CHAPTER IV

LEADING VARIETIES OF PEARS

ANDRÉ DESPORTES

=1.= Leroy _Dict. Pom._ =1=:127, fig. 1867. =2.= Mas _Pom. Gen._ =3=:51, fig. 122. 1878. =3.= _Cat. Cong. Pom. France_ 138, fig. 1906.

This old French sort is sparingly grown in New York, and is still listed by a few American nurserymen. The pears are handsome and very good in quality, but they quickly soften at the center and neither keep nor ship well. While usually of medium size, or sometimes large, the pears often run small. The variety is well worth planting in a collection, but has no value in a commercial plantation, and there are many better sorts for home orchards.

[Illustration: ANDRÉ DESPORTES]

The parent tree of this variety grew in the seed beds of M. André Leroy, the well-known authority on pomology, at Angers, France. M. Leroy obtained it in 1854 from pips of Williams' Bon Chrétien, or as it is better known here, the Bartlett pear. He named it after the son of M. Baptiste Desportes, manager of the business department of his establishment. The vigor and high quality of the fruit were quickly appreciated, and the variety was soon disseminated far and wide.

Tree characteristically upright and vigorous, rapid-growing, hardy, productive; branches slender, smooth, light brown overlaid with thin, grayish scarf-skin, marked with small lenticels; branchlets thick, long, with short internodes, reddish-brown, slightly streaked toward the tips with ash-gray scarf-skin, dull, smooth, glabrous, with numerous small, but very conspicuous, raised lenticels.

Leaf-buds large, pointed, plump, appressed. Leaves 2-3/4 in. long, 1-5/8 in. wide, ovate, stiff, leathery; apex taper-pointed; margin glandular, slightly crenate; petiole 1-1/2 in. long. Flower-buds large, long, conical, plump, free, arranged singly as lateral buds or on short spurs; flowers showy, 1-1/4 in. across, occasionally tinged pink, in dense clusters, averaging 9 flowers per cluster; pedicels 3/4 in. long, thick, pubescent.

Fruit ripe in August; medium in size, 2-7/8 in. long, 2-1/4 in. wide, obovate-obtuse-pyriform, symmetrical, uniform; stem 1 in. long, thick, curved; cavity obtuse, shallow, dotted with russet, often lipped; calyx small, open; lobes separated at the base, short, narrow, acute; basin shallow, narrow, obtuse, gently furrowed, symmetrical; skin thin, tender, smooth; color dull greenish-yellow, dotted and marbled with reddish-brown, blushed on the sunny side; dots numerous, small, light colored, obscure; flesh tinged with yellow, fine, tender and melting, buttery, juicy, sweet, aromatic; quality very good. Core large, closed, with clasping core-lines; calyx-tube short, wide, conical; seeds small, wide, plump, acute.

[Illustration: ANSAULT]

ANSAULT

=1.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 36. 1883. =2.= _Can. Hort._ =24=:454, fig. 2169. 1901.

_Bonne du Puits-Ansault._ =3.= Leroy _Dict. Pom._ =1=:486, fig. 1867. =4.= Downing _Fr. Trees Am._ 1st App. 123, fig. 1872. =5.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 34. 1877.

Well grown, the fruits of Ansault rival those of Seckel in quality. In particular, the flesh is notable, and is described by the term _buttery_, so common in pear parlance, rather better than that of any other pear. The rich sweet flavor, and distinct but delicate perfume contribute to make the fruits of highest quality. Unfortunately, the pears are not very attractive in appearance. They are small, and the green coat, nearly covered with russet dots and markings, is dull, though enlivened somewhat at full maturity by a rich yellow. The tree in good pear soils is vigorous, productive, bears annually, and is not more subject to blight than that of the average variety. While not at all suitable for commercial orchards, Ansault should find a place in every collection of pears for home use.

The pear Bonne du Puits-Ansault was raised from seed in the nurseries of M. André Leroy, Angers, France. The parent tree bore fruit in 1863, and M. Leroy states that the name which it bears is that of the enclosure where it was first raised. It was propagated in 1865. The American Pomological Society first listed this variety in its catalog in 1877, and in 1883 shortened the name to its present form.

Tree large, upright-spreading, hardy, very productive; trunk stocky, shaggy; branches thick, dull brownish-red, tinged with green and heavily covered with greenish scarf-skin, with numerous raised lenticels; branchlets long, reddish-brown, with traces of gray scarf-skin, smooth, glabrous, with few inconspicuous, small, slightly raised lenticels.

Leaf-buds plump, pointed, nearly free. Leaf-scars prominent. Leaves numerous, 2-3/4 in. long, 1-1/2 in. wide, ovate or broadly oval, leathery; apex abruptly pointed; margin finely serrate, with small, reddish, sharp-pointed glands; petiole 1-1/2 in. long, slender, glabrous. Fruit-buds large, conical, plump, free; flowers 1-1/8 in. across, in dense clusters, 7 to 9 flowers in a cluster; pedicels 5/8 in. long, thick, greenish, lightly pubescent.

Fruit ripe in late September and early October; medium in size, 2-3/8 in. long, 2-1/8 in. wide, uniform, obtuse-obovate-pyriform, irregular; stem 5/8 in. long, short, thick; cavity obtuse, russeted, furrowed, ribbed; calyx partly open, large; lobes acute; basin somewhat abrupt, furrowed and wrinkled; skin roughened with russet markings and dots; color pale yellow, considerably russeted about the basin and cavity with russet dots, with scattered flecks and patches of russet; dots numerous, small, russet; flesh tinged with yellow, granular at the center, melting and tender, buttery, very juicy, sweet, aromatic; quality good to very good. Core closed, axile, the core-lines clasping; calyx-tube long, narrow, funnel-shaped; seeds rather short, plump, obtuse.

[Illustration: BARTLETT]

BARTLETT

=1.= Downing _Fr. Trees Am._ 334, fig. 134. 1845. =2.= _Horticulturist_ =2=:169. 1847-48. =3.= _Proc. Nat. Con. Fr. Gr._ 29. 1848. =4.= Hovey _Fr. Am._ =2=:11, Pl. 1851. =5.= _Horticulturist_ N. S. =3=:350, Pl. 1853. =6.= Field _Pear Cult._ 190, 276, fig. 66. 1858. =7.= Downing _Fr. Trees Am._ 666, fig. 1869. =8.= Ont. Dept. Agr. _Fr. Ont._ 148, fig. 1914.

_Williams' Bon Chrétien._ =9.= Lindley _Guide Orch. Gard._ 350. 1831. =10.= Prince _Pom. Man._ =1=:137. 1831. =11.= Hogg _Fruit Man._ 664. 1884.

_Williams' Apothekerbirne_. =12.= Dochnahl _Führ. Obstkunde_ =2=:181. 1856.

_Bon Chrétien Williams'._ =13.= _Pom. France_ =1=: No. 16, Pl. 16. 1863. =14.= Mas _Le Verger_ 2:23, fig. 10. 1866-73.

_Williams._ =15.= Leroy _Dict. Pom._ =2=:758, fig. 1869.

_Williams Christbirne._ =16.= Lauche _Deut. Pom._ =II=: No. 18, Pl. 18. 1882. =17.= Mathieu _Nom. Pom._ 298. 1889.

Bartlett leads all other pears in number of trees in New York, and vies with Kieffer for the greatest number in America. Its fruits are more common and more popular in American markets than those of any other pear. When the characters of the variety are passed in review, although several poor ones of fruit and tree appear, the popularity of Bartlett with growers and sellers, if not with consumers, seems justified. As with the leading variety of any fruit, the preëminently meritorious character of this one is its great adaptability to different climates, soils, and situations. Thus, Bartlett is grown with profit in every pear-growing region in America and in all is grown in greater quantities than any other sort excepting, perhaps, the notorious Kieffer. Another character which commends this variety to pear-growers is fruitfulness--barring frosts or freezes, the trees bear full crops year after year. Moreover, the trees are very vigorous, attain large size, bear young, live long, are easily managed in the orchard, and thrive on both standard and quince stocks. The pears are large, handsome, of good but not of the best quality, and keep and ship remarkably well.

Bartlett is not without serious faults, however. The trees blight badly, and are not much above the average in resistance to blight, the black plague of the pear. Neither are they as hardy to cold or to heat as those of some other varieties. They are scarcely hardier to cold than those of the peach, and cannot withstand the summer heat of the southern, or of the Mississippi Valley states. Another serious defect of the trees is that, more than those of any other standard variety, their blossoms require cross-fertilization. The fruits are satisfactory in all characters excepting quality. There are many better-flavored pears. The fruits lack the rich, perfumed flavor of Seckel on one hand, and the piquant, vinous taste of Winter Nelis on the other. But the pears are much above the average in quality, and since no other variety is so easily grown, nor so reliable in the markets, Bartlett promises long to continue its supremacy for home and commercial plantations. After Kieffer, it is the most desired of all pears by the canning trade. Bartlett is the parent of several other well-known varieties, and of many sorts of small importance.

This pear was found as a wilding by a Mr. Stair, a schoolmaster at Aldermaston, Berkshire, England. From him it was acquired by a Mr. Williams, a nurseryman at Turnham Green, Middlesex, and as it was propagated and distributed by him it became known by his name, although it is still known as Stair's pear at Aldermaston. It was brought to this country in 1797 or 1799 by James Carter of Boston for Thomas Brewer who planted the variety in his grounds at Roxbury, Massachusetts, under the name of Williams' Bon Chrétien, by which name it was then and still is known both in England and France. In 1817 Enoch Bartlett, Dorchester, Massachusetts, became possessed of the Brewer estate, and not knowing its true name allowed the pear to go out under his own. Henceforth it was known in America as Bartlett. The American Pomological Society added this variety to its catalog-list of fruits in 1848.

Tree medium in size, tall, pyriform, upright, hardy, very productive; branches stocky, smooth, reddish-brown overlaid with ash-gray scarf-skin, with few lenticels; branchlets short, with short internodes, reddish-brown, glossy, smooth, glabrous, with conspicuous lenticles.

Leaf-buds short, obtuse, pointed, mostly free; leaf-scars prominent. Leaves 2-3/4 in. long, 1-2/5 in. wide, oval, leathery; apex taper-pointed; margin tipped with small dark red glands, finely serrate; petiole 1-3/4 in. long. Flower-buds large, conical, pointed, free; flowers showy, 1-1/4 in. across, in dense clusters averaging 7 buds in a cluster; pedicels 1-1/8 in. long, slender, slightly pubescent.

Fruit matures in September; large, 3-3/8 in. long, 2-3/8 in. wide, oblong-obtuse-pyriform, tapering toward the apex, symmetrical, uniform; stem 1-1/8 in. long, often curved, thick; cavity small, usually lipped, with thin, overspreading streaks of light russet, acute, shallow; calyx partly open; lobes separated at the base, narrow, acute; basin very shallow, narrow, obtuse, furrowed and wrinkled; skin thin, tender, smooth, often dull, the surface somewhat uneven; color clear yellow, with a faint blush on the exposed cheek, more or less dotted with russet and often thinly russeted around the basin; dots many, small, conspicuous, greenish-russet; flesh fine-grained although slightly granular at the center, melting, buttery, very juicy, vinous, aromatic; quality very good. Core large, closed, with clasping core-lines; calyx-tube long, wide, funnel-shaped; seeds wide, plump, acute.

[Illustration: BELLE LUCRATIVE]

BELLE LUCRATIVE

=1.= Lindley _Guide Orch. Gard._ 364. 1831. =2.= Kenrick _Am. Orch._ 135. 1841. =3.= Hovey _Fr. Am._ =1=:41, Pl. 1851. =4.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt._ 53. 1852. =5.= Field _Pear Cult._ 194, fig. 68. 1858.

_Fondante d'Automne._ =6.= Downing _Fr. Trees Am._ 387, fig. 168. 1845. =7.= Hogg _Fruit Man._ 578. 1884.

_Seigneur._ =8.= _Ann. Pom. Belge_ =7=:5, Pl. 1859. =9.= _Pom. France_ =1=: No. 28, Pl. 28. 1863. =10.= Mas _Le Verger_ =3=: Pt. 1, 21, fig. 9. 1866-73.

_Bergamote Lucrative._ =11.= Leroy _Dict. Pom._ =1=:247, figs. 1867.

_Seigneur d'Espéren._ =12.= _Guide Prat._ 59, 303. 1876.

_Esperen's Herrenbirne._ =13.= Mathieu _Nom. Pom._ 212. 1889. =14.= Gaucher _Pom. Prak. Obst._ No. 37, Pl. 85. 1894.

_Lucrative._ =15.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 36. 1889.

This good old pear has been a standard autumn sort for nearly a century. The internal characters of both flesh and flavor are nearly perfect, but externally much more might be desired as to shape and size. In flesh and flavor, the fruits are of the Bergamot type--fine-grained, buttery, juicy, and sugary, with a musky taste and perfume. The fruits are not as large as is desirable, and are variable in shape and color, external defects which a rather handsome color offsets in part. The trees are more satisfactory than the fruits. They bear enormously and almost annually on either standard or dwarfing stocks; they are very vigorous, with a somewhat distinct upright-spreading habit of growth; are hardier than the average variety of this fruit; and are rather more resistant to blight than the average variety. The fruits are too small for a good commercial product, but their delectable flavor and luscious flesh make them as desirable as any other pear for home use; besides which the trees grow so well, and are so easily managed that the variety becomes one of the very best for the home planter.

Belle Lucrative is of Flemish origin. In 1831 it was growing in the London Horticultural Society's gardens at Chiswick, and was then described by Lindley as "another of the new Flemish pears." It had been taken to England by a Mr. Braddick who received the cions from M. Stoffels of Mechlin. By some writers it is considered probable that it originated with M. Stoffels, but the leading Belgian and French writers say that it was raised by Major Espéren, also of Mechlin, about 1827. In this country it first fruited in the Pomological Garden of Robert Manning, Salem, Massachusetts, in 1835 or 1836. The American Pomological Society added the variety to its fruit catalog-list in 1852 under the name Belle Lucrative.

Tree medium in size, vigorous, upright-spreading, dense-topped, rapid-growing, hardy, productive; branches smooth, grayish-brown mingled with red, covered with scarf-skin, with numerous elongated lenticels; branchlets slender, short, light brown, glossy, smooth, glabrous, with few small, inconspicuous lenticels.

Leaf-buds small, short, conical, pointed, plump, appressed. Leaves 3 in. long, 1-1/2 in. wide, stiff; apex abruptly pointed; margin finely serrate, tipped with very small, sharp glands; petiole 2 in. long. Flower-buds conical, pointed, plump, free, singly on very short spurs; flowers with an unpleasant odor, showy, 1-1/2 in. across, average 7 buds in a cluster; pedicels 1-1/16 in. long, thick, thinly pubescent.

Fruit ripe in late September and October; medium in size, 2-3/8 in. long, 2-1/4 in. wide, obovate, conical, with sides unequal; stem 1-1/8 in. long; cavity very shallow and narrow, or lacking, the flesh drawn up about the base of the stem; calyx open, large; lobes long, narrow, acuminate; basin shallow, obtuse, smooth; skin thin, tender, smooth; color dull greenish-yellow, thickly sprinkled with small, russet dots, often overspread with russet around the basin; dots numerous, small, russet, conspicuous; flesh tinged with yellow, firm, fine-grained, crisp, buttery, juicy, sweet; quality very good. Core closed, abaxile; calyx-tube long, narrow, funnel-shaped; seeds narrow, plump, acute.

[Illustration: BEURRÉ D'ANJOU]

BEURRÉ D'ANJOU

=1.= Kenrick _Am. Orch._ 136. 1841. =2.= Downing _Fr. Trees Am._ 360. 1845. =3.= Hovey _Fr. Am._ =1=:61, Pl. 1851. =4.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt._ 53. 1852. =5.= _Flor. & Pom._ =5=:1, Pl. 1866. =6.= Downing _Fr. Trees Am._ 679, fig. 1869. =7.= Hogg _Fruit Man._ 510. 1884.

_Anjou._ =8.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 36. 1883.

_Winter Meuris._ =9.= Lucas _Tafelbirnen_ 171, fig. 1894.

_Nec plus Meuris._ =10.= Baltet _Cult. Fr._ 321, fig. 214. 1908. =11.= _Guide Prat._ 49, 282. 1895.

Beurré d'Anjou is a standard market pear for late fall and early winter, its season lasting until well into January even in common storage. As an early winter pear, it has no superior and few equals in appearance and quality of fruit. In appearance, the pear is of distinct type--large, very uniform, the sides slightly unequal, smooth of skin, yellow, marked and dotted with russet, faintly blushed, and borne on a very short, thick stem. A fruit of this variety can never be mistaken for that of another. The internal characters are scarcely less notable than the external ones. The yellowish-white flesh is firm but tender, slightly granular, very juicy, sweet, spicy, with a rich, vinous flavor. Uniformity of shape and the smooth skin are marked and constant characters. In common with all varieties, the fruits of this pear are not always up to their best, but they are never poor in quality. The trees are vigorous, hardy, fairly free from blight, grow rapidly and come in bearing early, but have the serious fault of being uncertain croppers. In Europe and America, the trees thrive on the quince, and the variety is rated by all as a splendid one for dwarfing. Of all winter pears, none is more valuable for commercial or home orchards than Beurré d'Anjou. In particular, it is recommended for New York, where, possibly, it is more at home than in any other part of America.

Beurré d'Anjou is an old French pear the origin of which is obscure, although it is supposed to have originated in the vicinity of Angers. Early in the nineteenth century it was introduced into England by Thomas Rivers, noted author and pomologist. The variety was introduced into this country by Colonel Wilder[25] of Boston about 1842, and first fruited with him in 1845. The American Pomological Society added Beurré d'Anjou to its list of fruits recommended for general cultivation in 1852.

Tree large, vigorous, spreading, hardy, an uncertain bearer; trunk smooth; branches slightly zigzag, covered with gray scarf-skin over reddish-brown, with few small lenticels; branchlets long, with long internodes, reddish-brown tinged with green, smooth, glabrous, with many conspicuous, raised lenticels.

Leaf-buds small, short, obtuse, nearly free. Leaves 3-1/2 in. long, 1-1/2 in. wide, elongated-oval, thin, leathery; apex taper-pointed; margin nearly entire or crenate; petiole 2 in. long. Flower-buds large, long, conical, plump, free; flowers 1-3/8 in. across, showy, in dense clusters, from 8 to 12 buds in a cluster; pedicels 1/2 in. long, very thick, pubescent, green.

Fruit ripe November to early January; large, 3-1/2 in. long, 3 in. wide, uniform in size, oblong-obovate-pyriform, with surface irregular in outline, sides slightly unequal, uniform in shape; stem 1/2 in. long, short, very thick and woody; cavity obtuse, shallow, russeted and furrowed, usually lipped; calyx open; lobes separated at the base, long, narrow, acuminate; basin shallow, narrow, obtuse, smooth, symmetrical and regular; skin thin, tender, smooth, dull; color yellow, clouded with russet around the basin and occasionally with very fine russet lines and markings; dots many, small, russet, conspicuous; flesh yellowish-white, firm, but slightly granular, tender, buttery, very juicy, sweet and spicy, with a rich, aromatic flavor; quality very good. Core large, closed; core-lines clasping; calyx-tube short, wide, conical; seeds large, wide, long, plump, acuminate, tufted at the tips.

