John Fears asked for general or specific info on the various
"Limbertwig" varieties.
I would suspect that Lee Calhoun's "Old Southern Apples"
&/or Joyce Neighbor's "Apples: Collecting Old Southern
Varieties" would probably have good descriptions/discussions of
most.
Here's what I've been able to glean from several catalogs that offer a
number of them; as is always the case with catalog descriptions,
caveat emptor.
Red Limbertwig - This old VA apple has also been called:
Limbertwig, James River, Green Limbertwig, Mountain Limbertwig, Common
Jewel. May be the parent of the many cultivars in the Limbertwig
'family'. Described in a turn-of-the-century nursery plate as
"an Old Southern variety that ought to be in every orchard south of
the Potomac River; Dull red color, subacid flavor, fine grower, bearer,
and keeper."
Black Limbertwig - A spicy and aromatic variety, excellent for fresh
eating. Highly prized for cider and apple butter. Weeping
type. Ripens October. Described at a 1914 GA Horticultural
Soc. meeting as a very disease resistant apple.
Brushy Mountain Limbertwig - A dull red and lemon yellow apple.
Round, slightly pointed but not conical. Very juicy with a most
unusual aromatic flavor. Will keep until June. An excellent
commercial variety still grown in the Brushy Mountains of Alexander Co.,
NC. Ripens Oct., a weeping type.
Old-Fashioned Limbertwig - NorthGA strain of a late winter keeper.
This strain has a rather rough skin with greenish yellow color with a red
blush. The apple is one of the best keepers and after a mild GA
winter, thes old Limbertwig apples lying on the ground, as late as March,
will still be good to eat. Many people plant these trees on their
hunting properties for deer and other wildlife. This apple is also
good for eating out of hand, pies, jelly and extra good for cider.
Summer Limbertwig - This strain of Limbertwig has a sturdier branch
structure than any other limbertwig. The branches do not droop as
much as the other varieties. The apples ripen in August(N.GA) and
are bright yellow with a tart flavor. Very fine for jelly and other
culinary uses.
Ramsey's Smoky Mountain Limbertwig - tree has long, drooping
branches. Apples are beautiful red in color and a very fine
flavor. A good keeping apple.
Meyer's Royal Limbertwig - Also known as Carolina Baldwin. A
very large apple. Ranges from dull red to crimson on yellow.
High flavor rating. Excellent quality. Juicy, firm and very
aromatic. Semi-weeping. A dependable cropper. Said to make a
wonderful cider.
Victoria LT - An apple of striking beauty with its purple color and white
dots. Very juicy, rich flavor, excellent quality. Rated tops
for fresh eating. Keeps all winter. Weeping type.
I've got 4 of these in my orchard, from my recent "Old
Southern" period, but none have fruited yet - expect(hope) the
Old-Fashioned LT to fruit this year, maybe some of the others.