Empire

Crop
Apple
Cultivar
Empire

Orig. in Geneva, N.Y., by Roger D. Way, New York State Agr. Expt. Sta. Introd. in 1966. McIntosh × Delicious. Cross made in 1945; first fruited in 1954; tested as N.Y. 45500-5 and sometimes designated as M-5. <b>Fruit:</b> medium; round to somewhat blocky; skin dark red, up to 100% colored, heavy waxy bloom, attractive; flesh cream, crisp, juicy, subacid, aromatic, quality excellent; strictly a fresh-market variety and not suited for processing; storage quality good; ripening 2 weeks after McIntosh. <b>Tree:</b> vigorous, upright spreading; crotch angles especially broad and strong; easily pruned; begins to bear at 5 to 6 years of age; annual bearer; more productive than Delicious; fruits are evenly spaced all along branches on the 2-to 3-year-old wood; not self-fruitful; can serve as a cross­pollenizing variety with other varieties that bloom early and in midseason.