BEURRÉ D'ARENBERG[26]

=1.= _Trans. Lond. Hort. Soc._ =5=:406. 1824. =2.= Lindley _Guide Orch. Gard._ 392. 1831. =3.= Prince _Pom. Man._ =1=:51. 1831. =4.= Kenrick _Am. Orch._ 188. 1832. =5.= _Ibid._ 156. 1841. =6.= _Gard. Chron._ 716, fig. 2. 1844. =7.= Downing _Fr. Trees Am._ 423, fig. 195. 1845. =8.= _Proc. Nat. Con. Fr. Gr._ 51. 1848. =9.= Hovey _Fr. Am._ =1=:1, Pl. 1851. =10.= _Mass. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 93, Pl. 1852. =11.= Mas _Le Verger_ =1=:161, fig. 79. 1866-73. =12.= Hogg _Fruit Man._ 510. 1884.

_Orpheline d'Enghien._ =13.= _Ann. Pom. Belge_ =3=:35, Pl. 1855. =14.= _Guide Prat._ 108, 292. 1876.

In favorable locations this pear seems to possess all of the characters which constitute a first-class fruit; but, notwithstanding, although it has been in the country nearly a century, it is now scarcely to be found in the nurseries, and orchard trees are becoming rare. The fruits are distinguished by their refreshing, vinous taste and long-keeping qualities. Very often, however, they do not ripen in eastern America, and when not properly ripened the pears are highly acidulous and so astringent as to be almost intolerable to the taste. The frequency with which these poor fruits are borne, always on heavy, cold clays and in cold climates, coupled with rather small, short-lived trees, condemn the variety for most pear regions in the East. In the far West, the crop ripens better, and the pears are splendid winter fruits. The merits of the variety are so varying in New York that it is not now worth while attempting to bring it into new life.

Beurré d'Arenberg, in the opinion of some European writers, holds first place among the pears produced by French and Belgian pomologists. Unfortunately, Beurré d'Arenberg and Glou Morceau are often mistaken the one for the other. Beurré d'Arenberg was raised by Monseigneur Deschamps, Abbé of the Orphan Hospital, Enghien, Belgium. At about the same time, M. Noisette, a nurseryman of Paris, sent out Glou Morceau, which he had procured from the gardens of the Duc d'Arenberg, under the name Beurré d'Arenberg, so that there were two distinct varieties in cultivation under the same name. The true Beurré d'Arenberg of the Abbé Deschamps came to this country about 1827, having been sent over by Thomas Andrew Knight, President of the London Horticultural Society, to the Hon. John Lowell of Boston. The American Pomological Society recommended this variety for cultivation in 1848, but in 1871 the name disappeared from the Society's catalog.

Tree medium in size and vigor, upright, very hardy and very productive; trunk and branches medium in thickness and smoothness; branchlets slender, short, light brown mingled with green, smooth, glabrous, with numerous, small, raised lenticels. Leaf-buds small, short, plump, free; leaf-scars with prominent shoulders. Leaves 3 in. long; 1-3/8 in. wide; apex taper-pointed; margin glandless, finely serrate; petiole 1-7/8 in. long. Flower-buds small, short, sharply pointed, free, singly on short spurs.

Fruit ripe December to January; large, obovate-pyriform, ribbed; stem 1 in. long, thick, fleshy at the base, obliquely inserted; cavity lacking, drawn up in an oblique lip about the stem; calyx small, closed; lobes short, sometimes lacking; basin deep, smooth; skin roughish, thick, uneven; color yellow, with patches and tracings of russet especially around the calyx end; dots numerous, cinnamon-russet; flesh white, very juicy, melting, vinous or acidulous; quality very good. Core large; seeds large, roundish, plump.

[Illustration: BEURRÉ BOSC]

BEURRÉ BOSC

=1.= Kenrick _Am. Orch._ 161. 1832. =2.= Downing _Fr. Trees Am._ 358, fig. 152. 1845. =3.= _Proc. Nat. Cong. Fr. Gr._ 29, 51. 1848. =4.= Hovey _Fr. Am._ =1=:65, Pl. 1851. =5.= _Ann. Pom. Belge_ =5=:79, Pl. 1857. =6.= Leroy _Dict. Pom._ =1=:320, fig. 1867. =7.= Hogg _Fruit Man._ 514. 1884.

_Bosc's Butterbirne._ =8.= Dochnahl _Führ. Obstkunde_ =2=:100. 1856.

_Beurré d'Apremont._ =9.= _Pom. France_ =1=: No. 26, Pl. 26. 1863. =10.= Mas _Le Verger_ =3=: Pt. 2, 65, fig. 129. 1866-73. =11.= _Guide Prat._ 48, 230. 1895.

_Bosc._ =12.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 36. 1883.

_Bosc's Flaschenbirne._ =13.= Lauche _Deut. Pom._ =II=: No. 75, Pl. 75. 1883. =14.= Mathieu _Nom. Pom._ 188. 1889. =15.= _Deut. Obstsorten_ =2=: Pt. 5, Pl. 1906.

The fruits of Beurré Bosc merit unqualified praise. They are nearly flawless in every character. The pears at once receive approbation from all who see them by virtue of their uniquely beautiful color and shape, in which characters they are wholly unlike any other pear. The shape is pyriform, with a very long, tapering neck, perfectly symmetrical and unequalled in trimness of contour. The color is a dark rich yellow overspread with cinnamon-russet, with here and there a spot of the yellow ground color visible. The quality is rated by all as "very good" or "best;" the Seckel alone surpasses it as a dessert fruit in the estimation of most pear fanciers. The flesh, while slightly granular, is tender and melting or almost buttery, very juicy, with a rich piquant flavor and a pleasing aroma. The fruits seldom crack, scab, or mildew. The characters of the tree fall far short of those of the fruits. Nurserymen complain that it is difficult to propagate the trees as they make a poor growth in the nursery and come to transplanting age with a root system of two or three prongs almost devoid of fibrous roots. The trees must be humored in soil and climate, and under favorable conditions make but moderate growth as young plants. Established trees in suitable soils, however, surpass most of their neighbors in size and luxuriance of foliage. Very old trees have a nobility of aspect possessed by few other pears. While slow in coming in bearing, after fruiting begins the trees bear regularly and abundantly. The variety does not succeed well on the quince unless double-worked. Unfortunately, the trees are tender to cold and somewhat too susceptible to blight. Beurré Bosc has long been a favorite in the pear regions of Europe and America, and its culture in this country may be recommended for the home, for local and general markets, and for exportation.

This pear is a native of Belgium, having been raised from seed in 1807 by Dr. Van Mons, the renowned pomologist of Louvain, and was in the first instance named by him Calebasse Bosc in honor of M. Bosc, a distinguished French naturalist. In 1820, it was received at the garden of the Horticultural Society of London under the name Beurré Bosc, and Robert Thompson, at that time Director of the gardens, thought it best to retain this name. The variety was early introduced into France. About 1832 or 1833, Robert Manning and William Kenrick received cions in the United States from Van Mons and from the London Horticultural Society. The variety was cataloged by the American Pomological Society at its first meeting in 1848.

Tree medium in size, vigorous, upright-spreading, hardy, productive, not an early bearer; trunk stocky; branches smooth, brownish, covered with ash-gray scarf-skin, with large lenticels; branchlets brownish, tinged with gray, glossy, smooth, nearly glabrous, with slightly raised, conspicuous lenticels.

Leaf-buds obtuse, pointed, appressed; leaf-scars prominent. Leaves 3 in. long, 1-7/8 in. wide, ovate, thick, leathery; apex taper-pointed; margin finely crenate; petiole 1-1/4 in. long. Flower-buds large, conical, pointed, free; flowers open early, 1-1/2 in. across, showy, in dense clusters, from 10 to 20 buds in a cluster; pedicels 1 in. long, slightly pubescent, light green.

Fruit ripe in late October and November; large, 3-3/8 in. long, 2-3/4 in. wide, uniform in size, acute-obovate-pyriform, with a very long, tapering neck, uniform in shape and very symmetrical; stem 1-1/2 in. long, curved; cavity very obtuse or lacking, occasionally very shallow and narrow, wrinkled, russeted, with a fleshy ring folded up around the stem, slightly lipped; calyx open, small; lobes short, broad, obtuse; basin very shallow, narrow, obtuse, smooth, symmetrical; skin slightly granular, tender, roughened by russet, dull; color dark yellow, overspread with thick, dark russet, laid on in streaks and patches, with a cheek of solid russet; dots small, light russet, obscure; flesh yellowish-white, slightly granular, tender and melting, buttery, very juicy, with a rich, delicious, aromatic flavor; quality very good to best. Core large, closed, with clasping core-lines; calyx-tube short, wide, conical; seeds wide, short, plump, obtuse.

[Illustration: BEURRÉ CLAIRGEAU]

BEURRÉ CLAIRGEAU

=1.= Hovey _Fr. Am._ =2=:73, Pl. 1851. =2.= _Ann. Pom. Belge_ =2=:103, Pl. 1854. =3.= _Gard. Chron._ 805. 1854. =4.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt._ 337. 1860. =5.= _Pom. France_ =1=: No. 11, Pl. 11. 1863. =6.= Mas _Le Verger_ =1=:39, fig. 26. 1866-73. =7.= _Jour. Hort._ N. S. =12=:211. 1867. =8.= Leroy _Dict. Pom._ =1=:335, fig. 1867. =9.= Downing _Fr. Trees Am._ 678. 1869. =10.= _Gard. Chron._ 1271. 1873. =11.= Hogg _Fruit Man._ 517. 1884.

_Clairgeau's Butterbirne._ =12.= Dochnahl _Führ. Obstkunde_ =2=:127. 1856. =13.= Lauche _Deut. Pom._ =II=: No. 7, Pl. 7. 1882. =14.= _Deut. Obstsorten_ =3=: Pt. 9, Pl. 1907.

_Clairgeau._ =15.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 36. 1883.

Beurré Clairgeau is one of the mainstays in American pear-growing, and is an especially valuable variety in New York. It maintains its place among standard varieties chiefly because of splendid tree-characters, as the fruits, while handsome, are not of the best quality. The tree is second only to that of Buffum in vigor, health, and productiveness, and is nearly as handsome as an ornamental. It does equally well on quince or pear stock, although the Europeans maintain that the product is better on the dwarfing stock. On either stock, the trees bear young and annually. The fruits are large, smooth, symmetrical, and uniform in shape, with a handsome ground color of rich yellow at maturity and a bright crimson cheek. But here praises end, for the "deceptive cheek of the Clairgeau" is proverbial in pear-growing, the handsome coat covering rather coarse, granular flesh which is sometimes very good but more often commonplace. The core is very large, and the flesh surrounding it often rots or softens prematurely. The fruit is more suitable for cookery than dessert. The pears are heavy and often drop before maturity, and the trees should not be set in wind-swept situations. Despite these demerits of the fruits, the variety is well worth planting in commercial orchards for late markets.

The original tree of Beurré Clairgeau appears to have grown by chance about 1830 with Pierre Clairgeau, Nantes, France. M. Clairgeau's first account of it was given in 1848 when he exhibited fruit. The reputation of the variety seems to have been at once established, for J. de Jonghe and others combined and purchased the stock of about 300 trees grafted on quince. Together with the parent tree, these were the same year removed to Brussels, and in 1852 the pear was placed on the market. Thus it happened that a French pear was first distributed by Belgian growers. The variety was introduced in America about 1854. The American Pomological Society placed it upon its list of recommended fruits in 1860.

Tree medium in size, vigorous, unusually upright, dense, slow-growing, hardy, productive, a regular bearer; trunk slender, shaggy; branches smooth, slightly zigzag, ash-gray almost completely overspreading reddish-brown, with many lenticels; branchlets thick, short, with short internodes, greenish-brown, smooth, glabrous, with slightly raised lenticels.

Leaf-buds conical, pointed, appressed; leaves very numerous, 3 in. long, 2 in. wide, broadly oval, leathery; apex abruptly pointed; margin glandless, finely serrate; petiole 2 in. long, glabrous; stipules rudimentary or lacking. Flower-buds medium to long, conical, pointed; flowers 1-1/2 in. across, showy, in dense clusters, averaging 7 buds to a cluster; pedicels 5/8 in. long, thick, pubescent, greenish.

Fruit in season, late October and November; large, 3-5/8 in. long, 2-5/8 in. wide, uniform in size, roundish-acute-pyriform, with a long, tapering neck, symmetrical, uniform in shape; stem 1/2 in. long, short, very thick and fleshy; cavity obtuse, very shallow and narrow, fleshy around the base of the stem, russeted, lipped; calyx open, large; lobes separated at the base, long, broad, acute or acuminate; basin shallow, narrow, obtuse, furrowed, often compressed; skin thick and granular, tough, smooth, glossy; color yellow, with bright red blush; dots many, small, russet, conspicuous; flesh white, quite granular, firm at first but becoming at maturity tender and melting, buttery, very juicy, sweet, aromatic, with a rich, vinous flavor; quality variable, good to best. Core large, closed, with clasping core-lines; calyx-tube short, wide, conical; seeds large, wide, long, plump, acute.

[Illustration: BEURRÉ DIEL]

BEURRÉ DIEL

=1.= _Pom. Mag._ =1=:19, Pl. 1828. =2.= _Ibid._ =3=:131, Pl. 1830. =3.= Lindley _Guide Orch. Gard._ 392. 1831. =4.= Kenrick _Am. Orch._ 189. 1832. =5.= _Ibid._ 156. 1841. =6.= Downing _Fr. Trees Am._ 360, fig. 153. 1845. =7.= _Gard. Chron._ 856. 1845. =8.= Hovey _Fr. Am._ =1=:77, Pl. 1851. =9.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt._ 231. 1854. =10.= _Pom. France_ =1=: No. 7, Pl. 7. 1863. =11.= Mas _Le Verger_ =1=:137, fig. 67. 1866-73. =12.= Leroy _Dict. Pom._ =1=:349, fig. 1867. =13.= Downing _Fr. Trees Am._ 686, fig. 1869. =14.= Hogg _Fruit Man._ 518. 1884. =15.= _Guide Prat._ 234. 1895.

_Diel's Butterbirne._ =16.= Liegel _Syst. Anleit._ 110. 1825. =17.= Lauche _Deut. Pom._ =11=: No. 8, Pl. 8. 1882. =18.= Mathieu _Nom. Pom._ 203. 1889.

_Diel._ =19.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 36. 1883.

The catalogs and text-books supply Beurré Diel with several virtues which Nature denies it as the variety grows in New York. As grown in the eastern United States, the pears are dull and unattractive even at maturity when the pale lemon color is brightest. When the tree is happily situated as to soil and care, the quality of its product is excellent, its fruits being delicious and ranking among the very best, but when illy suited to soil, climate or care, the flesh is coarse, the flavor insipid and astringent, bringing the quality down to second or third rate. The pears keep and ship well. The tree is hardy, uncommonly vigorous and fruitful, but very subject to blight; it is characterized by its long twisting branches which need to be pruned back heavily. The variety is still being planted, but there are better autumn pears.

This variety came from a chance seedling found near Brussels in 1805 by M. Meuris, head gardener for Dr. Van Mons. Being unnamed and of fine quality, Van Mons dedicated it to his German friend, Diel, one of the most distinguished German pomologists. Van Mons sent cions of the variety to the London Horticultural Society in 1817. In 1823, Thomas Andrew Knight sent cions to the Massachusetts Agricultural Society whence it became disseminated generally throughout the United States. The American Pomological Society placed this variety upon its fruit catalog-list in 1854.

Tree medium in size and vigor, spreading, open-topped, slow-growing, hardy, productive; trunk slender, smooth; branches slender, twisting, reddish-brown mingled with grayish scarf-skin, with few lenticels; branchlets with short internodes, dark reddish-brown, smooth, glabrous, with few small, raised lenticels.

Leaf-buds obtuse, free; leaf-scars prominent. Leaves 2-3/4 in. long, 1-3/4 in. wide, oval, thick, leathery; apex abruptly pointed; margin finely serrate; petiole 1-1/2 in. long. Flower-buds large, long, conical, rather plump, free; flowers open early, nearly 1-3/8 in. across, showy, in dense clusters, 7 or 8 buds in a cluster; pedicels 1-1/8 in. long, pubescent, greenish.

Fruit ripe in November; large, 3 in. long, 2-3/8 in. wide, uniform in size, obovate-obtuse-pyriform, often irregular and usually with sides unequal; stem 1-1/4 in. long, thick, curved; cavity obtuse, shallow, very narrow, russeted, furrowed and uneven, often lipped; calyx partly open, large; lobes separated at the base, broad, acute; basin shallow, obtuse, furrowed and uneven; skin very thick and granular, somewhat roughened by russet markings and by dots; color lemon-yellow, with a faint pinkish-red blush and markings and flecks of russet; dots many, russet, very conspicuous; flesh yellowish-white, firm, becoming tender and melting, quite granular around the core, very juicy, sweet, aromatic and rich; quality very good. Core large, closed, with clasping core-lines; calyx-tube short, wide, conical; seeds large, wide, long, plump, often abortive, acute.

[Illustration: BEURRÉ GIFFARD]

BEURRÉ GIFFARD

=1.= _Gard. Chron._ 69. 1848. =2.= _Mag. Hort._ =18=:433, fig. 30. 1852. =3.= _Ann. Pom. Belge_ =5=:69, Pl. 1857. =4.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt._ 231. 1858. =5.= _Pom. France_ =1=: No. 1, Pl. 1. 1863. =6.= Mas _Le Verger_ =2=:39, fig. 18. 1866-73. =7.= Leroy _Dict. Pom._ =1=:369, fig. 1867. =8.= Downing _Fr. Trees Am._ 689. 1869. =9.= Hogg _Fruit Man._ 521. 1884. =10.= _Soc. Nat. Hort. France Pom._ 374, fig. 1904.

_Giffard's Butterbirne._ =11.= Oberdieck _Obst-Sort._ 255. 1881. =12.= Lauche _Deut. Pom._ =II=: No. 57, Pl. 57. 1883.

_Giffard._ =13.= _Gard. Chron._ 415. 1863. =14.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 38. 1883.

This is one of the few summer pears with a distinctly vinous flavor, which, with the crisp and tender flesh, makes it one of the most refreshing of summer fruits. The pears are larger than those of most other sorts of its season, somewhat like those of Beurré Clairgeau in shape and color, and ripen at a time--just before Clapp Favorite--when good pears should be in demand for home and market. The fruits keep well for summer pears, and are remarkable for their small cores. The trees, while in no way remarkable, are quite up to the average in all characters, and surpass most of their orchard associates in hardiness and fruitfulness. The variety is desirable for both home and commercial orchards.

