produce about 100 bushels of apples! It will need thinning to maintain annual bearing and it is tip bearing. It is scab resistant and resistant to rot.

Harrison apples are smallish, round, long-stemmed (hence their alternative name "Long Stem"), and yellow. With a smattering of dark spots and a slightly scruffy exterior, this is not going to win any beauty contests. But when pressed, Harrison yields abundant dark, rich juice that contains an excellent balance of tannin, sugar, and acid, and that can be fermented to a single-variety cider. Along with Campfield and Graniwinkle, this apple was central to Newark cider production before prohibition, and in 1817, Coxe wrote that Harrison commanded the highest price on the New York market as a single-variety cider. (From WSU: Tannin (percent tannic acid): 0.10; Acid (percent malic acid): 0.64; pH: 3.46; SG: 1.061; oBrix 14.6.)

The first Harrison is thought to have been grown by a Mr. Osborne in the early 1700s. These apples were widely grown in Essex County in the early 1800s, but during the 20th century the apple almost disappeared completely, driven almost to the point of extinction by urbanization and lack of interest in cider production. In 1976, the orchardist Paul Gidez happened to stumble across a single tree in Livingston, New Jersey, and in 1989, the pomologist Tom Burford found another Harrison and began to propagate the tree. Thanks to the efforts of these two men Harrison has been resurrected and now enjoys renewed popularity among cider enthusiasts. A more detailed account of this apple's rediscovery can be found in Lost and Found: The Search for the Harrison Apple by Fran McManus.


The Fruit

Fruit Type

Category: Apple
Subcategory: Heirloom, Cider, Hot-Climate

Fruit Uses & Storage

Uses: cider
Cider classification: sharp
Storage duration: less than one month (approximate, depending on storage conditions)

Fruit Appearance

Skin color: yellow
Flesh color: off-white

Fruit Origins

Parentage: unknown
Origin: New Jersey
Introduced in: 1700s
Introduced by:

The Environment

Calendar & Geography

USDA zones: 5 - 8
Chill hours: Not yet determined
Ripening date: Oct 20 (approximate, in New York State) + 35 days after McIntosh

Diseases & Pests

Apple Scab: Very Resistant
Cedar-Apple Rust: Very Resistant
Fireblight: Very Resistant
Powdery Mildew: Resistant

Pollination

Pollination Factors

Bloom group: 3
Is it self-fertile? N
Is it fertile? Y
Ploidy: Diploid

Pollination Partners

This table shows the first few results from a full search for pollenizers of Harrison Apple. Please see our Pollenizer Search to run other queries and read how the application uses various factors. Also read more about fruit tree pollination.

Tree Ships Currently in Stock
Virginia Crab Apple 2024 0
Florina Apple 2024 0
Porter's Perfection Apple 2024 0
Elstar Apple 2024 0
Rubinette Apple 2024 0
St. Edmund's Russet Apple 2024 0
Spitzenburg Esopus Apple 2024 0
Liberty Apple 2024 0
Mother Apple 2024 0
Cripps Pink Apple 2024 0
Binet Rouge Apple 2024 0

See all pollination matches for Harrison Apple






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