West Virginia State Fruit

Golden Delicious Apple Malus Mill. Adopted: February 20, 1995

West Virginia State Fruit: Golden Delicious Apple
Photograph: ARS Photo by (Scott Bauer)

Adoption of the West Virginia State Fruit

The apple was chosen for the first time as West Virginia's state fruit by House Concurrent Resolution No. 56 in 1972. When the resolution made its way into the Senate for consideration, Minority Leader Chester R. Hubbard offered amendments to the resolution to

"formally recognize the origins of the Golden Delicious apple in Clay County and the Grimes Golden apple in Brooke County."

The Hubbard amendments formally recognize the origins of the Golden Delicious apple in Clay County and the Grimes Golden apple in Brooke County. ¹

House Concurrent Resolution No. 56 was formally adopted on March 7, 1972.

Twenty-three years later, Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 7 was introduced to specify a particular apple cultivar, the golden delicious apple, as the West Virginia state fruit. The students at Guyan Valley Junior High School thought it was important that the state fruit be something more specific to West Virginia than a generic apple.

As a concurrent resolution, it was required that Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 7 be approved in both houses of the West Virginia Legislature. Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 7 was approved in the Senate on February 16, 1995 and in the House of Delegates on February 20, 1995.

SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 7

(By Senators Jackson, Love, Schoonover, Helmick, Blatnik and Sharpe)

Designating the golden delicious apple as the official state fruit.

Whereas, The golden delicious apple was discovered by Anderson Mullins in Clay County in 1905; and

Whereas, By 1921, the golden delicious apple became the leading variety of apple tree in the United States and abroad; and

Whereas, Close to two hundred billion pounds of golden delicious apples are grown annually in the United States; and

Whereas, The golden delicious apple has been planted in every continent in the world; and

Whereas, The golden delicious apple is an apple variety native to West Virginia and the plain apple is presently designated as the state fruit; therefore, be it

Resolved by the Legislature of West Virginia:

That the golden delicious apple is hereby designated as the official state fruit; and, be it

Further Resolved, That the Clerk of the Senate is hereby requested to forward a copy of this resolution to Guyan Valley Junior High School.

West Virginia Law

Because the golden delicious apple was designated by Senate Concurrent Resolution, it is not listed in the West Virginia Code.

Sources...

Bill Status - 1995 Regular Session . West Virginia Legislature. 2009. 2 April 2009
¹ Morgan, John G.. $420 Million Budget Bill Moved to Floor of Senate. The Charleston Gazette 08 March 1972: Page 1.
Shearer, Benjamin F. and Barbara S. State Names, Seals, Flags and Symbols: A Historical Guide Third Edition, Revised and Expanded. Westport, Conn: Greenwood Press, 3 Sub edition, 2001.

Additional Information

The Golden Delicious Apple: Condensation of an article entitled "The Greatest Apple in the World": Striking Gold in the Clay County Hills, that appeared in the Fall 1995 issue of Gold Seal magazine published by the Division of Culture and History of the State of West Virginia. The article was written by John L. Marra.

History: The Clay County Golden Delicious Festival.

Apple Malus spp. Mill.: Virginia Tech, College of Natural Resources: Department of Forestry.

Malus Mill. (Apple): USDA, NRCS. 2004. The PLANTS Database, Version 3.5 (http://plants.usda.gov). National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70874-4490 USA.

Malus P. Mill.: Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) Here you will find authoritative taxonomic information on plants, animals, fungi, and microbes of North America and the world.

State Fruit: Complete list of official state fruit.

More symbols & emblems: Complete list of official West Virginia state symbols.

Website: Clay County Golden Delicious Festival, Clay, West Virginia.

Information: Burlington Old-Fashioned Apple Harvest Festival.

Information: Apple Butter Festival, Salem, West Virginia.

Information: Apple Butter Festival, Berkely Springs, West Virginia.

Website: Mountain State Apple Harvest Festival, Martinsburg, West Virginia.

The Story of the Apple
Barrie E. Juniper & David J. Mabberley

The Story of the Apple, by Barrie E. Juniper and David J. Mabberley. 240 pages. Timber Press, Incorporated (August 1, 2006) Where did the apple come from and why is the large, sweet, cultivated apple so different-in both size and taste-from all other wild apple species? The Story of the Apple will fascinate gardeners who wish to know more about the origin and natural history of the plants that they grow in their yards or orchards, researchers and students, and anyone with an interest in diet, well-being, and the benevolent effects of plants on the emergence of humankind.

Apples, by Roger Yepsen. 255 pages. W.W. Norton & Co. (September 17, 1996) In this charming and informative book, Roger Yepsen explores the world of apples throughout history and in the present. Each featured apple is remarkably distinctive in taste, texture, aroma, and appearance. They range from the unusual, like the Knobbed Russet and Hubbardston Nonesuch, to apples everyone has tasted such as Red Delicious and Granny Smith.

The Apple Grower
by Michael Phillips

The Apple Grower: Guide for the Organic Orchardist , by Michael Phillips. 320 pages. Chelsea Green; 2nd edition (November 30, 2005) The definitive guide to growing apples wisely, naturally, and with gentle impact on the earth. For decades fruit growers have sprayed their trees with toxic chemicals in an attempt to control a range of insect and fungal pests. Yet it is possible to grow apples responsibly, by applying the intuitive knowledge of our great-grandparents with the fruits of modern scientific research and innovation.

The Backyard Orchardist: A Complete Guide to Growing Fruit Trees in the Home Garden, by Stella Otto. 250 pages. Ottographics; Rev Sub edition (January 1, 1995) For every gardener desiring to add apples, pears, cherries, and other tree fruit to their landscape here are hints and solid information from a professional horticulturist and experienced fruit grower. The Backyard Orchardist includes help on selecting the best fruit trees and information about each stage of growth and development, along with tips on harvest and storage of the fruit. Those with limited space will learn about growing dwarf fruit trees in containers.

Growing Fruit (RHS Encyclopedia of Practical Gardening), by Harry Baker, The Royal Horticultural Society. 192 pages. Mitchell Beazley; 3rd edition (March 1, 1999) Produced in association with the Royal Horticultural Society, the titles in this series, which have sold over a million copies worldwide, have become standard works of practical gardening reference. Each book is illustrated with easy-to-follow, step-by-step illustrations that clearly guide the reader through all the essential techniques of successful gardening.

The Organic Gardener's Handbook of Natural Insect and Disease Control: A Complete Problem-Solving Guide to Keeping Your Garden and Yard Healthy Without Chemicals, edited by Barbara W. Ellis and Fern Marshall Bradley. 544 pages. Rodale Books; Revised edition (May 15, 1996) An excellent handbook with entries for common fruits, flowering plants, vegetables, and trees. Each listing has information on disease and pest problems and tips on how to solve them without chemicals. Especially useful sections feature photos of garden insects and diseases.

The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals, by Michael Pollan. 464 pages. Penguin Press HC, The (April 11, 2006) The bestselling author of The Botany of Desire explores the ecology of eating to unveil why we consume what we consume in the twenty-first century

In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto, by Michael Pollan. 256 pages. Penguin Press HC, The (2008) In looking toward traditional diets the world over, as well as the foods our families-and regions-historically enjoyed, we can recover a more balanced, reasonable, and pleasurable approach to food. Michael Pollan's bracing and eloquent manifesto shows us how we might start making thoughtful food choices that will enrich our lives and enlarge our sense of what it means to be healthy.

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