This early summer pear was found as a chance seedling in 1825 by Nicolas Giffard, Foussières, France. In 1840, M. Millet, president of the Society of Horticulture of Maine-et-Loire, wrote the first description of it in the Bulletins of the Society. It was introduced in America about 1850, and in 1858 was added to the fruit catalog-list of the American Pomological Society.

Tree of medium size, vigorous, spreading, open-topped, hardy, productive; branches reddish-brown, nearly covered with gray scarf-skin, with long and narrow, large lenticels; branchlets slender, new growth willowy, long, reddish-brown, smooth, glabrous except near the tips of the new growth, with conspicuous, raised, round lenticels.

Leaf-buds small, short, pointed, appressed. Leaves 2-3/4 in. long, 1-1/2 in. wide, stiff; apex taper-pointed; margin entire, sometimes slightly pubescent; petiole 2-1/2 in. long, slender, reddish-green; stipules very long and slender. Flower-buds small, plump, free, singly on very short spurs; flowers showy, 1-1/4 in. across, in dense clusters, average 8 buds in a cluster; pedicels 3/4 in. long, pubescent.

Fruit ripe in late August; variable in size, averages 3 in. long, 2-3/8 in. wide, obovate-acute-pyriform; stem 3/4 in. long; cavity lacking, the flesh closing up symmetrically around the stem except when drawn up in a lip; calyx open, small; lobes separated at the base, narrow, accuminate; basin shallow, narrow, obtuse, almost smooth, symmetrical; skin thin, tender, smooth; color dull greenish-yellow, with a dotted, dull red blush, often without blush; dots numerous, small, greenish and russet, very conspicuous; flesh tinged with yellow, granular at the center, melting, very juicy, vinous, highly aromatic; quality very good. Core small, closed, with clasping core-lines; calyx-tube narrow, funnel-shaped; seeds plump, acute.

[Illustration: BEURRÉ HARDY]

BEURRÉ HARDY

=1.= Barry _Fr. Garden_ 314. 1851. =2.= Downing _Fr. Trees Am._ 466. 1857. =3.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt._ 66. 1862. =4.= _Pom. France_ =2=: No. 46, Pl. 46. 1864. =5.= Mas _Le Verger_ =3=: Pt. 1, 11, fig. 4. 1866-73. =6.= Leroy _Dict. Pom._ =1=:379, fig. 1867. =7.= Hogg _Fruit Man._ 521. 1884. =8.= _Soc. Nat. Hort. France Pom._ 378, fig. 1904.

_Hardy._ =9.= _Gard. Chron._ 463. 1863. =10.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 38. 1883.

_Gellert's Butterbirne._ =11.= Gaucher _Pom. Prak. Obst._ No. 38, Pl. 78. 1894.

Beurré Hardy is one of the good autumn pears. Both fruit and tree commend it. The fruits are usually large; are handsome in appearance; and the flesh and flavor are exceptionally fine. Thus, the flesh, while a little granular at the core, is melting, juicy, and richly aromatic,--as truly luscious as in any other pear. Unfortunately the fruits do not keep well, having a tendency to soften at the core as maturity advances. When poorly grown or not properly ripened, the pears are sometimes a little astringent, and there is always a smack of astringency. The trees, while not large, are vigorous, hardy, productive, and healthy except in being a little susceptible to blight. This is a favorite pear with nurserymen to bud or graft on the quince, Japanese pear stocks, or other stocks, since it makes a perfect union with any of those in common use. The tree is one of the best dwarfs, also, for its own crop. Wherever pears are grown, this is a good dessert sort, and in many regions it is a valuable fruit for commerce. Beurré Hardy does especially well in New York and in eastern United States.

This is a French pear raised about 1820 by M. Bonnet, Boulogne-sur-Mer, France. In 1830, it was acquired by M. Jean-Laurent Jamin, a nurseryman near Paris, who named it in honor of M. Hardy, Director and Professor of Arboriculture at the Garden of the Luxembourg. It was propagated, made known, and distributed by M. Jamin between 1840 and 1845. The American Pomological Society added Beurré Hardy to its list of recommended fruits in 1862.

Tree medium in size, vigorous, upright, dense-topped, hardy, productive; trunk stocky; branches smooth, dull brown overspread with gray, marked more or less with scarf-skin, with very numerous large, elongated lenticels; branchlets thick, greenish-brown, glossy, smooth, glabrous, with numerous small, raised, conspicuous lenticels.

Leaf-buds conical, pointed, plump, usually free; leaf-scars prominent. Leaves 2-1/2 in. long, 2 in. wide, stiff; apex abruptly pointed; margin tipped with small glands, finely serrate; petiole 1-1/2 in. long. Flower-buds small, short, conical, pointed, plump, free, singly or in small clusters on short spurs; flowers 1-1/4 in. across, well distributed, average 9 buds in a cluster; pedicels 1 in. long, pubescent, reddish-green.

Fruit in season, late September and early October; large, 3 in. long, 2-1/4 in. wide, uniform, obtuse-pyriform, with a rather long neck, symmetrical; stem 7/8 in. long, thick, slightly curved; cavity obtuse, very shallow and narrow, russeted, often uneven and gently furrowed, lipped; calyx large, open; lobes broad, acute; basin shallow, narrow, obtuse, gently furrowed; skin granular, tender, russet; color dull greenish-yellow, overspread with thin, brownish-russet, without blush; dots numerous, russet, small, very conspicuous; flesh granular, melting, buttery, very juicy, sweet, richly aromatic and somewhat vinous; quality very good to best. Core large, closed, with clasping core-lines; calyx-tube short, wide, conical; seeds large, wide, long, plump, acute.

BEURRÉ DE JONGHE

=1.= _Mag. Hort._ =28=:258. 1857. =2.= _Gard. Chron._ 147, fig. 1866. =3.= Mas _Le Verger_ =1=:73, fig. 43. 1866-73. =4.= Downing _Fr. Trees Am._ 683. 1869. =5.= _Jour. Hort._ N. S. =32=:408. 1877. =6.= Hogg _Fruit Man._ 522. 1884. =7.= _Guide Prat._ 64, 232. 1895. =8.= _Garden_ =49=:225. 1896.

_De Jonghe's Butterbirne._ =9.= Mathieu _Nom. Pom._ 201. 1889.

A prime requisite in any pear of best quality is that there be no disagreeable after-taste in the flesh. The fruits of almost none of the winter pears meet this requirement. Almost all have more or less astringency in the after-taste. But the fruits of this variety are wholly free from this astringency and are, moreover, so sweet and rich that they are nearly as delectable as those of Seckel, the standard of excellence in quality. The pears ripen at Geneva in January and may be kept for a month or six weeks at a season when there are few other sweet, rich pears, the fruits of nearly all other pears of this season being vinous and piquant. The trees are hardy and productive, but are slow in coming in bearing, rather small, and not at all self-assertive and must be coddled somewhat. They are reported by many to do better on quince than on pear stocks. The variety is desirable only for the amateur.

According to Mas, the French pomologist, M. de Jonghe mentioned this pear in a pamphlet on new varieties published in 1865. It was described in the _Magazine of Horticulture_ in 1857 as a new variety. In _Gardener's Chronicle_, 1866, M. de Jonghe said that he saw this pear first in 1852 at Uccle, Belgium. The seedling had been planted there two years before.

Tree medium in size and vigor, spreading, slow-growing, hardy, very productive; trunk slender, shaggy; branches reddish-brown overspread with thick scarf-skin; branchlets thick, curved, short, with very short internodes, smooth except for the raised, conspicuous lenticels. Leaf-buds small, short; leaf-scars with prominent shoulders. Leaves 2-3/4 in. long, 1-1/2 in. wide, thick; apex abruptly pointed; margin glandular, finely serrate; petiole 1-1/2 in. long, reddish-green. Flower-buds large, long, very plump, free; flowers 1-1/4 in. across, 7 or 8 buds in a cluster; pedicels 1/2 in. long, thick.

Fruit ripe December to January; medium in size, 3 in. long, 2-1/4 in. wide, obovate-obtuse-pyriform, very regular; stem short, thick, inserted obliquely; cavity very shallow or none, the flesh often drawn up in a lip on one side of the stem; calyx small, open; basin shallow; skin thin; color dull yellow, thickly overspread with a pale, brownish-russet, often with traces of a russet-red blush; dots numerous, small, dull russet; flesh nearly white, fine-grained, melting, buttery, pleasant flavored, aromatic, sweet; quality very good.

[Illustration: BEURRÉ SUPERFIN]

BEURRÉ SUPERFIN

=1.= _Mag. Hort._ =20=:8, 135. 1854. =2.= _Horticulturist_ N. S. =5=: 88. 1855. =3.= Downing _Fr. Trees Am._ 465. 1857. =4.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt._ 231. 1858. =5.= Leroy _Dict. Pom._ =1=:432, fig. 1867. =6.= Hogg _Fruit Man._ 529. 1884.

_Hochfeine Butterbirne._ =7.= Lauche _Deut. Pom._ =II=: No. 59, Pl. 59. 1883. =8.= Gaucher _Pom. Prak. Obst._ No. 47, Pl. 60. 1894.

_Superfin._ =9.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 40. 1883.

Tender in skin and delicate in flesh, the product of this variety is not for the markets, but that of few other sorts so admirably supplies those who want choicely good fruits. The pears are not as attractive in appearance as might be wished, but are hardly surpassed in flavor in their season. The flesh is notable for juiciness, rich vinous flavor, and pleasant perfume. The trees are large, healthy even as regards blight, very productive, and are easily suited as to soils. The trees do not bear early, but are regular in bearing after this life event begins. In Europe, the variety is commonly and successfully grown as a dwarf, and the pear-growers of a generation ago in America recommend this variety as one of the good sorts to work on the quince. The variety is a valuable one for home orchards, especially in New York where it grows exceptionally well.

Beurré Superfin was raised from a bed of pear seeds made at Angers, France, by M. Goubault, a well-known pomologist, in 1837. The parent tree so produced bore fruit in 1844 and the Committee of the Horticultural Society of Maine-et-Loire was requested to report on its merits, which it did in that year, and M. Millet, president of the society, named it Beurré Superfin. It was introduced in America about 1850. The variety was placed on the fruit catalog-list of the American Pomological Society in 1858.

Tree large, vigorous, upright-spreading, dense-topped, hardy, very productive; trunk stocky, rough; branches thick, rough and shaggy, zigzag, dull brownish-red, overspread with gray scarf-skin, sprinkled with numerous elongated lenticels; branchlets slender, light brown, glossy, smooth, glabrous, with small, raised, inconspicuous lenticels.

Leaf-buds small, short, conical, pointed, plump, appressed or free; leaf-scars prominent. Leaves 3-1/4 in. long, 1-7/8 in. wide, stiff; apex abruptly pointed; margin tipped with small glands, coarsely serrate; petiole 1-3/4 in. long. Flower-buds conical, pointed, plump, free, singly on short branches and short spurs.

Fruit matures in October; large, 3-1/4 in. long, 2-3/4 in. wide, roundish-oblate, with a short, thick, rounded neck, symmetrical; stem 1-1/8 in. long, very thick, curved; cavity very shallow and narrow or lacking, the flesh tapering into the stem or wrinkled in a fleshy fold about the base of the stem, often lipped; calyx open; lobes separated at the base, broad, narrow; basin narrow, obtuse, gently furrowed, symmetrical; skin very granular, tender, smooth; color yellow, netted and streaked with light russet, often with a slight brownish-russet cheek; dots numerous, small, russet, conspicuous; flesh tinged with yellow, granular, melting, buttery, very juicy, sweet yet with a rich, brisk, vinous flavor, aromatic; quality very good. Core large, closed, with clasping core-lines; calyx-tube short, wide, conical; seeds large, wide, long, plump, acute.

[Illustration: BLOODGOOD]

BLOODGOOD

=1.= _Mag. Hort._ =3=:14. 1837. =2.= Manning _Book of Fruits_ 65. 1838. =3.= _Mag. Hort._ =9=:366, fig. 31. 1843. =4.= Downing _Fr. Trees Am._ 332, fig. 132. 1845. =5.= _Proc. Nat. Con. Fr. Gr._ 51. 1848. =6.= Mas _Le Verger_ =2=:181, fig. 89. 1866-73. =7.= Leroy _Dict. Pom._ =1=:449, fig. 1867. =8.= Hogg _Fruit Man._ 532. 1884.

_Bloodgood's Sommerbirne._ =9.= Mathieu _Nom. Pom._ 186. 1889.

Bloodgood has long been a standard summer pear in America. It surpasses any European associate of its season in both fruit- and tree-characters. In particular, the fruits are meritorious for flesh of fine texture, which, though a little granular, is melting and juicy, and has a rich, sweet, perfumed flavor. Complaints appear in the horticultural press that the quality is exceedingly variable. The reports of poor flavor may arise from the fact that the quality is always poor if the fruit is not picked as soon as full grown and ripened indoors. The season in New York is August. The trees are resistant to blight, healthy, bear young and regularly, are long-lived, and attain large size, although in some situations they are but medium in size. The variety has little or no value in commercial plantations, but is prized in every collection for home use.

The origin of this pear is unknown, but it is supposed to be a native of New York. It seems to have been brought to notice about 1835 by James Bloodgood of the nursery firm of Bloodgood and Company, Flushing, Long Island. According to Robert Manning, the variety was listed in Prince's _Catalogue_ for 1837 as Early Beurré. After being introduced by Bloodgood and Company, it was speedily recognized as one of the most valuable native sorts. The variety was placed upon the fruit catalog-list of the American Pomological Society in 1848.

Tree medium in size and vigor, upright, dense, slow-growing, productive; trunk medium in thickness and smoothness; branches zigzag, reddish-brown partly overspread with grayish scarf-skin, marked with few small lenticels; branchlets thick, very long, with long internodes, reddish-brown, the new growth greenish, with a brown tinge, glossy, smooth, with small, raised, conspicuous lenticels.

Leaf-buds broad at the base, small, short, sharply pointed, free; leaf-scars with prominent shoulders. Leaves 2-1/4 in. long, 1-3/8 in. wide, oval, leathery; apex taper-pointed; margin finely serrate; petiole 1-1/4 in. long, slender, tinged red; stipules few, variable in size and shape, tinged red. Flower-buds medium in size and length, conical, plump, free, arranged singly on short spurs; flowers early, 1-1/4 in. across, in dense clusters, 7 or 8 buds in a cluster; pedicels often 7/8 in. long, pubescent.

Fruit matures in late August; medium in size, 2-1/8 in. long, 2 in. wide, roundish-pyriform to acute-pyriform, symmetrical, uniform, with equal sides; stem 3/4 in. long, thick; cavity russeted, lipped, drawn up in fleshy folds about the stem; calyx open, small; lobes separated at the base, short, broad, obtuse; basin narrow, obtuse, smooth, symmetrical; skin thick, tough, roughish; color bright yellow, with patches and nettings of russet, producing a mottled russet effect; dots many, small, russet, inconspicuous; flesh tinged yellow, granular, melting, buttery, rich, very juicy, sweet, highly flavored, aromatic; quality very good. Core small, closed, with clasping core-lines; calyx-tube short, narrow, conical; seeds small, short, plump, acute.

[Illustration: BRANDYWINE]

BRANDYWINE

=1.= _Horticulturist_ =3=:166, figs. 25 and 26. 1848-49. =2.= _Mag. Hort._ =15=:106. 1849. =3.= Hovey _Fr. Am._ =2=:51, Pl. 1851. =4.= _Mag. Hort._ =19=:450, fig. 30, 1853. =5.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt._ 231. 1858. =6.= Leroy _Dict. Pom._ =1=:496, fig. 1867. =7.= _Pom. France_ =4=: No. 160, Pl. 160. 1867.

Were it not that Tyson is better in both tree and fruit, Brandywine, which ripens its crop with that of Tyson, could be put down as about the best pear of its season. Tyson is the better variety, however, in almost every soil and situation, and Brandywine has a place in American pear flora only because the pears have a distinct flavor which gives them the charm of individuality. The flesh is neither sweet nor perfumed, as is that of most pears at this season, but has the piquant smack of some of the winter pears which makes the fruits particularly refreshing. The tree is vigorous, with a handsome pyramidal top, but is not remarkable otherwise. Sometimes it is unproductive. The variety is worth planting for the sake of diversity in home orchards.

The original tree, a chance seedling, was found on the farm of Eli Harvey, Chaddsford, on the banks of the Brandywine River, Pennsylvania. This parent tree began to bear about 1820, but in 1835 wind broke it down near the surface of the ground. The present tree is a sucker from the original, and first fruited in 1844. This fact accounts for its not sooner having become known to cultivation. Dr. Brincklé of Philadelphia showed the fruits first at a meeting of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society in 1848 when it received high commendations. In 1858 the American Pomological Society added Brandywine to its list of recommended fruits.

Tree large, vigorous, very upright, dense-topped, productive; branches long, olive-gray, sprinkled with roundish lenticels; branchlets slender, curved, with short internodes, brownish-red overspread with scarf-skin, glabrous, with few small, obscure lenticels.

Leaf-buds medium in size and length, pointed, free. Leaves small, long-ovate; apex taper-pointed; margin serrate; petiole 1-1/2 in. long. Flower-buds large, plump, conical, free, singly on spurs and as terminal buds; flowers 7/8 in. across, in dense clusters, average 9 buds in a cluster; pedicels 1/2 in. long, slender, pubescent.

Fruit ripens in late August and early September; medium in size, 2-3/4 in. long, 2-1/2 in. wide, variable in shape but generally obovate-pyriform; stem 1-1/2 in. long, fleshy, curved, obliquely attached; cavity lacking, the flesh drawn up in a wrinkled fold about the base of the stem; calyx large, open; lobes short, entire; basin small, shallow, usually smooth; skin roughish; color greenish-yellow, blushed with red on the sunny side, marked with tracings of russet especially near the cavity; dots numerous, large, conspicuous, russet; flesh whitish, or faintly tinged with yellow, granular, melting, juicy, aromatic, vinous; quality good to very good. Core small; seeds few, small, dark brown.

[Illustration: BUFFUM]

BUFFUM

=1.= Kenrick _Am. Orch._ 166. 1832. =2.= _Mag. Hort._ =10=:300, fig. 15. 1844. =3.= _Ibid._ =16=:297. 1850. =4.= Hovey _Fr. Am._ =2=:19, Pl. 1851. =5.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt._ 53. 1852. =6.= _Horticulturist_ N. S. =6=:300, Pl. 1856. =7.= _Ibid._ =25=:104, fig. 1870. =8.= Mas _Le Verger_ =3=: Pt. 1, 81, fig. 39. 1866-73.

_Buffam._ =9.= Downing _Fr. Trees Am._ 356, fig. 150. 1845.

