LibriVox Forum

Posted: **May 10th, 2021, 5:02 pm**

Vargulek was the name of an apple from Russia imported to America in the late 1800s with a bunch of other ones to test as hardy varieties. Many were given new names, but Vargulek remained Vargulek. Does it mean something? I can't find any other mention of this word except in relation to this apple.

Posted: **May 11th, 2021, 3:21 pm**

alg1001 wrote: ↑May 10th, 2021, 5:02 pm Vargulek was the name of an apple from Russia imported to America in the late 1800s with a bunch of other ones to test as hardy varieties. Many were given new names, but Vargulek remained Vargulek. Does it mean something? I can't find any other mention of this word except in relation to this apple.

Hello!
I'd rather say it doesn't mean anything, because some ethimological dictionaries say that Vargulek seem to be related to a river Vorgol in Tchernihiv and Orel regions. Vorgol, vargulia and some other variants as a word means a bump on a head considering "a small area raised above the level of the surrounding surface". In everyday language a bump on a head could be recognized as "gulia", but vargulek doesn't produce any association nowadays.

Ukraininan and Russian references:
https://goroh.pp.ua/%D0%95%D1%82%D0%B8%D0%BC%D0%BE%D0%BB%D0%BE%D0%B3%D1%96%D1%8F/%D0%92%D0%BE%D1%80%D0%B3%D0%BE%D0%BB

https://www.slovorod.ru/etym-shansky/_pdf/red-shanski-01.pdf p.129

http://azbuka.in.ua/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/VULS_4.pdf p.183

Posted: **May 11th, 2021, 5:19 pm**

Hi Hanna,
Thanks so much for looking into it. It is so odd. It certainly could be named for a river. But maybe it was shaped like a bump on the head. The description of it says that the bottom is slightly wrinkled. From what you are saying maybe the original word they translated from Russian was something else entirely and someone wrote it down wrong. I don't think this apple exists any longer. If they do someone must be calling them something else. I find it very intriguing!

Posted: **May 12th, 2021, 12:51 am**

alg1001 wrote: ↑May 11th, 2021, 5:19 pm Hi Hanna,
Thanks so much for looking into it. It is so odd. It certainly could be named for a river. But maybe it was shaped like a bump on the head. The description of it says that the bottom is slightly wrinkled. From what you are saying maybe the original word they translated from Russian was something else entirely and someone wrote it down wrong. I don't think this apple exists any longer. If they do someone must be calling them something else. I find it very intriguing!

They do exist, because some people are interested in reviving old sorts of apples. The name remained the same.
One article says such apples sometimes have some "bump" on them.

Posted: **May 12th, 2021, 4:16 am**

I am one of those people. In the late 1800s there was a test orchard of Russian apples in my town. Vargulek is on the list of good ones. Apple trees are abundant in this area so I was hoping to find some that are not known to be around any longer like Vargulek. Many of the varieties on the list still are being sold by nurseries. I can find nothing on Vargulek except from reports from the test orchards in the northern states and Canada. They tested around 200 apples and Vargulek is in the top 25. The description I have is that it is a medium-sized yellow-green apple with broad broken splashes of red on the side exposed to the sun. The stem is in a deep cavity and the bottom is slightly wrinkled with a recurved eye. Perhaps the recurved eye is the bump.
I am keeping my eyes out for it.

Posted: **May 12th, 2021, 4:56 am**

alg1001 wrote: ↑May 12th, 2021, 4:16 am I am one of those people. In the late 1800s there was a test orchard of Russian apples in my town. Vargulek is on the list of good ones. Apple trees are abundant in this area so I was hoping to find some that are not known to be around any longer like Vargulek. Many of the varieties on the list still are being sold by nurseries. I can find nothing on Vargulek except from reports from the test orchards in the northern states and Canada. They tested around 200 apples and Vargulek is in the top 25. The description I have is that it is a medium-sized yellow-green apple with broad broken splashes of red on the side exposed to the sun. The stem is in a deep cavity and the bottom is slightly wrinkled with a recurved eye. Perhaps the recurved eye is the bump.
I am keeping my eyes out for it.

If you press Ctrl+F ВАРГУЛЬ here
https://bh-kurgan.ru/raznoe/vorgul-sort-yablok-foto-yablonya-sort-vorgul-voronezhskij-prodazha-cena-v-voronezhskoj-oblasti-semena-sazhency-i-rassada-plodovo-yagodnyx-kultur-ot-semejnyj-sadovyj-pitomnik-erika.html
you may find a picture where there is brownish spot on the whole apple in the right bottom. I think this is it, the bump.
I noticed smb sale transplats in Russia and mention them as of rare sort.
Good luck with your apple project!

Posted: **May 12th, 2021, 5:16 am**

This is amazing, Hanna! There is so much information and great pictures. I can't believe you found it. This is a wonderful resource. It is good to know that it still exists. And there is so much more to dig through in that site.
Thanks so much for your help!
-Amy

Posted: **May 12th, 2021, 8:12 am**

My pleasure)

LibriVox Forum

Vargulek -Russian speakers does this mean anything?

Vargulek -Russian speakers does this mean anything?

Re: Vargulek -Russian speakers does this mean anything?

Re: Vargulek -Russian speakers does this mean anything?

Re: Vargulek -Russian speakers does this mean anything?

Re: Vargulek -Russian speakers does this mean anything?

Re: Vargulek -Russian speakers does this mean anything?

Re: Vargulek -Russian speakers does this mean anything?

Re: Vargulek -Russian speakers does this mean anything?