The 'Chisel Jersey' is a

cultivar A cultivar is a type of cultivated plant that people have selected for desired traits and when propagated retain those traits. Methods used to propagate cultivars include: division, root and stem cuttings, offsets, grafting, tissue culture ...

cider apple Cider apples are a group of apple cultivars grown for their use in the production of cider (referred to as "hard cider" in the United States). Cider apples are distinguished from "cookers" and "eaters", or dessert apples, by their bitterness or ...

originating in

Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lord_ ...

Etymology

The term "Jersey" or "Jaysey" is applied to bittersweet type cider apples in Somerset; the equivalent varietal terms in

Herefordshire Herefordshire () is a county in the West Midlands of England, governed by Herefordshire Council. It is bordered by Shropshire to the north, Worcestershire to the east, Gloucestershire to the south-east, and the Welsh counties of Monmouthsh ...

and

Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( abbreviated Glos) is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn and the entire Forest of Dean. The county town is the city of Gl ...

are "Norman" and "French" respectively.Martell, C. ''Native Apples of Gloucestershire'', Gloucester Orchard Group, p.38 "Chisel" may be derived from the old dialect word ''chesil'', meaning a pebble, and refer to the apple's small, russetted appearance and hardness.Copas, L. ''A Somerset Pomona'', 2001, p.22

History

'Chisel Jersey' is thought to have originated in the 19th century in

Martock Martock is a large village and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated on the edge of the Somerset Levels north west of Yeovil in the South Somerset district. The parish includes Hurst, approximately one mile south of the village, and Bow ...

and for around a century was planted little outside the immediate area.Copas, p.29 During the mid 20th century it was more widely planted in commercial orchards in Somerset and

Dorset Dorset ( ; archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the unitary authority areas of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and Dorset. Covering an area of , ...

, and can still be found despite the subsequent destruction of many older orchards. In the Martock district 'Chisel Jersey' was believed to be one of the parents of the commercially important cultivar ' Dabinett', a belief supported by subsequent research by the

Long Ashton Research Station Long Ashton Research Station (LARS) was an agricultural and horticultural government-funded research centre located in the village of Long Ashton near Bristol, UK. It was created in 1903 to study and improve the West Country cider industry and ...

Characteristics

'Chisel Jersey' is a full "bittersweet" apple, high in tannins and sugars and relatively low in

malic acid Malic acid is an organic compound with the molecular formula . It is a dicarboxylic acid that is made by all living organisms, contributes to the sour taste of fruits, and is used as a food additive. Malic acid has two stereoisomeric forms ( ...

. The fruit are small, green with a striped red flush, and ripen late in the year: they usually have a distinctive offset stem (hence its alternative name 'Sidestalk Jersey'). In some seasons virus infection can tend to produce small, cracked, heavily russetted fruit.''Annual Report of the Long Ashton Research Station'', 1964, p.58 The fruit somewhat resembles that of the cultivar's supposed offspring 'Dabinett', albeit the latter is less tannic. The cultivar 'Sandford Jersey' was commercially planted in Herefordshire under the name 'Chisel Jersey', but can be distinguished from the true cultivar by the lack of an offset stem. The tree is diploid and though self-sterile is an excellent pollinator.

References

External links

* {{apples, state=collapsed Apple cultivars Cider apples British apples