Without deserving a high place among pears, Buffum has several meritorious characters which should keep it in the list of standard varieties. The variety must depend chiefly on its tree-characters for approbation, and in these it excels nearly all of its orchard associates. The trees are remarkably vigorous, nearly free from blight, very productive, although they have a tendency to bear biennially; and by virtue of great size, symmetrical, pyramidal form, dark green, glossy foliage, and sturdy, ruddy wood in winter, they are among the most ornamental of all fruit trees. In full leaf, a Buffum tree might easily be taken for a Lombardy poplar. The quality of the fruits is very variable. At times the flesh is rich, aromatic, melting, and very good; again, the pears may be insipid or even illy flavored, devoid of perfume, coarse in texture, and poor. The fruits are never large and often run small. To attain good quality, the pears must be picked early and ripened in a moderately cool fruit-room. The culture of Buffum is on the wane, chiefly for the reason that its fruits ripen with those of Seckel and fail in competition, as the Seckels are nearly as large and much better in quality. But because of its admirable tree-characters the variety should not be lost.

Some confusion exists as to the origin of Buffum. Some writers state that the original tree stood on the grounds of Prescott Hall, Newport, Rhode Island. Hovey, however, in his _Fruits of America_, 1851, says that the variety originated in the garden of David Buffum, Warren, Rhode Island, shortly after the advent of the nineteenth century. In the opinion of Downing the variety came from seed of White Doyenné. Soon after the founding of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society in 1828, Robert Manning exhibited specimens of the Buffum pear, and through him the variety became known in the vicinity of Boston from which place it was disseminated throughout the country. Buffum was added to the fruit-list of the American Pomological Society in 1852.

Tree vigorous, very upright, dense, hardy, almost immune to blight, very productive; branches shaggy, zigzag, reddish-brown, overspread with grayish scarf-skin, with numerous small lenticels; branchlets short, reddish-brown, tinged with green and streaked with grayish scarf-skin, smooth, glabrous, with conspicuous, small, raised lenticels.

Leaf-buds small, short, conical, pointed, appressed; leaf-scars prominent. Leaves 3-1/4 in. long, 2 in. wide, oval, thin, leathery; apex abruptly pointed; margin glandular, finely serrate; petiole 2-1/4 in. long. Flower-buds large, conical, pointed, plump, free, arranged singly on short spurs and branchlets; flowers 1-1/2 in. across, showy, in dense clusters, 6 to 8 buds in a cluster; pedicels 7/8 in. long, slender, pubescent, greenish.

Fruit ripe in late September and October; medium in size, 2-1/4 in. long, 2 in. wide, uniform in size and shape, oblong-obovate-pyriform, with unequal sides; stem 3/4 in. long, very thick; cavity obtuse, very shallow, narrow, russeted, gently furrowed, often lipped; calyx open; lobes separated at the base, short, narrow, obtuse; basin shallow, obtuse, gently furrowed; skin thick, very tough and granular, smooth except for the russet markings, dull; color deep brownish-yellow, with a bright reddish blush on the exposed cheek toward the basin; dots many, small, brownish or russet, conspicuous; flesh white, tinged with yellow, firm, granular, stringy toward the center, juicy, sweet, aromatic; quality good. Core large, closed; core-lines clasping; calyx-tube short, wide, conical; seeds large, wide, plump, acute.

[Illustration: CLAPP FAVORITE]

CLAPP FAVORITE

=1.= _Mass. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 50. 1860. =2.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 20. 1867. =3.= _Pom. France_ =4=: No. 170, Pl. 170. 1867. =4.= Downing _Fr. Trees Am._ 720, fig. 1869. =5.= Thomas _Am. Fruit Cult._ 452. 1897.

_Favorite de Clapp._ =6.= Mas _Le Verger_ =2=:207, fig. 102. 1866-73.

_Clapp's Favourite._ =7.= Hogg _Fruit Man._ 548. 1884. =8.= Bunyard-Thomas _Fr. Gard._ 134, 462, fig. 1904.

_Clapp's Liebling._ =9.= Gaucher _Pom. Prak. Obst._ No. 31, Pl. 46. 1894.

Clapp Favorite is by universal consent the standard late summer pear to precede Bartlett, which it much resembles in size, shape, color, and flavor. In most regions in the United States and Canada where pears are largely grown for the market, Clapp Favorite is the first pear to be put on the market. The season is usually a week or sometimes ten days before that of Bartlett. The chief fault of the fruits is that they soon soften at the center after ripening, to obviate which they should be picked at least ten days before they would ripen on the tree. This softening at the core debars the fruit from distant markets, and makes it suitable only for local trade. The illustration of the whole fruit in the accompanying plate is so foreshortened by the camera that size and shape are not shown correctly, but the half-fruit illustrates the size and shape very well. The fruits are usually a little larger than those of Bartlett. Except in one particular, the trees of Clapp Favorite are as nearly perfect as those of any variety in American orchards. The weak character, unfortunately, is a most important one, and all but debars the variety from some regions in which pear-growing is a large industry. The weakness is susceptibility to blight. No standard pear goes down so quickly as this one when blight is epidemic. Two good characters of the trees redeem the variety from failure because of blight. After those of Flemish Beauty and Tyson, the trees of this variety show greater hardihood to cold than those of any other standard sort; and of all pears grown in America, Kieffer not excepted, the trees of Clapp Favorite are most fruitful. Other merits of the tree are large size, great vigor, longevity, and earliness and regularity in bearing. The variety shows a predilection for heavy soils, and the trees may be set on the heaviest clays. Clapp Favorite is grown satisfactorily on dwarf as well as standard stocks. The variety is a desirable one wherever pears are grown, and is one of the half-dozen leading sorts in New York.

Clapp Favorite was raised by Thaddeus Clapp, Dorchester, Massachusetts, but the date of its origin is uncertain. It was favorably mentioned as a promising new fruit at the meeting of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society in 1860. By some writers this pear is supposed to be a cross between Flemish Beauty and Bartlett, but this supposition cannot be proved. The variety was early introduced into England and France where it almost immediately received favorable commendation. The American Pomological Society first listed Clapp Favorite in its fruit-catalog in 1867.

Tree large, upright-spreading, round-topped, very productive; trunk stocky, rough; branches characteristically shaggy, zigzag, reddish-brown overspread with gray scarf-skin, marked by few small, roundish, raised lenticels; branchlets short, dull reddish-brown, tinged with green, smooth, glabrous, with few small, inconspicuous lenticels.

Leaf-buds medium in size, short, conical, pointed; leaf-scars prominent. Leaves 2-1/2 in. long, 1-1/2 in. wide, oval, leathery; apex taper-pointed; margin glandular, finely serrate; petiole 2 in. long. Flower-buds large, conical, pointed, plump, free, arranged singly on short spurs and branches; flowers very showy, 1-5/8 in. across, large, well distributed, averaging 7 buds in a cluster; pedicels 1-3/16 in. long, lightly pubescent.

Fruit ripe in late August and early September; large, 4 in. long, 3-1/4 in. wide, obovate-obtuse-pyriform, tapering slightly toward the apex, symmetrical; stem 1-1/4 in. long, very thick, curved, fleshy; cavity very shallow, narrow, lipped, with a fleshy ring around the stem; calyx large, open; lobes separated at the base, narrow, acuminate, usually erect and very stiff; basin shallow, wide, obtuse, corrugated and wrinkled; skin thick, tough, smooth, glossy; color pale lemon-yellow, mottled and dotted with bright red, deepening in highly colored specimens to a crimson blush, with occasional faint traces of russet; dots numerous, small, russet, conspicuous; flesh tinged with yellow, very granular and gritty at the center, tender and melting, buttery, juicy, sweet, rich, vinous, aromatic; quality very good. Core large, closed, with clasping core-lines; calyx-tube long, narrow, funnel-shaped; seeds medium in size and width, plump.

[Illustration: COLONEL WILDER]

COLONEL WILDER

=1.= _Mass. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ Pt. 2. 119. 1875. =2.= Downing _Fr. Trees Am._ 2nd App. 146, fig. 1876. =3.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt._ 23. 1881. =4.= _Me. Pom. Soc. Rpt._ 114. 1891.

Colonel Wilder originated in California and was once a favorite there, but is now reported as being little planted. At one time it was prominent in eastern orchards because of its late season and large, handsome, well-flavored fruits. The variety came in competition with Beurré d'Anjou, however, the season and fruits of the two being similar, but the trees of Colonel Wilder were so greatly outmatched by those of Beurré d'Anjou that this variety is less and less planted in the East. Perhaps it is worth preserving in pear collections for the sake of variety.

This pear originated from seed sown by Bernard S. Fox, San Jose, California, about 1870. It was named after Marshall P. Wilder, Boston, Massachusetts. Just prior to his death Mr. Fox, in a letter to the editor of the _Rural Press_, wrote of three pears, P. Barry, Fox, and Colonel Wilder, as follows: "The list of pears is already large, and, unless something extremely good is offered, there is no use adding to it. But, after many years of trial here and elsewhere, I claim now, that, at their respective times of ripening, there are no large pears superior to them in size, flavor, and good shipping qualities."

Tree medium in size, spreading and drooping, open-topped, hardy, an uncertain bearer; trunk shaggy; branches stocky, roughish, reddish-brown nearly covered with gray scarf-skin, marked with many lenticels; branchlets slender, willowy, light brown, with a slight reddish tinge, smooth, glabrous, with few small, slightly raised, obscure lenticels.

Leaf-buds small, short, sharply pointed, free or slightly appressed. Leaves 2-1/4 in. long, 1-1/4 in. wide, narrow, short, oval, leathery; apex abruptly pointed; margin glandless, finely serrate; petiole 2-1/4 in. long, slender, pale green or yellowish, sometimes with a tinge of pink; stipules light greenish-yellow, with a pink tinge. Flower-buds small, short, conical, plump, free, arranged singly on very short spurs; blossoms open very late; flowers 1-1/4 in. across, in dense clusters, 7 or 8 buds in a cluster; pedicels 1/2 in. long, pubescent, greenish.

Fruit in season, late December to February; large, 3 in. long, 2-1/4 in. wide, uniform in size, ribbed, oblong-obovate-pyriform, with unequal sides; stem 3/4 in. long, thick, curved; cavity small, obtuse, shallow, narrow, furrowed, occasionally lipped; calyx large, open; lobes separated at the base, narrow, acute; basin shallow, narrow, abrupt, usually smooth, symmetrical; skin thick, tough, rough, dull; color light yellow, often with a faint orange-red blush on the exposed cheek, with nettings and markings of russet; dots numerous, small, grayish and russet-colored, conspicuous; flesh yellowish-white, granular around the core, melting, buttery, very juicy, sweet, aromatic, with a musky flavor; quality good. Core large, closed, with clasping core-lines; calyx-tube short, wide, conical; seeds wide, plump, acute.

[Illustration: COLUMBIA]

COLUMBIA

=1.= _Mag. Hort._ =2=:37. 1836. =2.= Kenrick _Am. Orch._ 159. 1841. =3.= _Mag. Hort._ =9=: 252, fig. 15. 1843. =4.= Downing _Fr. Trees Am._ 430, fig. 198. 1845. =5.= _Horticulturist_ =1=:20, 480, fig. 9. 1846-47. =6.= Hovey _Fr. Am._ =2=:17, Pl. 1851. =7.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt._ 66. 1862. =8.= Leroy _Dict. Pom._ =1=:589, fig. 1867. =9.= _Pom. France_ =4=: No. 140, Pl. 140. 1867. =10.= Downing _Fr. Trees Am._ 725. 1869.

Once a favorite in eastern United States, Columbia is planted now only in collections. The variety never was a leader as far north as the pear regions of New York and Massachusetts, but when pear-growing was being attempted in the southern states in the middle of the last century, before the advent of Kieffer, Garber, and Le Conte, Columbia was the most dependable sort for the South. The pears are not attractive in appearance, nor remarkably good in quality, but the trees are vigorous, healthy, and very fruitful, although they come in bearing late. The variety is above the average in both fruit and tree, and is too valuable to be discarded. This variety must not be confused with the Columbia now listed in many catalogs, the proper name of which is Barseck.

The original seedling grew on the farm of a Mr. Casser in Westchester County, thirteen miles from New York City. In 1835, Bloodgood and Company, nurserymen of Flushing, Long Island, secured fruit from the original tree, which was then fifteen inches in diameter, and sent it to the Massachusetts Horticultural Society. Later, the variety was propagated and distributed by the Bloodgood Nursery. Columbia was added to the fruit-catalog of the American Pomological Society in 1862.

Tree large, vigorous, upright-spreading, hardy, very productive; trunk stocky, roughish; branches thick, rough, shaggy, dull brownish-red overspread with much gray scarf-skin, marked with roundish lenticels; branchlets short, light brown intermingled with green, dull, smooth, glabrous, with few very small, slightly raised, lenticels.

Leaf-buds small, short, conical, pointed, plump, usually appressed. Leaves 3-1/4 in. long, 1-1/2 in. wide, long-oval, thin; apex abruptly pointed; margin finely serrate, usually tipped with very small glands; petiole 2-1/4 in. long. Flower-buds small, short, conical, pointed, plump, free, arranged singly on short spurs; blossoms late; flowers 1-3/4 in. across, very showy, in dense clusters, 9 to 12 buds in a cluster; pedicels 1-1/8 in. long, very thick, pubescent, light green.

Fruit ripe from late November to January; large, 3 in. long, 2-3/8 in. wide, uniform in size, oblong-obovate-pyriform, broad at the middle, unequal sides, uniform in general shape; stem 1 in. long, curved, thick; cavity obtuse, very shallow and narrow, smooth; calyx partly open, large; lobes narrow, acuminate; basin shallow, obtuse, wrinkled; skin thick, granular, tough, roughish, dull; color yellowish-green, frequently with a dotted, dull red blush on the exposed cheek; dots many, of various colors, conspicuous; flesh yellowish-white, firm, granular, rather tough, very juicy, sweet, aromatic and rich; quality good. Core large, closed, with clasping core-lines; calyx-tube wide, conical; seeds narrow, very long, often flattened and abortive, acuminate.

[Illustration: DANA HOVEY]

DANA HOVEY

=1.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ =48.= 1891.

_Dana's No. 16._ =2.= _Mag. Hort._ =19=:541. 1853. =3.= _Ibid._ =20=:136. 1854.

_Dana's Hovey._ =4.= _Mag. Hort._ =25=:202, fig. 10. 1859. =5.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt._ 68. 1862. =6.= _Gard. Chron._ 1191, fig. 1866. =7.= Downing _Fr. Trees Am._ 730. 1869. =8=. Hogg _Fruit Man._ 556. 1884. =9.= _Garden_ =49=:226. 1896.

_Danas Hovey._ =10.= _Gard. Chron._ 3rd Ser. =47=:67, fig. 39. 1910.

Dana Hovey is a delicious little dessert pear, so juicy, sweet, and rich that it is a veritable sweetmeat. The fruits are so similar to those of Seckel that the variety is sometimes called "Winter Seckel." Dana Hovey is one of the best pears to succeed Seckel. The fruits come in season about the middle of November and keep six weeks in ordinary storage. The flavor is that of Winter Nelis with a smack of Seckel. If the fruits are picked early and kept in a dry, cool place they ripen early in December with a rich, golden color strewn with russet. It is in the same class with Seckel as to size of fruit, although the pears average larger and are more uniform in size from different trees and in different seasons. The pears are also more brightly colored than those of Seckel. Superiority in size and color makes the fruits of this variety much more attractive than those of the better-known Seckel. The trees are hardy, vigorous, and thrive on various soils but are only moderately productive and are somewhat susceptible to blight, falling far short of those of Seckel in these characters, for which reason the last-named variety is the better for commercial plantations. Dana Hovey is one of few winter pears with fruits of high quality, and thus is very desirable for home plantations and ought to have value in commercial plantations.

Francis Dana, Roxbury, Massachusetts, was an indefatigable raiser of new fruits, there being no fewer than sixteen varieties of pears with the prefix "Dana's," of which the one under notice is the best of all. It was introduced to the public about 1854 under the name of Dana's Hovey in honor of C. M. Hovey, the well-known nurseryman of Boston and author of _The Fruits of America_. Dana Hovey is so similar to Seckel that the latter is supposed to be one of its parents. The variety was added to the American Pomological Society's fruit-list in 1862.

Tree large, vigorous, upright-spreading, rapid-growing, productive; trunk stocky; branches reddish-brown mingled with green which is almost completely overspread with gray scarf-skin, marked by few small lenticels; branchlets thick, short, light brown mingled with green, marked with ash-gray at the tips, smooth, glabrous, with small, scattering, slightly raised lenticels.

Leaf-buds small, short, pointed, plump, usually appressed. Leaves 3-1/4 in. long, 2-1/8 in. wide, leathery; apex taper-pointed; margin glandless or with few reddish glands, finely serrate; petiole short, stocky, 1-1/2 in. long, glabrous. Flower-buds short, conical but obtuse at the apex, plump, free, arranged singly on short spurs; flowers 1-1/2 in. across, in dense clusters, average 8 buds in a cluster; pedicels 3/4 in. long, slender, thinly pubescent.

Fruit matures in late October and November; medium in size, 2-1/2 in. long, 2-1/8 in. wide, obovate-obtuse-pyriform, symmetrical, uniform; stem 1/2 in. long, slender; cavity abrupt, shallow, very small, narrow, slightly lipped; calyx partly open, small; lobes short, narrow, acute; basin shallow, narrow, obtuse, smooth, symmetrical; skin thin, tender, smooth; color golden-yellow at maturity, covered with thin russet; dots numerous, small, greenish-russet; flesh tinged with yellow, granular at the center, tender and melting, juicy, sweet, highly perfumed; quality of the best. Core large, closed, abaxile; calyx-tube short, wide, conical; seeds wide, short, plump, obtuse.

[Illustration: DEARBORN]

DEARBORN

=1.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 36. 1883. =2.= _Ont. Dept. Agr. Fr. Ont._ 155. 1914.

_Dearborn's Seedling._ =3.= _Kenrick Am. Orch._ 154. 1832. =4.= _Downing Fr. Trees Am._ 336, fig. 135. 1845. =5.= _Proc. Nat. Con. Fr. Gr._ 51. 1848. =6.= _Hovey Fr. Am._ =1=:63, Pl. 1851. =7.= Elliott _Fr. Book_ 336. 1859. =8.= _Mas Le Verger_ =2=:17, fig. 7. 1866-73. =9.= Leroy _Dict. Pom._ =2=:7, fig. 1869.

Once a favorite, Dearborn is now nearly lost to cultivation, and few or no nurserymen grow the trees. It is too good a variety to be lost, however, because of splendid fruit- and tree-characters. The fruits ripen early and are of good quality, though hardly as richly flavored as those of Elizabeth which ripen at the same time. Unfortunately the pears run small, but they are attractive in shape and color. In season, the crop succeeds that of Bloodgood and precedes that of Bartlett. The trees are almost flawless, and therefore are well adapted to home orchards where fruits cannot receive the care of skilled hands. Besides being almost free from blight, the trees are hardy, vigorous, and very productive. The variety has many valuable qualities for a summer pear in home orchards.

