Originated in Santa Rosa, California by Luther Burbank. Selected from among 700 crosses of Orange x Portugal. Introduced in 1891. Fruit: very large, oblong to pyriform; skin smooth, pale orange with little pubescence; flesh pale yellow, rather coarse, slightly astringent, aromatic, subacid, juicy, becomes deep red when cooked; core large, open. Tree: vigorous, prolific, hardier than other quince cultivars. Named in honor of pomologist H.E. Van Deman, who was the first pomologist at the USDA Division of Pomology established in 1886. -- Brooks and Olmo Register of Fruit and Nut Varieties.'This variety is one of the very best, in every respect, I have ever examined, and the tree is reported as exceedingly thrifty and productive.' Mr. Burbank writes to me that 'in California it often bears three distinct crops, about a month apart, and sometimes four; the last of the fourth is generally taken by frost.' The fruit is large, oval truncate, greenish-yellow, flesh yellow, mild sub-acid, and of excelent quality. -- W.W. Meech, 1908.
Van Deman is a comparatively new candidate for pomological honors from Luther Burbank, Santa Rosa, California. Its value remains to be determined, although it has already foun favor in some regions. The variety is described as follows, from trees on the grounds of the New York Agricultural Experiment Station, Geneva, New York: Tree vigorous, hardy, prolific, coming in bearing early. Fruit ripens just before Orange; very large, pear-shaped with a short, obtuse neck, making the shape obtuse-pyriform; surface smooth; basin of medium width and depth; stem set obliquely in a shallow calyx, sometimes surrounded by a short, neck-like protuberance; calyx open, with leaf-like lobes; color pale orange; without much pubescence; flesh pale yellow, rather coarse, slightly astringent, aromatic, pleasant, subacid, juicy, becomes deep red when cooked; quality very good; core large, wide open. -- U.P. Hedrick, Cyclopedia of Hardy Fruits, 1922.