This pear was found growing in a border of shrubs in 1818 at Brinley Place, Roxbury, Massachusetts, the home of General H. A. S. Dearborn,[27] first president of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society. In 1831, General Dearborn first exhibited fruit of the variety at the Massachusetts Horticultural Society where it was named Dearborn's Seedling in honor of the originator. This variety should not be confused with a pear raised by Van Mons of Belgium and named by him Dearborn. The Dearborn of Van Mons is larger and ripens later than the American Dearborn, and was long since taken from lists of pears recommended for cultivation in America. Dearborn was included in the American Pomological Society's first fruit-catalog in 1848, where it was called Dearborn's Seedling. In 1883, the Society shortened the name to Dearborn. Since 1891, the name has failed to appear in the catalogs of this Society.

Tree large, vigorous, spreading, tall, very productive; trunk stocky; branches thick, zigzag, reddish-brown partly covered with a heavy, gray scarf-skin, marked by many reddish-brown lenticels; branchlets slender, very long, with long internodes, older wood brown, new growth greenish, nearly covered with reddish-brown, mottled with ash-gray scarf-skin, smooth, glabrous becoming pubescent near the tips of the new growth, with numerous small, brownish, round, raised, conspicuous lenticels.

Leaf-buds very small, short, pointed, plump, free. Leaves 3 in. long, 1-1/2 in. wide, thin; apex obtusely-pointed; margin with very fine dark tips, finely and shallowly serrate; petiole tinged red, 1-3/4 in. long, glabrous. Flower-buds small, short, conical, plump, free, arranged singly on short spurs; flowers showy, 1-1/4 in. across, in dense clusters, 9 or 10 buds in a cluster; pedicels 3/4 in. long, pubescent.

Fruit ripe in late August; small, 2 in. long, 2-1/4 in. wide, uniform, roundish-pyriform, with a slight neck, symmetrical, uniform; stem 1 in. long, slender; cavity obtuse, shallow, narrow, thinly russeted, often slightly lipped; calyx open, large; lobes separated at the base, narrow, acuminate; basin very shallow, obtuse, gently furrowed and wrinkled, symmetrical; skin thick, very tough, smooth, dull; color pale yellow, with russet specks; dots numerous, small, russet, conspicuous; flesh white, slightly granular at the center, tender and melting, very juicy, sweet but spicy, aromatic; quality good. Core large for the size of the fruit, closed, with clasping core-lines; calyx-tube short, wide, conical; seeds large, wide, long, plump, acute.

[Illustration: DORSET]

DORSET

=1.= Ellwanger & Barry _Cat._ 6, fig. 1895. =2.= _Ibid._ 17, fig. 1900. =3.= _W. N. Y. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 118. 1900. =4.= _Ill. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 220. 1902.

Dorset has been on probation in New York for twenty-five years, and its status is not yet decided. The fruits resemble those of Seckel in shape and color, but are larger and come in season later. These external resemblances to Seckel have given it the name "Late Seckel," which, however, is a misnomer, as a taste of the two fruits at once makes plain. Dorset is not nearly as richly flavored as Seckel. The tree-characters are all very good. Since there are few good late pears to follow Seckel, there may be a place for Dorset.

Dorset was raised from seed by Lemuel Clapp, Dorchester, Massachusetts, but the exact date of origin is unknown. The variety was introduced by Ellwanger and Barry, Rochester, New York, in 1895. During the next ten years it was placed on trial by several state experiment stations, and soon gained a reputation for the characters noted in the preceding paragraph.

Tree small, spreading, very productive, a regular bearer; trunk slender, shaggy; branches slender, smooth, reddish-brown mingled with dull ash-gray, marked with many large lenticels; branchlets slender, dark brown, smooth, glabrous, with large, raised, lenticels.

Leaf-buds medium to small, conical, pointed, free. Leaves 3 in. long, 1-1/2 in. wide, oval, leathery; apex taper-pointed; margin crenate; petiole 1-3/4 in. long, slender. Flower-buds large, long, conical, pointed, free; blossoms open very early; flowers often 1-3/8 in. across, showy, in dense clusters, from 8 to 12 buds in a cluster; pedicels 1 in. or less in length, pubescent, greenish.

Fruit matures in December; medium in size, 2-3/4 in. long, 2-1/2 in. wide, uniform in size and shape, obovate-obtuse-pyriform, with unequal sides; stem 3/4 in. long, curved, cavity almost lacking, obtuse, shallow, narrow, furrowed, compressed, often lipped; calyx open; lobes separated at the base, long, acute; basin narrow, obtuse or often quite abrupt, gently furrowed; skin thick, smooth; color dull greenish-yellow, marked with a dull bronze-red blush on the exposed cheek; dots many, small, grayish and russet, conspicuous; flesh yellowish-white, firm, granular at the center, tender, very juicy, very sweet and aromatic; quality good. Core closed, with clasping core-lines; calyx-tube short, wide, conical; seeds large, wide, long, plump, acute, broad at the base.

DOUGLAS

=1.= _Kan. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 63. 1908-09. =2.= _Rural N. Y._ =70=:59, fig. 24. 1911. =3.= _U. S. D. A. Yearbook_ 267, Pl. 4. 1912. =4.= _Rural N. Y._ =72=:458, fig. 146. 1913. =5.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt._ 41, 42. 1915.

In regions where blight and heat make pear-growing precarious, and only pears with oriental blood, as Kieffer, Garber, and Le Conte, can be grown, Douglas, which belongs with the pears just named, might well be tried. Certainly it is better in flavor than any other variety of its class. The trees come in bearing remarkably early, and are as productive as those of Kieffer, though hardly as large or as vigorous. The trees are inclined to overbear, in which case the fruits run small. The variety has little to recommend it for New York, but those who grow Kieffer might put it on probation with the hope of growing a fruit passably fair for dessert.

Douglas is a seedling of Kieffer crossed, it is believed, with Duchesse d'Angoulême by O. H. Ayer, Lawrence, Douglas County, Kansas, about the year 1897. It fruited first in 1902 and attracted the attention of A. H. Griesa, also of Lawrence, who propagated it in 1907, and sent out specimens of it for appraisement in October, 1910, when it was very favorably reported on by many prominent horticulturists. In accordance with Mr. Griesa's suggestion, it was named Douglas after the county of its origin.

Tree medium in size and vigor, upright, very productive; trunk slender, smooth; branches slender, dull brownish-red, mottled with gray scarf-skin; branchlets medium in thickness and length, smooth, glabrous, sprinkled with numerous raised, conspicuous lenticels. Leaf-buds large, long, pointed, plump, free; leaf-scars prominent. Leaves 3-1/4 in. long, 1-1/2 in. wide, thick; apex taper-pointed; margin glandless, finely and shallowly serrate; petiole 1-5/8 in. long. Flower-buds large, long, conical, plump, free; flowers 1-1/4 in. across, white or occasionally with a faint tinge of pink, 11 or 12 buds in a cluster; pedicels 1-5/8 in. long.

Fruit matures in October; large, 3-1/4 in. long, 2-3/4 in. wide, obovate-pyriform, tapering at both ends like the Kieffer; stem 1-5/8 in. long, slender; cavity deep, narrow, compressed, often lipped; calyx small, partly open; basin furrowed; skin thick, tough; color pale yellow, heavily dotted and sometimes flecked with russet; dots numerous, small, light russet or greenish; flesh tinged with yellow, firm but tender, granular, very juicy, sweet yet with an invigorating flavor; quality good. Core closed, axile; calyx-tube short, wide; seeds long, plump, acute.

[Illustration: DOYENNÉ D'ALENÇON]

DOYENNÉ D'ALENÇON

=1.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt._ 213. 1856. =2.= _Ibid._ 231. 1858. =3.= _Ann. Pom. Belge_ =8=:15, Pl. 1860. =4.= _Pom. France_ =2=: No. 47, Pl. 47. 1864. =5.= _Mas Le Verger_ =1=:23, fig. 10. 1866-73. =6.= Downing _Fr. Trees Am._ 742. 1869. =7.= Leroy _Dict. Pom._ =2=:55, fig. 1869. =8.= _Jour. Hort._ N. S. =20=:135. 1871. =9.= _Guide Prat._ 61, 264. 1876. =10.= Hogg _Fruit Man._ 564. 1884.

_Marmorirte Schmalzbirne._ =11.= Dochnahl _Führ. Obstkunde_ =2=:65. 1856.

_Dechantsbirne von Alençon._ =12.= Mathieu _Nom. Pom._ 201. 1889.

This old French pear is worth planting, if the trees can be obtained, because of its very late fruits and long season. The pears come in season under ordinary conditions in December and keep until March. The fruits are not remarkable for either taste or appearance, but are good for a winter product when there is little competition with other varieties. The pears are admirably adapted for culinary purposes. In some seasons the pears fail to ripen, and the variety should be planted only on warm soils and in situations where the season is warm and long. Tree and fruit have a family resemblance to Easter Beurré; the latter, however, is generally a better pear than this one. This variety is much grown in Europe on the quince, and in the various fanciful forms Europeans make use of in training fruit trees.

Doyenné d'Alençon is reported to be a wilding discovered by the Abbé Malassis near Alençon, Orne, France, and propagated by M. Thuillier, a nurseryman at Alençon. There was, however, a pear of the same name and season found at Orléans in 1628, in the orchard of Le Lectier, the renowned pomologist. It is probable that the pear which M. Thuillier propagated was the one found many years previously by Le Lectier. The variety must have been introduced into America between 1840 and 1850, as it was mentioned by the American Pomological Society in 1856 as one of the promising new pears. In 1858, the Society added the variety to its fruit-catalog, but discontinued recommending it in 1897.

Tree medium in size and vigor, upright, dense-topped, productive; trunk thick, shaggy; branches stocky, reddish-brown lightly covered with gray scarf-skin; branchlets slender, curved, short, with short internodes, light brown, with a faint reddish tinge, smooth, pubescent near the tips of the new growth, with numerous small, raised, conspicuous lenticels.

Leaf-buds small, short, sharply pointed, plump, free; leaf-scars with prominent shoulders. Leaves 2-3/4 in. long, 1-1/8 in. wide, thin; apex taper-pointed; margin with few glands, coarsely serrate; petiole 2-5/8 in. long, glabrous, with tinge of red, slender. Flower-buds small, short, conical, plump, free, arranged singly on short spurs; flowers early, 1-1/4 in. across, in dense clusters, average 9 buds in a cluster; pedicels 5/8 in. long, lightly pubescent.

Fruit ripe December to February; 2-7/8 in. long, 2-3/8 in. wide, medium in size, obovate-obtuse-pyriform, symmetrical, uniform; stem 3/4 in. long, thick, curved; cavity obtuse, shallow, symmetrical, often slightly lipped, small; calyx open, large; lobes not separated at the base, broad, narrow; basin narrow, abrupt, smooth, symmetrical; skin very thick, tough, roughish; color dull greenish-yellow, with a faint orange blush on the exposed cheek, marked with many brown and russet dots and netted with russet; dots numerous, small, brownish-russet, inconspicuous; flesh tinged with yellow, granular at the center, tender and melting, juicy, aromatic, with a lively vinous flavor; quality good. Core large, closed, axile, with clasping core-lines; calyx-tube short, wide, conical; seeds large, wide, long, plump, acute.

[Illustration: DOYENNÉ BOUSSOCK]

DOYENNÉ BOUSSOCK

=1.= Hovey _Fr. Am._ =1=:31, Pl. 1851. =2.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt._ 210. 1856. =3.= Downing _Fr. Trees Am._ 742, fig. 1869.

_Doyenne Boussock Nouvelle._ =4.= Kenrick _Am. Orch._ 143. 1841.

_Beurré de Mérode._ =5.= _Ann. Pom. Belge_ =5=:81, Pl. 1857.

_Doyenné de Mérode._ =6.= _Pom. France_ =2=: No. 86, Pl. 86. 1864. =8.= _Guide Prat._ 64, 266. 1876. =7.= Mas _Le Verger_ =3=: Pt. 1, 171, fig. 84. 1866-73.

_Doyenné Boussock._ =9.= Leroy _Dict. Pom._ =2=:58, fig. 1869. =10.= Hogg _Fruit Man._ 564. 1884.

_Boussock._ =11.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 36. 1883.

_Doppelte Philippsbirne._ =12.= Mathieu _Nom. Pom._ 204. 1889. =13.= Gaucher _Pom. Prak. Obst._ No. 33, Pl. 61. 1894.

This old Belgian pear is a leader in the second rank of commercial pears in this country. If the fruits were better in quality and kept a little longer, the variety would take rank among the best commercial pears, for the fruits are handsome and the trees are nearly flawless. As the color-plate shows, there are few pears more attractive than this one, but the briskly acid flavor is not pleasing to many, and the fruits become soft at the center soon after ripening. The pears are above medium in size and are sometimes large or very large. The seeds are often abortive. The trees are very large and vigorous, as hardy as those of any other pear to cold, less susceptible to blight than most of their orchard associates, and are remarkable for their prominent buds and large, thick, glossy-green leaves, which turn deep red in the autumn. On some soils the trees do not hold their crop well, and it is always best to plant them where there is some protection against heavy winds. The trees are prodigious bearers, and fruit regularly, characters which make the variety desirable for local markets.

This pear is supposed to have been raised by Van Mons at the beginning of the nineteenth century. It was placed on sale at Brussels about 1819. The variety was first given the name Doyenné de Mérode in honor of the Comté de Mérode of Waterloo, Belgium. In 1836, however, the name was changed to Doyenné Boussock. The catalog of the Horticultural Society of London shows that it was received in England in 1842. William Kenrick, on his return from Europe in the spring of 1841, brought the variety to America. In 1856 the American Pomological Society added this pear to its fruit-list.

Tree very large, vigorous, upright-spreading, tall, hardy, productive; trunk thick, shaggy; branches stocky, shaggy, grayish-brown; branchlets long, with long internodes, light brown tinged with red, overspread with ash-gray, smooth, glabrous, with few elongated, raised, inconspicuous lenticels.

Leaf-buds small, short, sharply pointed, plump, free; leaf-scars with prominent shoulders. Leaves 3-1/2 in. long, 1-7/8 in. wide, leathery; apex abruptly pointed; margin very finely serrate; petiole 1-1/2 in. long, slender. Flower-buds small, long and narrow, conical, free, singly on very short spurs; flowers early, showy, 1-5/8 in. across, in dense clusters, average 8 buds in a cluster; pedicels 1-1/8 in. long, thick, pubescent.

Fruit ripe in September; large, 3 in. long, 2-3/4 in. wide, uniform, obtuse-obovate-pyriform, symmetrical; stem 1 in. long, very thick; cavity obtuse, rather shallow, broad, often russeted, furrowed, lipped; calyx large, open; lobes separated at the base, broad, acute; basin shallow, wide, obtuse, gently furrowed and wrinkled; skin thin, tender, smooth except for the russet nettings; color pale yellow, occasionally with a mottled pinkish-red blush on the exposed cheek, more or less netted with russet; dots numerous, small, russet, conspicuous; flesh white, tender and melting, buttery, very juicy, briskly acid; quality good. Core large, closed, axile, with meeting core-lines; calyx-tube very short, wide, broadly conical; seeds black, narrow, long, flattened, often abortive.

[Illustration: DOYENNÉ DU COMICE]

DOYENNÉ DU COMICE

=1.= _Mag. Hort._ =18=:168, fig. 16. 1852. =2.= _Ann. Pom. Belge_ =8=:47, Pl. 1860. =3.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt._ 68. 1862. =4.= _Pom. France_ =2=: No. 58, Pl. 58. 1864. =5.= Mas _Le Verger_ =3=: Pt. 1, 7, fig. 2. 1866-73. =6.= _Downing Fr. Trees Am._ 744, fig. 1869. =7.= _Jour. Hort._ N. S. =17=:440, fig. 1869. =8.= Leroy _Dict. Pom._ =2=:60, fig. 1869. =9.= _Hogg Fruit Man._ 565. 1884. =10.= Rev. Hort. 447, Pl. 1908.

_Beurré Robert._ =11.= Leroy _Dict. Pom._ =1=:418, fig. 1867. =12.= _Ibid._ =2=:775. 1869.

_Comice._ =13.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 36. 1883.

_Vereins Dechantsbirne._ =14.= Mathieu _Nom. Pom._ 293. 1889. =15.= Gaucher _Pom. Prak. Obst._ No. 68, Pl. 36. 1894. =16.= _Deut. Obstsorten_ =5=: Pt. 14, Pl. 1909.

This pear has been esteemed long and justly for the beauty and high quality of its fruits. If its tree-characters were better the variety would take high place in commercial orcharding as well as for the home orchard, to which it is now almost wholly confined. The fruits are very large, smooth except for russet markings, clear handsome yellow at maturity, sometimes brightened by a delicate blush, with yellow, fine-grained flesh which is tender, melting, very juicy, sweet, piquant, perfumed. The quality is so good that the fruits of this variety are called by many the best of all pears. The list of faults for the trees is as long as the list of merits for the fruits. The young trees make a poor growth in the nursery; young or old, the trees must be humored in soil, climate, and care; they are subject to blight; while usually productive, they are not always so even where vigorous, healthy, and hardy; lastly, they are a little below the average in hardihood to cold. The variety is seldom at home in New York, but where it thrives, as on the Pacific slope, it is a valuable commercial pear, and is always worthy a place in the home orchard or in the collection of the pear-fancier. In Europe, it is reported as doing especially well on the quince.

The parent tree of Doyenné du Comice was taken from the first seed bed made in the fruit-garden of the Comice Horticole, Angers, Department of Maine-et-Loire, France. In November, 1849, it produced its first fruit, which was at once so highly esteemed that it was named Doyenné du Comice. It was placed on the market with unusual promptitude and rapidly distributed in foreign lands, reaching America about 1850. The variety was recommended for general cultivation by the American Pomological Society in 1862.

Tree vigorous, characteristically upright, dense, usually productive; branches smooth, dull gray mingled with greenish-brown, marked with large lenticels; branchlets long, brown tinged with red, glabrous, with many small, slightly raised, conspicuous lenticels.

Leaf-buds large, medium to long, conical, pointed, nearly free; leaf-scars prominent. Leaves 3-1/4 in. long, 1-1/2 in. wide, oval, leathery; margin finely serrate; petiole 2 in. long. Flower-buds short, conical, free; blossoms open late; flowers 1-1/4 in. across, in dense clusters, about 8 buds in a cluster; pedicels 7/8 in. long, slender, pubescent, light green.

Fruit ripe in late October and November; large, 3 in. long, 2-3/4 in. wide, obovate-obtuse-pyriform or roundish, with unequal sides; stem 1-1/4 in. long, very thick, usually curved; cavity obtuse, shallow, narrow, russeted and wrinkled, often with a fleshy ring around the base of the stem; calyx open; lobes separated at the base, long, narrow, acuminate; basin medium to wide, obtuse, often furrowed; skin tough and granular, smooth except for the russet markings, dull; color clear yellow, often with a very faint russet-red blush on the exposed cheek, the surface heavily covered with large patches and nettings of attractive russet; dots many, very small, dark brown, obscure; flesh tinged strongly with yellow, fine-grained near the outside but granular toward the core, melting, tender, buttery, very juicy, sweet and vinous, aromatic; quality very good to best. Core closed, with clasping core-lines; calyx-tube short, wide, conical; seeds large, wide, long, rather plump, acute, often abortive.

[Illustration: DUCHESSE D'ANGOULÊME]

DUCHESSE D'ANGOULÊME

=1.= Kenrick _Am. Orch._ 171. 1832. =2.= Downing _Fr. Trees Am._ 381. 1845. =3.= _Ann. Pom. Belge_ =1=:21, Pl. 1853. =4.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt._ 68. 1862. =5.= _Pom. France_ =1=: No. 17, Pl. 17. 1863. =6.= Mas _Le Verger_ =3=: Pt. 2, 79, fig. 136. 1866-73. =7.= Leroy _Dict. Pom._ =2=:98, figs. 1869. =8.= _Jour. Hort._ N. S. =24=:26. 1873. =9.= _Guide Prat._ 59, 267. 1876. =10.= _Hist. Mass. Hort. Soc._ 1829-78. 224. 1880. =11.= Hogg _Fruit Man._ 569. 1884.

_Duchess of Angoulême._ =12.= Lindley _Guide Orch. Gard._ 371. 1831.

_Angouleme._ =13.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 36. 1883.

_Herzogin von Angoulême._ =14.= Gaucher _Pom. Prak. Obst._ No. 46, Pl. 43. 1894.

The fruits of Duchesse d'Angoulême excite admiration and wonder by their enormous size. They may always be known by their great size, squat pyriform shape, and uneven knobby surfaces. Well grown, the pears have other virtues than size, as the flesh is buttery and melting with a rich and delicious flavor; but poorly grown, and on unfavorable soils, the flesh is granular, coarse-grained, but half-melting and nearly devoid of the richness that characterizes the fruits in happier situations. Size shrinks also when poorly grown, so that one may say that a small pear of this variety is seldom fit for dessert and too insipid for a good product in cookery. The trees are vigorous, hardy, and healthy, bear abundantly under favorable conditions, and succeed either as a standard or a dwarf. Possibly it is best grown as a dwarf, and in America at least is more often worked on the dwarfing quince than on the pear. In fact, this variety is the favorite dwarf-pear for garden and home orchard, and commercial orchards of dwarfed trees of it are not uncommon. On either stock, the tree makes a beautiful, symmetrical pyramid, comes in bearing early, and bears regularly. This variety is more popular in New York than in any other part of America, and while less planted than formerly, is still regarded as a standard late autumn variety. It is a particularly desirable sort for the pear-fancier.

The original tree of Duchesse d'Angoulême was a wilding growing in a garden near Angers, Maine-et-Loire, France. About 1808, M. Audusson, a nurseryman at Angers, appreciating the beauty and excellent quality of the pear, obtained the right to propagate it. In 1812 he began selling trees of the variety under the name of "Poire des Eparonnais." In 1820, M. Audusson sent a basket of the fruit to the Duchesse d'Angoulême with a request for permission to name the pear in her honor, a request which was granted. At the exhibition of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society held in 1830, Samuel G. Perkins showed a specimen which measured eleven and three-tenths inches. It was the only one that grew on the tree, and was considered to be the first fruit of this variety produced in America. The American Pomological Society added Duchesse d'Angoulême to its catalog-list of fruits in 1862.

Tree medium in size, vigorous, upright-spreading, dense-topped, slow-growing, usually hardy, productive; trunk thick; branches stocky, shaggy, zigzag, dull reddish-brown overspread with scarf-skin, marked with small lenticels; branchlets thick, short, dull light brown, streaked with gray scarf-skin, smooth, glabrous, with many small, raised lenticels.

Leaf-buds small, short, conical, pointed, nearly free; leaf-scars prominent. Leaves 2-3/4 in. long, 1-5/8 in. wide, oval, thick, leathery; apex taper-pointed; margin marked with minute dark brown glands, crenate or nearly entire; petiole 1-3/4 in. long. Flower-buds large, long, conical, plump, free, arranged singly or in small clusters on short branches and spurs; flowers 1-3/8 in. across, 7 or 8 buds in each cluster; pedicels 1 in. long, slender, lightly pubescent, greenish.

Fruit ripe October to November; large, often very large, 4 in. long, 3 in. wide, uniform in size, oblong-obovate-pyriform, with irregular and uneven surface and with sides often unequal; stem frequently 1-1/2 in. long, very thick, curved; cavity acute, deep, furrowed, irregular, often lipped; calyx partly open, small; lobes short, narrow, acute; basin medium to deep, abrupt, furrowed and uneven, often corrugated; skin thick, granular, roughened with russet; color dull yellow, streaked, spotted and netted with dull russet; dots numerous, russet, conspicuous; flesh white, firm becoming somewhat melting and quite tender when fully mature, granular, juicy, sweet, rich and delicious when fully mature; quality good to very good. Core closed, with clasping core-lines; calyx-tube short, wide, conical; seeds small, narrow, flat, acute, very often abortive.

[Illustration: DUCHESSE D'ORLÉANS]

DUCHESSE D'ORLÉANS

=1.= Kenrick _Am. Orch._ 143. 1841. =2.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt._ 68. 1862. =3.= Downing _Fr. Trees Am._ 749. 1869. =4.= Hogg _Fruit Man._ 570. 1884.

_Duchess of Orleans._ =5.= Hovey _Fr. Am._ =1=:91, Pl. 1851.

_Saint-Nicolas._ =6.= _Pom. France_ =1=: No. 33, Pl. 33. 1863. =7.= _Cat. Cong. Pom. France_ 343, fig. 1906.

_Beurré de Saint-Nicolas._ =8.= Mas _Le Verger_ =3=: Pt. 1, 137, fig. 67. 1866-73. =9.= Leroy _Dict. Pom._ =1=:426, fig. 1867.

_Butterbirne von Saint-Nicolas._ =10.= Mathieu _Nom. Pom._ 191. 1889.

In the middle of the last century this pear was heralded as one of the best of the French varieties which were then coming to this country in great numbers, but it is now almost lost to cultivation. While in no way remarkable, the variety is too valuable to be discarded. As the color-plate shows, the fruits are prepossessing in appearance. The pears are bright yellow, with a brilliant cheek, the whole fruit being more or less mottled with golden russet. Few pears are smoother of skin or more symmetrical in shape, and the fruits are more uniform in size than those of most varieties. The quality, as well as the appearance, is pleasing. While the flesh is a little dry and not as rich in flavor as that of most other varieties of its season, it is so crisp and refreshingly piquant in contrast to the sweeter, buttery pears with which it ripens, its season being just after that of Bartlett, that the variety finds favor with all who like pears. The variety fails in its tree-characters. Thus, the trees are late in coming in bearing; are not very vigorous; are somewhat tender to cold; and do not resist blight well. The variety has little value for commercial places, but if the trees can be obtained, is well worth planting in the home orchard.

This pear is a chance seedling found by M. Maurier near Angers, Maine-et-Loire, France, nearly a century ago. It was propagated by M. Flon, a nurseryman of Angers and fruited first in 1839. In England and America the variety has been chiefly known as Duchesse d'Orléans, but many French horticulturists have used the name Saint-Nicolas. The variety was added to the fruit-catalog list of the American Pomological Society in 1862, but was dropped from the list in 1871.

Tree medium in size and vigor, spreading, moderately productive; trunk slender, shaggy; branches medium in thickness and smoothness, reddish-brown partly overspread with thin gray scarf-skin, with few indistinct lenticels; branchlets short, with short internodes, light brownish-red mingled with green and partly covered with thin, gray scarf-skin, dull, smooth, glabrous, with conspicuous, raised lenticels.

Leaf-buds long, narrow, sharply pointed, plump, free. Leaves 3 in. long, 1-1/2 in. wide; apex taper-pointed; margin tipped with small, brownish glands, coarsely serrate; petiole 2 in. long, glabrous, reddish-green. Flower-buds long, conical, sharply pointed, free, singly on numerous short spurs; flowers showy, 1-3/8 in. across, in dense clusters, average 7 buds in a cluster, the petals widely separated at the base; pedicels 7/16 in. long, slender, lightly pubescent.

Fruit matures in late September and October; medium in size, 2-7/8 in. long, 2-1/4 in. wide, obovate-acute-pyriform, symmetrical; stem 1 in. long, thick; cavity lacking, the flesh drawn up in a symmetrical fold about the stem; calyx small, open; lobes separated at the base, narrow, acute; basin very shallow, narrow, obtuse, smooth or slightly wrinkled; skin thin, tender, smooth; color yellow overlaid with a red blush, faintly mottled with golden russet; dots numerous, whitish or russet, conspicuous; flesh tinged with yellow, firm, granular, crisp, juicy, subacid; quality good. Core small, closed, axile, with meeting core-lines; calyx-tube short, conical; seeds long, plump, acute.

[Illustration: DUHAMEL DU MONCEAU]

DUHAMEL DU MONCEAU

=1.= Leroy _Dict. Pom._ =2=:114, fig. 1869. =2.= Downing _Fr. Trees Am._ 2nd App. 146, fig. 1876. =3.= _W. N. Y. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 118. 1881.

_Duhamel's Butterbirne._ =4.= Mathieu _Nom. Pom._ 207. 1889.

_Duhamel._ =5.= Budd-Hansen _Am. Hort. Man._ =2=:241. 1903.

The unattractive little fruits of this pear would have small value were it not for the fact that they are delicious in quality and come into edible condition late. The fruits are of the type of those of Winter Nelis, differing in shape somewhat, but are even better in quality and keep longer. The fruits are further distinguished by a musky taste and perfume, which make them especially agreeable to those who like rich, sweet, perfumed pears. The trees, while in no characters remarkable, are better than most of their orchard associates, and far superior to the unmanageable trees of Winter Nelis with which this variety must compete. After a probationary period of a half century in America, Duhamel du Monceau has not found favor with commercial orchardists, but pear fanciers value it for its delectable late-keeping fruits. Nurserymen find the trees rather difficult to grow.

Duhamel du Monceau was obtained from seed by André Leroy, the eminent author and pomologist at Angers, France. In naming the variety, M. Leroy said that his purpose was to do honor to the memory of the illustrious professor who filled an important place in pomology, and who, in giving us the _Traité des arbres fruitiers_ published in 1768, rendered and still renders valuable services to horticulturists. The original tree began to fruit in 1862 and was cataloged by Leroy in 1865. The variety seems to have been described first in America by Downing in 1876.

Tree vigorous, upright, dense, hardy; trunk stocky; branches thick, zigzag, dull brownish-red, covered with ash-gray scarf-skin, marked with numerous large lenticels; branchlets very thick, short, with short internodes, brownish-red, tinged with green, dull, smooth, glabrous, with many conspicuous, raised lenticels.

Leaf-buds long, obtuse, appressed; leaf-scars prominent. Leaves 3 in. long, 1-7/8 in. wide, long, folded lengthwise with the margins curled under, leathery; apex taper-pointed; margin entire or coarsely crenate; petiole 2 in. long, slender. Flower-buds large, long, conical, plump, free, singly on short spurs; blossoms open late; flowers 1 in. across, well distributed, averaging 7 buds in a cluster; pedicels 1-3/16 in. long, slender, pubescent, pale green.

Fruit ripe October to November; above medium in size, 3-1/8 in. long, 2-1/2 in. wide, uniform in size, roundish-pyriform or at times oblong-pyriform, symmetrical, with equal sides; stem 1 in. long, slightly curved, thick; cavity lacking, the stem being attached to the smooth, flat surface; calyx open; lobes separated at the base, short, obtuse or acute; basin shallow, obtuse, gently furrowed, small; skin thin, tender, roughened by the russet skin, dull; color greenish-yellow overspread with solid russet, or splashed, spotted and sprinkled with russet, the cheek often solid russet; dots many, small, russet, obscure because of the russet color, slightly raised; flesh yellowish-white, granular especially around the core, melting, buttery, very juicy, vinous; quality very good. Core variable in size, closed, with clasping core-lines; calyx-tube short, wide, conical; seeds elongated-oval, wide, plump, acute.

[Illustration: EARLY HARVEST]

EARLY HARVEST

=1.= _Neb. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 129. 1890. _2._ Budd-Hansen _Am. Hort. Man._ =2=:243. 1903. _Chambers_. =3.= _Horticulturist_ =25=:263, fig. 1870. =4.= Tilton _Jour. Hort._ =8=:293. 1870. =5.= _Mass. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 157. 1874. =6.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 32. 1875. =7.= Downing _Fr. Trees Am._ 3rd App. 174. 1881. =8.= _Can. Hort._ =26=:130. 1903. =9.= Ont. Dept. Agr. _Fr. Ont._ 151, fig. 1914.

The fruits of Early Harvest are so poor in quality and rot at the core so soon after ripening, that the variety is hardly worth growing in New York, where there are many better pears of its season. To offset these defects, the pears are large and handsome for early fruits, and the trees are healthy and regular and heavy bearers. The pear is characterized by a thick, fleshy stem and a large closed core. Nurserymen report that the tree is difficult to propagate, and fruit-growers find that it is slow in coming in bearing; the growth is usually straggling and difficult to manage in nursery or orchard. The variety is more popular in the Middle West than in any other part of the country.

This variety appears to have been brought to Middletown, Kentucky, from Maryland by Captain William Chambers about 1800, with several other varieties. According to the rules of pomological nomenclature, this pear should be called Chambers as it was first known. The name Early Harvest was given the variety by Kentucky growers because of its extreme earliness, and became so closely associated with the variety that today it is the only one with which the public is familiar. In 1875 this variety was added to the fruit catalog-list of the American Pomological Society under the name Chambers.

Tree large, very vigorous, upright-spreading, dense-topped, very hardy, productive with age, long-lived; trunk very stocky, shaggy; branches thick, shaggy, zigzag, dull reddish-brown mingled with green and heavily covered with grayish scarf-skin, marked with numerous, large, elongated lenticels; branchlets very thick, straight, long, with long internodes, dull olive-green mingled with light brown, smooth, glabrous, with numerous very conspicuous, raised lenticels, variable in size.

Leaf-buds small, short, obtuse, appressed; leaf-scars prominent. Leaves 3-1/8 in. long, 2-3/8 in. wide; apex very abruptly pointed; margin glandless, varying from finely serrate to entire; petiole 1-5/8 in. long, slender. Flowers open early, showy, 1-1/8 in. across, well distributed, average 7 buds in a cluster; pedicels 1 in. long, thinly pubescent.

Fruit ripens in August; large, 3-1/2 in. long, 3 in. wide, obovate-obtuse-pyriform, symmetrical; stem very thick, fleshy at its juncture with the cavity; cavity obtuse, shallow, narrow, often slightly wrinkled and drawn up in fleshy folds around the base of the stem; calyx small, open; lobes short, obtuse; basin shallow, narrow, obtuse, slightly wrinkled; skin thin, smooth; color pale yellow, more or less overspread on the exposed cheek with a pinkish blush, with stripes of carmine; dots numerous, small, greenish-russet, obscure; flesh yellowish, firm, granular, crisp, somewhat tough, variable in juiciness; quality poor. Core large, closed, axile, with clasping core-lines; calyx-tube very long, narrow; seeds wide, short, plump, obtuse.

[Illustration: EASTER BEURRÉ]

EASTER BEURRÉ

=1.= _Pom. Mag._ =2=:78, Pl. 1829. =2.= Lindley _Guide Orch. Gard._ 397. 1831. =3.= Kenrick _Am. Orch._ 160. 1841. =4.= Downing _Fr. Trees Am._ 425, fig. 196. 1845. =5.= _Gard. Chron._ 168, fig. 1845. =6.= _Mag. Hort._ =16=:73. 1850. =7.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt._ 157. 1854. =8.= _Ibid._ 66. 1862. =9.= Downing _Fr. Trees Am._ 751, fig. 1869. =10.= Hogg _Fruit Man._ 572. 1884. =11.= Ont. Dept. Agr. _Fr. Ont._ 159, figs. 1914.

_Bergamote de la Pentecôte._ =12.= _Ann. Pom. Belge_ =4=:41, Pl. 1856.

_Doyenné d'Hiver._ =13.= Mas _Le Verger_ =1=:43, fig. 28. 1866-73. =14.= Leroy _Dict. Pom._ =2=:72, fig. 1869. =15.= _Guide Prat._ 61, 265. 1876.

_Beurré Rouppé._ =16.= Mas _Pom. Gen._ =4=:87, fig. 236. 1879.

_Winter Dechantsbirne._ =17.= Mathieu _Nom. Pom._ 300. 1889. =18.= Gaucher _Pom. Prak. Obst._ No. 71, Pl. 34. 1894.

The fruit-books of Europe have so much to say in praise of Easter Beurré that the variety has been tried time and time again in America, but nearly always with unfavorable results. The variety grows well only in comparatively warm climates and on light, warm, limy soils, and refuses to ripen its crop in any others. There are occasional places in eastern America where Easter Beurré can be well grown, but for most part it is at home only on the Pacific slope. The fruits are of first rate excellence when at their best, and add much to the winter supply of pears, the product of few other winter pears surpassing that of this sort from January to March in regions where it does well. The pears are excellent shippers, keep well in common or cold storage, so that where the variety succeeds it is valuable for home, and distant and foreign markets. The trees are in every way satisfactory except that they bloom a little earlier than other sorts, and are somewhat more susceptible to the scab fungus in both fruit and foliage than a commercial variety should be. Although a little too susceptible to blight, the trees are above the average in immunity, and are hardy, vigorous, and productive. The variety is well worth planting in soils and climates where the crop matures properly.

In the gardens of the Capucin Monastery at Louvain, Belgium, there was, about 1823, an old pear tree known to the monks as the _Pastorale de Louvain_, which attracted the attention of Van Mons. He propagated the pear and in due course distributed it. By the year 1853, it was to be found pretty generally in the gardens of Belgium under the name of _Pastorale_. Since that time it has been very widely disseminated, but unfortunately has received a confusing variety of names, Leroy mentioning twenty-four and Mathieu fifty-five. The leading authorities, however, of England and this country have uniformly adopted the name Easter Beurré. It was received in the former country soon after its first dissemination, and it was brought to this country not later than 1837. Since 1862, Easter Beurré has appeared in the list of pears recommended for general cultivation by the American Pomological Society.

Tree medium in size, vigorous, upright-spreading, open-topped, slow-growing, hardy; branches reddish-brown overspread with gray scarf-skin, sprinkled with inconspicuous lenticels; branchlets variable in length, with short internodes, greenish-brown mingled with red, rough, glabrous, with small, round, raised lenticels.

Leaf-buds small, very short, obtuse, free. Leaves 2-1/8 in. long, 1-1/8 in. wide, thin; apex abruptly pointed; margin finely serrate, the teeth very short, tipped with red; petiole 2 in. long, slender. Flower-buds small, short, conical, plump, free, singly on short spurs; flowers 1-1/4 in. across, occasionally tinged with pink in the bud, becoming white when open, well distributed, average 9 buds in a cluster; pedicels 3/4 in. long, slender, pubescent.

Fruit in season late December to February; 3 in. long, 2-3/8 in. wide, obovate-pyriform, with a short, thick neck; stem 3/4 in. long, thick, woody; cavity acute, very deep, narrow, furrowed, uneven, compressed; calyx open; lobes narrow, acute; basin deep, narrow, abrupt, furrowed and wrinkled; skin thick, tough, roughened by the dots, the surface uneven; color yellow, marked with many russet dots and with patches and veinings of russet, often with a dull brownish-red blush; dots numerous, small, very conspicuous, russet; flesh tinged with yellow, granular near the center and toward the calyx, tender and melting, juicy, buttery, sweet, with a rich, pleasant flavor, very aromatic; quality very good. Core large, closed, axile, with meeting core-lines; calyx-tube short, wide, conical; seeds large, wide, long, plump, acute.

[Illustration: ELIZABETH]

ELIZABETH

=1.= _Mag. Hort._ =8=:57. 1842. =2.= _Ibid._ =13=:63, fig. 6. 1847. =3.= Leroy _Dict. Pom._ =2=:126, fig. 1869. =4.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 23. 1897.

_Manning's Elizabeth._ =5.= Downing _Fr. Trees Am._ 385. 1845. =6.= Hovey _Fr. Am._ =2=:41, Pl. 1851. =7.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt._ 231. 1854. =8.= Downing _Fr. Trees Am._ 810, fig. 1869.

_Elizabeth de Manning._ =9.= Mas _Le Verger_ =2=:105, fig. 51. 1866-73. =10.= _Guide Prat._ 93, 269. 1876.

_Nina._ =11.= Hogg _Fruit Man._ 623. 1884. =12.= Mathieu _Nom. Pom._ 258. 1889.

Elizabeth is among the best summer pears for eastern America, either for home consumption or for the markets. The characters which commend it are: handsome, well-flavored fruits; and vigorous, hardy, productive trees, which are as resistant to blight as those of any other European pear, and which come in bearing early and bear annually. Faults are: the fruits are small, a fault that can be overcome somewhat by thinning; they are a little coarse in texture of flesh, which is a little too gritty; and the flavor, while good for an early pear, is not as sweet and rich as might be desired. The trees are nearly flawless, failing, if at all, in not attaining as great size as some other inhabitants of pear orchards. The crop is often borne in clusters--a defect by reason of which the fruits are so often small. But even with these defects, we must end as we began with the statement that this is one of the best summer pears.

In the year 1819, Van Mons established his famous nursery at Louvain, Belgium, and in the years 1830 and 1831 he sent from there two consignments of pear cions to the Massachusetts Horticultural Society, both of which were unfortunately lost in turn on the way. Three years later, Kenrick, Manning, and Dearborn, Massachusetts horticulturists, requested him to forward another collection. In the successive springs of 1835 and 1836, he sent two more collections which safely arrived in due course, though a large proportion of the cions died. These collections comprised originally about 150 named and 100 seedling unnamed varieties, and Van Mons granted Manning permission to name any of the latter that might prove worthy of cultivation. No. 154 of these, Mr. Manning[28] named _Elizabeth_ (_Van Mons_). Later on it was disseminated as _Manning's Elizabeth_, and soon after the name was shortened to i. The variety was placed in the fruit-list of the American Pomological Society in 1854.

Tree small, upright, dense-topped, hardy, very productive; trunk slender; branches brownish-green, partly overspread with thin, gray scarf-skin, marked by conspicuous, oval lenticels; branchlets slender, long, reddish-brown mingled with green, new growth exceptionally red, dull, smooth, glabrous except on the younger wood, with obscure, raised lenticels.

Leaf-buds small, short, pointed, plump, free. Leaves 3 in. long, 1-1/2 in. wide, stiff; apex variable; margin almost entire; petiole 2 in. long, slender, reddish-green; stipules very small and slender when present. Flower-buds small, short, conical, plump, free, singly on short spurs; flowers early, showy, 1-5/8 in. across, in dense clusters, average 8 buds in a cluster; pedicels 1 in. long, lightly pubescent.

Fruit ripe in late August; small, 2-3/8 in. long, 2-1/2 in. wide, obovate-obtuse-pyriform, symmetrical, uniform; stem 1 in. long, thick, curved; cavity acuminate, shallow, narrow, symmetrical, often lipped; calyx large, almost closed; lobes separated at the base, short, narrow, acuminate; basin shallow, obtuse, gently furrowed and wrinkled; skin tough, characteristically rough, glossy; color bright yellow, with a lively, red cheek, mottled with brownish, minute specks; dots numerous, very small, conspicuous, russet or brown; flesh tinged with yellow, slightly granular under the skin, strongly granular at the center, tender and melting, very juicy, sweet, vinous, aromatic; quality very good. Core large, closed, with clasping core-lines; calyx-tube short, wide, conical; seeds wide, plump, acute.

[Illustration: FLEMISH BEAUTY]

FLEMISH BEAUTY

=1.= _Pom. Mag._ =3=:128, Pl. 1830. =2.= Lindley _Guide Orch. Gard._ 373. 1831. =3.= Downing _Fr. Trees Am._ 386, fig. 167. 1845. =4.= _Proc. Nat. Con. Fr. Gr._ 51. 1848. =5.= Hovey _Fr. Am._ =1=:51, Pl. 1851. =6.= Downing _Fr. Trees Am._ 760, fig. 1869. =7.= Hogg _Fruit Man._ 578. 1884.

_Belle de Flanders._ =8.= _Kenrick Am. Orch._ 172. 1832.

_Fondante des Bois._ =9.= _Ann. Pom. Belge_ =6=:41, Pl. 1858. =10.= _Pom. France_ =1=: No. 25, Pl. 25, 1863. =11.= Mas _Le Verger_ =3=: Pt. 2, 55, fig. 124. 1866-73. =12.= Leroy _Dict. Pom._ =2=:166, fig. 1869. =13.= _Guide Prat._ 58, 272. 1876. =14.= _Soc. Nat. Hort. France Pom._ 412, fig. 1904.

_Holzfarbige Butterbirne._ =15.= Mathieu _Nom. Pom._ 235. 1889. =16.= Gaucher _Pom. Prak. Obst._ No. 49, Pl. 38. 1894.

At one time Flemish Beauty was a leading commercial variety in the pear regions of eastern America, but it has been supplanted by other varieties because the toll of blighted trees is too great, and the fruits are too often disfigured by the scab fungus. Perhaps the latter is the greater fault as in some seasons no applications of spray give the pears a clean cheek, and they are blackened, scabbed, cracked and malformed with this fungus. Not infrequently the scab-infected foliage drops before the crop matures. To offset these defects, the trees have to their credit great vigor, unusual fruitfulness and as great hardihood to cold as those of any other variety. The trees do not come in bearing early, and are not suitable for dwarfing as they overgrow the quince stock. The fruits are nearly perfect if scab-free and properly matured. To make sure of perfect maturity, the pears must be picked as soon as they attain full size and be permitted to ripen under cover. So treated, a bright-cheeked Flemish Beauty is as handsome as any pear, and is almost unapproachable in quality; the flavor is nicely balanced between sweetness and sourness, very rich, and has a pleasing muskiness. Blight and scab condemn tree and fruit for commercial orchards, but a lover of good pears should combat these troubles for the sake of the choice fruits.

The parent tree of this variety is said to have been a wilding found in a wood near Alost, East Flanders, Belgium, about the beginning of the nineteenth century. It was cultivated under the Flemish name of _Bosc Peêr_ or _Pear of the Woods_. About 1810, the propagation of the variety was taken up by Van Mons who introduced it a few years later under the name _Fondante des Bois_ by which name it was known in Europe for many years. Lindley, writing in 1831, described this variety under the name _Flemish Beauty_, and it appeared then to be in pretty general cultivation in England. Styling it _Barnard_, Hovey wrote, in 1851, that Flemish Beauty "had been known in Dorchester, Massachusetts, for nearly twenty years," so that it is to be inferred that the variety was introduced to this country prior to 1830 and possibly by some one by the name of Barnard. The rapid distribution of this pear was promoted by Van Mons who gave numerous grafts of it to his friends and correspondents. The fact that the variety has over sixty synonyms may be taken as some testimony to its popularity and excellence. At the first meeting of the American Pomological Society held in 1848, Flemish Beauty was placed in the list of pears recommended for general cultivation, a place it has since retained.

Tree medium in size, vigorous, spreading, with drooping branches, hardy, productive; trunk smooth; branches thick, shaggy, bright reddish-brown, with dull gray scarf-skin, large lenticels; branchlets thick, short, with short internodes, reddish-brown, smooth, glabrous, with many large, raised lenticels.

Leaf-buds large, long, obtuse, pointed, nearly free; leaf-scars prominent. Leaves 3-1/2 in. long, 1-3/4 in. wide, oval, thick, leathery; apex taper-pointed; margin finely serrate; petiole 2 in. long, usually slender. Flower-buds very large, long, conical or pointed, very plump, free; flowers 1-1/4 in. across, in dense clusters, usually 7 buds in a cluster; pedicels 1-1/4 in. long, slender, slightly pubescent, light green.

Fruit ripe in late September and early October; large, nearly 2-3/4 in. long, 2-1/2 in. wide, uniform in size and shape, roundish or obovate-obtuse-pyriform, symmetrical, with nearly equal sides; stem 1-1/8 in. long, thick; cavity acute, shallow to deep, narrow, slightly russeted, a little furrowed; calyx open; lobes partly separated at the base, short, obtuse; basin shallow, narrow, abrupt, symmetrical; skin thick, tough, roughish, dull; color clear yellow, overspread on the exposed cheek with a dotted and marbled red blush; dots numerous, russet, small, conspicuous; flesh yellowish-white, firm, becoming melting and tender, granular, juicy, sweet, aromatic, with a slight musky flavor; quality very good. Core closed, with clasping core-lines; calyx-tube short, wide, conical; seeds rather long, plump, acute.

FONDANTE DE NOËL

=1.= _Mag. Hort._ =21=:267, fig. 9. 1855. =2.= _Ann. Pom. Belge_ =7=:67, Pl. 1859. =3.= _Pom. France_ =1=: No. 14, Pl. 14. 1863. =4.= Mas _Le Verger_ =1=:65, fig. 39. 1866-73. =5.= Downing _Fr. Trees Am._ 764. 1869. =6.= Hogg _Fruit Man._ 580. 1884.

_Belle après Noël._ =7.= McIntosh _Bk. Gard._ =2=:459. 1855.

_Weihnachtsbirne._ =8.= Dochnahl _Führ. Obstkunde_ =2=:62. 1856. =9.= Mathieu _Nom. Pom._ 296. 1889.

_Belle de Noël._ =10.= Leroy _Dict. Pom._ =1=:209, fig. 1867.

It is doubtful whether this rather rare European pear can be purchased from American nurserymen now, but possibly it may be had, and at least it could be re-propagated from old trees. The fruit is distinguished by its trim, top-shaped form and handsome coat, usually enlivened with a dull color on the sunny side. The flesh, while gritty near the core, is tender, juicy, buttery, very rich, sweet, and aromatic. It is just the pear for those who prefer sweetness to vinousness or piquancy, and who object to even a trace of astringency. The trees, while only medium in size, are vigorous, hardy, healthy, and productive. If the variety grows elsewhere as well as it does on the grounds of the New York Agricultural Experiment Station it is too good to be lost. The fruits are in season and at their best for Christmas.

This pear was raised from seed by Major Espéren, Mechlin, Belgium. The tree fruited first in 1842 and was given the name _Fondante de Noël_ to indicate the day on which it was tasted for the first time. In 1862 a pear called _Souvenir d'Espéren_, attributed to seed grown by Berckmans, a noted Belgian horticulturist living in the United States, was put forth, but after examination there did not appear to be any difference in either the fruit or the wood of this tree from that of the variety grown by Major Espéren. Because the name _Souvenir d'Espéren_ appears in connection with _Fondante de Noël_, the variety has been confused with another pear which was raised by Major Espéren and named _Souvenir d'Espéren_. The two, however, are entirely distinct and the last-named sort has long been known and is still found growing in certain pear orchards of the eastern United States.

Tree medium in size and vigor, upright, hardy, productive; trunk thick, smooth; branches brownish-green, nearly covered with gray scarf-skin; branchlets slender, with long internodes, smooth, glabrous, marked with conspicuous, raised lenticels.

Leaf-buds large, long, conical, plump, free. Leaves 3-1/2 in. long, 1-1/2 in. wide; apex taper-pointed; margin glandless, finely serrate; petiole 2-7/8 in. long. Flower-buds large, long, plump, free, singly on short spurs; flowers showy, 1-1/2 in. across, white often tinged pink on the edges of the petals, average 9 buds in a cluster; pedicels 7/8 in. long.

Fruit matures December to January; large, 2-1/2 in. long, 2-3/4 in. wide, roundish-turbinate, irregular; stem 3/4 in. long, thick, woody, obliquely set; cavity obtuse, shallow, narrow, furrowed, often lipped; calyx small, nearly closed; basin narrow, obtuse, furrowed; skin roughened by russet dots and patches; color dull greenish-yellow, with many dots, flecks and patches of russet, often with a faint trace of brownish-red on the sunny side; dots numerous, small, russet, rather conspicuous; flesh white, gritty only near the core, tender, buttery, juicy, sweet, highly aromatic; quality good to very good; core large, with meeting core-lines; calyx-tube short, wide; seeds large, long, plump, acute.

[Illustration: FONTENAY]

FONTENAY

=1.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 38. 1883.

_Jalousie de Fontenay Vendée._ =2.= Downing _Fr. Trees Am._ 396, fig. 173. 1845. =3.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt._ 68. 1862.

_Belle de Esquermes._ =4.= _Mag. Hort._ =20=:135. 1854.

_Jalousie de Fontenay._ =5.= _Pom. France_ =1=: No. 44, Pl. 44. 1863. =6.= Hogg _Fruit Man._ 303. 1866. =7.= Mas _Le Verger_ =3=: Pt. 2, 157, fig. 175. 1866-73. =8.= Leroy _Dict. Pom._ =2=:295, fig. 1869. =9.= _Guide Prat._ 64, 281. 1876.

_Birn von Fontenay._ =10.= Mathieu _Nom. Pom._ 215. 1889. =11.= Lucas _Tafelbirnen_ 87, fig. 1894.

The reader will discover no noteworthy characters in the description of this pear; nor does the accompanying illustration make the variety particularly alluring, although the color-plate scarcely does the fruits justice in either size or color. The variety is to be found in many old orchards in eastern America, but was long since relegated by pear-growers to the limbo of nurserymen's catalogs. The only reason for giving it a place in _The Pears of New York_ is that the variety was once prominent, and references to it and comparisons with it are so common in horticultural literature that pear-growers are certain to want to know something about it. As the following description shows, the variety is but mediocre in tree and fruit.

Early in the eighteenth century M. Lévêque, an architect, acquired possession of an estate near Fontenay, France. A number of pear seedlings were growing upon this property, one of which was so good as to attract M. Lévêque's attention and he began propagating it in 1828. Later he distributed cions of the variety to his friends under the name _Poire de Fontenay_. Soon afterward the name was changed to _Jalousie de Fontenay_, Leroy took the variety to the garden of the Horticultural Society of Angers about 1835, from which place it was still more widely disseminated. It soon found its way to America where it gained early popularity. In 1862 the American Pomological Society listed this variety in its fruit-catalog under the name _Jalousie de Fontenay_, but shortened the name, in 1883, to _Fontenay_. In 1899, however, the name disappeared from this catalog and has never been replaced.

Tree medium in size, vigorous, upright, dense-topped, hardy; trunk slender, smooth; branches slender, brown mingled with green, partly covered with thin, gray scarf-skin; branchlets thick, long, with short internodes, light brownish-green, faintly tinged with red, dull, the new growth pubescent near the ends, smooth, with numerous, conspicuous, small, raised lenticels.

Leaf-buds very small, short, sharply pointed, free; leaf-scars with large, prominent shoulders. Leaves 3 in. long, 1-1/2 in. wide, very thick; apex taper-pointed; margin almost glandless, finely serrate; petiole 2 in. long, variable in size, glabrous; stipules very slender, tinged red. Flower-buds small, short, conical, free, singly on very short spurs; flowers late, showy, 1-3/4 in. across, in dense clusters, average 7 buds in a cluster; pedicels 5/8 in. long, lightly pubescent.

Fruit matures in October; small, 2-5/8 in. long, 2 in. wide, oblong-acute-pyriform, symmetrical, with equal sides; stem 3/4 in. long, curved; cavity lacking, the flesh folded around the base of the stem, often lipped; calyx partly open; lobes broad, acute; basin shallow, narrow, obtuse, slightly wrinkled, symmetrical; skin thick, tough, smooth; color dull yellowish-green, netted and patched with russet, with a tinge of red on the exposed cheek; dots numerous, small, russet, obscure; flesh strongly granular at the center, tender and melting, very juicy, subacid; quality good. Core large, closed, axile, with meeting core-lines; calyx-tube short, narrow, funnel-shaped; carpels emarginate; seeds large, wide, long, plump, acute.

FORELLE

=1.= _Trans. Lond. Hort. Soc._ =5=:408, Pl. XVII. 1824. =2.= _Pom. Mag._ =3=:112, Pl. 1830. =3.= Lindley _Guide Orch. Gard._ 399, 1831. =4.= Prince _Pom. Man._ =1=:130. 1831. =5.= Downing _Fr. Trees Am._ 389, fig. 169. 1845. =6.= _Mag. Hort._ =13=:339, fig. 27. 1847. =7.= Downing _Fr. Trees Am._ 765. 1869. =8.= Leroy _Dict. Pom._ =2=:183, figs. 1869. =9.= Mas _Pom. Gen._ =1=:115, fig. 58. 1872.

_Forellenbirne._ =10.= Christ _Handb._ 514. 1817. =11.= Dochnahl _Führ. Obstkunde_ =2=:12. 1856. =12.= Lauche _Deut. Pom._ =II=: No. 23, Pl. 23. 1882.

_Florelle._ =13.= Prince _Treat. Hort._ 13. 1828.

_Trout Pear._ =14.= _Gard. Chron._ 804, fig. 1846.

The pear fancier prizes Forelle for its singularly handsome and distinctive fruits, which are also of very good quality. Forelle pleases the eye as well as any pear for bright colors, and is distinguished among fruits of its kind by its trout-like specklings from which comes the name _Forelle_, the German name for trout. Looks do not belie taste for the flesh is delicate and buttery, is highly flavored, and satisfies those who regard high quality a prime requisite in a pear. The trees are very satisfactory in warm soils and exposures, but fail in heavy clays and cold climates. The variety is worth growing for its beautiful and distinctive fruits.

Nothing is very certainly known of the origin of this pear, but it seems highly probable that it had its birth in northern Saxony at the beginning of the eighteenth century. From Germany it was taken to Flanders, and from there introduced into England. In the latter country, it was first fruited by Thomas Andrew Knight, President of the Horticultural Society of London, who, in 1823, sent cions to the Honorable John Lowell, President of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society. Forelle became quite widely disseminated in the eastern United States during the first half of the eighteenth century, and was considered by many pomologists a pear of merit. At the present time, however, the variety has almost disappeared from cultivation. Its place has been filled by Vermont Beauty, a pear introduced from Vermont more than forty years ago. It is not improbable that these two varieties are identical. Vermont Beauty may be the old German pear renamed.

Tree medium in size, vigorous, upright, very hardy and very productive; branches few, dark brownish-red, sprinkled with numerous lenticels; branchlets long, pubescent on the youngest shoots. Leaves small, flat, roundish-ovate; flowers open early.

Fruit ripens November to December; medium in size, 3 in. long, 2 in. wide, oblong-obovate-pyriform, with a neck variable in length; stem 1 in. long, slender; cavity shallow, oblique, narrow, often lipped; calyx small, open; lobes broad; basin shallow, narrow, abrupt; skin smooth; color yellow, more or less overlaid with red, deepening to rich crimson next to the sun, profusely covered with grayish-russet dots which are margined or rayed with crimson; dots numerous, large and small, russet or grayish; flesh white, fine-grained, although slightly granular at the center, melting, buttery, juicy, aromatic, with a rich, vinous flavor; quality good. Core medium in size; seeds nearly black, of medium size.

FOX

=1.= Budd-Hansen _Am. Hort. Man._ =2=:245. 1903. =2.= Ragan _Nom. Pear, B. P. I. Bul._ =126=:123. 1908. _B. S. Fox._ =3.= Downing _Fr. Trees Am._ 2nd App. 154. 1876. =4.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt._ 42, fig. 1877. =5.= _Gard. Mon._ =22=:369. 1880. =6.= _Mo. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 170. 1883.

Fox seems to have failed in the pear-growing regions of America, in spite of its having several excellent characters in both fruit and tree. The fruits are not quite attractive enough to sell on the markets or to grace the table of the amateur, their rough, russet skins detracting greatly from their appearance. When the skin is removed, however, a better late fall pear cannot be found. The flesh is white, fine in texture, very juicy, melting, and has a brisk, vinous flavor and a pleasant aromatic smell and taste that at once place the quality very high. The trees are but mediocre in the prime characters of a good orchard plant, and condemn the variety for any purpose other than the collector's plantation.

Fox is one of many seedlings originated by B. S. Fox,[29] San José, California. Most of these seedlings were raised from seed of Belle Lucrative and Fox is among this number. The exact date of origin cannot be determined, but it is assumed to have been in the early seventies. The variety is considered to be one of the best of Fox's seedlings.

Tree medium in size and vigor, upright-spreading, round-topped, moderately productive; trunk slender; branches stocky, smooth, greenish-brown overspread with grayish scarf-skin; branchlets thick, short, with short internodes, zigzag, glabrous, sprinkled with small, raised lenticels. Leaf-buds long, obtuse, pointed, free. Leaves 2-1/8 in. long, 1-1/4 in. wide, thick; apex abruptly pointed; margin nearly entire to finely serrate. Flower-buds conical, pointed, free; flowers open early.

Fruit ripens October to November; large, 3-1/8 in. long, 2-1/8 in. wide, oblong-obovate-pyriform; stem 1-1/2 in. long, very thick, curved, obliquely set; cavity very shallow or lacking, the flesh folded up around the base of the stem; calyx closed or slightly open, variable in size; lobes much separated at the base, short, broad, acute; basin shallow, narrow, very small, furrowed and compressed; skin thick, granular, tough, roughened by the russet dots; color russet-yellow, often with a russet-red blush on the side next to the sun, almost entirely overspread with russet; dots numerous, conspicuous, russet; flesh white, granular near the core, melting, very juicy, sweet mingled with a brisk, vinous flavor, richly aromatic; quality very good. Core large, closed; calyx-tube short, wide; seeds wide, plump, acute.

[Illustration: FREDERICK CLAPP]

FREDERICK CLAPP

=1.= Downing _Fr. Trees Am._ 2nd App. 148, fig. 1876. =2.= _Mass. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ Pt. II, 94. 1876. =3.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 34. 1877. =4.= Budd-Hansen _Am. Hort. Man._ =2=:245. 1903.

_Clapp No. 22._ =5.= _Mass. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 90. 1872. =6.= _Ibid._ Pt. II, 153. 1874. =7.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt._ 38, 66, 119. 1875.

Frederick Clapp has a place on the pear list, because it is one of the few good varieties with acidulous fruits. The refreshing, piquant flavor, the tender, melting, very juicy flesh, and the bright lemon-yellow color with only a trace of red give sufficient charm and character to the fruits to make the variety desirable in every collection of good pears. The fruits come in season with those of Beurré Superfin, and surpass them in quality at least. The trees are vigorous and healthy and form open, shapely, wide-spreading heads that commend them for orchard management. They grow with rapidity and vigor, come in bearing early, and are unusually fruitful. The variety is seldom planted in commercial orchards, but it has a welcome place in every home orchard fortunate enough to have it.

This pear was raised about 1870 by Lemuel Clapp, Dorchester, Massachusetts, brother of Frederick and Thaddeus Clapp, all of whom were the producers of large numbers of pear seedlings, several of which have been named. In all probability this variety is a cross between Urbaniste and Beurré Superfin. At various exhibitions and meetings of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society in the years 1872, 1874, 1875, and 1876 it was shown and favorably reported on, and in 1875 received high praise in a report of the Massachusetts State Fruit Committee to the American Pomological Society. In 1877 the latter Society added Frederick Clapp to its list of fruits recommended for general cultivation.

Tree large, vigorous, upright-spreading, with open top, hardy; trunk thick, shaggy; branches stocky, shaggy, zigzag, dull reddish-brown, overspread with thick ash-gray scarf-skin, marked with many small lenticels; branchlets thick, dull reddish-brown, tinged with green, smooth except for the lenticels, glabrous, with many small, raised lenticels.

Leaf-buds small, short, conical or pointed, plump, usually free. Leaves 3 in. long, 1-3/4 in. wide, ovate, stiff; apex taper-pointed; margin finely serrate, tipped with very fine, sharp-pointed, reddish-brown glands; petiole 1-1/2 in. long, slender, glabrous. Flower-buds small, short, conical, plump, free; flowers cup-shaped, often with a disagreeable odor, 1 in. wide, averaging 9 buds in a cluster; pedicels 1 in. long, thick, pubescent, pale green.

Fruit ripe in October; medium in size, more than 2 in. long, 2-3/8 in. wide, variable in size, roundish or obovate, irregular in shape; stem 3/4 in. long, thick; cavity variable in outline and smoothness, often with a fleshy fold drawn up around the base of the stem; calyx open; lobes short, broad, obtuse; basin deep, wide, abrupt, usually smooth, symmetrical; skin thin, tender, smooth; color lemon-yellow, often marked with flecks and mottlings of russet; dots numerous, small, russet, obscure; flesh with a very faint tinge of yellow, fine, tender, melting, characteristically juicy, sweet, with a rich sprightliness; quality very good. Core closed, axile, with clasping core-lines; calyx-tube very short, wide, broadly conical; carpels obovate; seeds large, wide, long, plump, acute.

[Illustration: GANSEL SECKEL]

GANSEL SECKEL

=1.= Downing _Fr. Trees Am._ 502. 1857. =2.= _Ibid._ 770. 1869.

_Gansel-Seckle._ =3.= _Jour. Hort._ N. S. =20=:30, fig. 1871. =4.= Hogg _Fruit Man._ 585. 1884. =5.= _Jour. Hort._ 3rd Ser. =23=:464. 1891. =6.= Bunyard _Handb. Hardy Fr._ 177. 1920.

There are no good reasons why this pear should be grown, it having received much more attention than it deserves during the half century it has been in America. Perhaps it suffices to say that the fruits and trees are in no way equal, except in size of fruit, to those of Seckel, with which variety it would compete, although the crop ripens a little later. While the pears are larger than those of Seckel, the yield is not as great as the trees do not bear as regularly, nor abundantly. The fruits are not as well flavored, nor as attractively colored. The variety is still offered by many nurserymen, most of whom, however, condemn it with faint praise.

According to Bunyard, Gansel Seckel was raised from seed a century ago by a Mr. Williams of Pitmaston, Worcester, England. It was obtained by crossing Seckel with Gansel Bergamot, whence its name.

Tree medium in size and vigor, upright-spreading, variable in yield; branches slender, zigzag, sprinkled with numerous lenticels; branchlets thick, light reddish-brown mingled with green, smooth, glabrous, with small, roundish, raised, conspicuous lenticels. Leaf-buds small, short, pointed, appressed. Leaves 2-1/4 in. long, 1-1/2 in. wide; apex taper-pointed; margin tipped with few reddish glands, coarsely serrate; petiole 1-1/4 in. long. Flower-buds small, short, conical, plump, free; flowers open early, 1-1/4 in. across; pedicels 1/2 in. long.

Fruit ripens in late October and November; small to medium, 2-1/2 in. long, 2-3/8 in. wide, irregular, oblate-pyriform; stem 3/4 in. long, stout; cavity variable in width, shallow, irregular; calyx small, closed; lobes erect, acute; basin variable in width, deep; skin roughened with russet, uneven; color pale yellow, overspread with thin cinnamon-russet, sometimes faintly blushed on the exposed cheek; dots distinct, cinnamon-russet; flesh yellowish-white, coarse, melting, buttery, juicy, highly aromatic, with a rich perfume, sweet, but without the spicy flavor of the Seckel; quality very good.

GARBER

=1.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 48. 1891. =2.= Budd-Hansen _Am. Hort. Man._ =2=:247. 1903. =3.= _Chico Nur. Cat._ 12. 1904. =4.= _Cornell Sta. Bul._ =332=:481. 1913.

_Garber's Hybrid._ =5.= Black _Cult. Peach and Pear_ 229, 242. 1886. =6.= Harcourt _Fla. Fruits_ 255. 1886. =7.= Hood Cat. 25. 1905.

A few trivial differences separate Garber from Kieffer--the fruits of both are poor. The pears ripen a week or two earlier than those of Kieffer, are a little rounder, flatter at the ends, and some say are a little better in quality--certainly they are no worse to eat out of hand. The tree is hardy to heat and cold, and is much planted in the southern states, and in the Mississippi Valley, North and South. The variety might be sparingly planted in New York as an ornamental.

Garber is one of many seedlings of the Chinese Sand pear, raised by J. B. Garber, Columbia, Pennsylvania, sometime previous to 1880. It is supposed to be of hybrid origin. The variety was added to the American Pomological Society's list of recommended fruits in 1891 where it has since remained.

Tree medium in size, vigorous, upright-spreading, hardy, productive with age; branches smooth, zigzag, reddish-brown partly covered with grayish scarf-skin; branchlets thick, with long internodes, smooth, glabrous, sprinkled with small, round, very conspicuous, raised lenticels. Leaf-buds small, short, pointed and with curved tips, appressed. Leaves 3-1/2 in. long, 2-1/4 in. wide, thick; apex taper-pointed; margin with very minute and reddish tips, finely serrate; petiole 2-1/4 in. long, thick. Flower-buds small, conical, sharply pointed, free.

Fruit ripe September to October; large, usually roundish-oblong and tapering toward both ends; stem 1 in. long, stout, obliquely set; cavity small, narrow, often deep and furrowed; calyx variable in size, partly open; lobes slender; basin broad, abrupt, deep, furrowed; color pale yellow, often with a brownish-red blush on the exposed cheek; dots small, numerous, russet; flesh white, granular, crisp but tender, juicy, neither sweet nor sour but with a peculiar, pleasant flavor; quality inferior.

[Illustration: GLOU MORCEAU]

GLOU MORCEAU

=1.= _Mag. Hort._ =21=:143. 1855. =2.= Downing _Fr. Trees Am._ 503. 1857. =3.= _Ibid._ 773. 1869. =4.= Hogg _Fruit Man._ 586. 1884. =5.= _Jour. Hort._ 3rd Ser. =14=:203. 1887. =6.= Bunyard _Handb. Hardy Fr._ 178. 1920.

_Gloux Morceau._ =7.= _Trans. Lond. Hort. Soc._ 2nd App. =5=:6. 1824. =8.= Kenrick _Am. Orch._ 194. 1832.

_Hardenpont's Winter Butterbirne._ =9.= Liegel _Syst. Anleit._ 104. 1825. =10.= Dochnahl _Führ. Obstkunde_ =2=:99. 1856. =11.= Lauche _Deut. Pom._ =II=: No. 11, Pl. 11. 1882. =12.= Mathieu _Nom. Pom._ 231. 1889.

_Glout Morceau._ =13.= Lindley _Guide Orch. Gard._ 400. 1831. =14.= _Gard. Chron._ 716, fig. 1. 1844. =15.= Downing _Fr. Trees Am._ 437, fig. 201. 1845. =16.= Hovey _Fr. Am._ =1=:5, Pl. 1851. =17.= Elliott _Fr. Book_ 325. 1854. =18.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt._ 68. 1862.

_Beurré d'Hardenpont._ =19.= _Pom. France_ =1=: No. 12, Pl. 12. 1863. =20.= Mas _Le Verger_ =1=:5, fig. i. 1866-73. =21.= _Guide Prat._ 60, 246. 1876. =22.= _Soc. Nat. Hort. France Pom._ 370, fig. 1904.

_Beurré d'Arenberg._ =23.= Leroy _Dict. Pom._ =1=:301, fig. 1867.

This old winter pear is nearly lost to cultivation, but is worth growing because of the high quality of the fruit and because the pear comes in season in early winter when there are few others. The pears are not attractively colored, although in this character the illustration does not do the fruit justice. The fruits are rich and sugary without the least trace of acid, but when poorly grown are often astringent. All agree that the quality is better in fruit from dwarf trees in which form the variety grows very well; and that it is better, also, when grown on heavy soils than on light ones. The fruits keep and ship remarkably well. The trees are neither very large nor vigorous, but are usually productive. The variety is in disrepute in many localities because the crop does not always ripen well.

The Abbé of Mons, M. Hardenpont, a pioneer in pear-raising and a worthy forerunner of Van Mons, raised this pear from seed about 1750 in his garden at Mons, Belgium. The variety was introduced into France in 1806 by Louis Noisette, who had found it in the gardens of the Duc d'Arenberg. In France it was known, therefore, as _Beurré d'Arenberg_, and consequently became much confused with the true _Beurré d'Arenberg_ raised by Monseigneur Deschamps. In order to overcome this confusion the name of the variety raised by M. Hardenpont was changed by a number of prominent Frenchmen to Beurré d'Hardenpont, but the variety has always been grown under both names in France. In 1820, M. Parmentier of Enghien, Belgium, sent this pear to England under the name _Glou Morceau_. (Glou, in the Walloon language, meaning _delicious_ or _dainty_; morceau, French, _morsel_ or _bit_; hence, the translation may be Delicious Morsel or Dainty Bit.) _Glou Morceau_ has long been the popular name of the variety in England and America although, as Bunyard says, "It is regrettable that the memory of the pioneer of Pear raising, l'Abbé Hardenpont, is not commemorated in this fruit." Glou Morceau was brought to America within a few years after its introduction in England and rapidly found favor here as attested by leading American pomologists. In 1862 the American Pomological Society added the variety to its catalog-list of fruits under the name _Glou Morceau_ as it has since remained.

Tree medium in size and vigor, spreading, dense-topped, rapid-growing, productive; trunk stocky; branches thick, reddish-brown, nearly covered with gray scarf-skin, marked with numerous large lenticels; branchlets slender, short, light greenish-brown, overspread with gray scarf-skin, smooth, glabrous, with numerous, small, conspicuous, raised lenticels.

Leaf-buds small, very short, pointed, plump, appressed. Leaves 2-3/4 in. long, 1-3/4 in. wide, thick, leathery; apex taper-pointed; margin occasionally with very few, small glands, coarsely or finely serrate; petiole 2 in. long, thick, glabrous, greenish. Flower-buds small, short, conical, plump, free, singly on very short spurs; flowers late, showy, 1-1/4 in. across, in dense clusters, 8 to 11 buds in a cluster; pedicels 7/8 in. long, pubescent.

Fruit matures November to December; large, 3-1/8 in. long, 2-3/4 in. wide, obovate-obtuse-pyriform, irregular, sides unequal, somewhat ribbed; stem 7/8 in. long, thick and woody, curved; cavity deep, narrow, russeted, deeply furrowed, compressed, lipped; _calyx_ open; lobes long, narrow, acute; basin deep, smooth, broadly furrowed; skin tender, very gritty, dull, roughened by russet; color pale greenish-yellow, covered with large and small patches and mottlings of light russet; dots numerous, small, conspicuous, light russet; flesh tinged with yellow, fine-grained except near the core and under the skin, tender, buttery, sweet, with a rich, pleasant, aromatic flavor, astringent near the skin; quality good to very good. Core closed, axile, with clasping core-lines; calyx-tube short, broad, conical; seeds large, wide, long, plump, acute.

[Illustration: GUYOT]

GUYOT

=1.= Ragan _Nom. Pear_, _B. P. I. Bul._ =126=:139. 1908.

_Dr. Jules Guyot._ =2.= Lauche _Deut. Pom._ =II=: No. 71, Pl. 71. 1883. =3.= Hogg _Fruit Man._ 562. 1884. =4.= _Ga. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 54. 1892. =5.= _Garden_ 52:248. 1897. =6.= _Deut. Obstsorten_ =5=: Pt. 5, Pl. 1906. =7.= _Garden_ =73=:564, fig. 1909.

_Docteur Jules Guyot._ =8.= Lucas _Tafelbirnen_ 73, fig. 1894. =9.= _Cat. Cong. Pom. France_ 234. 1906.

The fruits of Guyot bear strong resemblance to those of Bartlett, but differ in being larger and rather more handsomely colored, ripen a little earlier, have coarser flesh, and are very differently flavored. The product can seldom compete with that of Bartlett, or even with that of Clapp Favorite with which it ripens, because its season is exceedingly transitory. Unless picked quite green and ripened indoors, the pears rot at the center, and even when ripened under the best conditions quickly become mealy and insipid. Taken at the proper moment, the pears are better flavored than those of Bartlett, as they are richer and have a more delicate taste and perfume than the musky fruits of Bartlett. The trees are quite as satisfactory as those of Bartlett, unless, possibly, they fall short somewhat in productiveness. The variety is well worth planting in collections for its early, handsome, well-flavored fruits.

Guyot was raised in the nurseries of the Baltet Brothers, Troyes, France, about 1870. Within the next decade it was quite widely distributed in France an