Chapter IV: Leading Varieties of Pears (3)

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 and England where it has since been esteemed as a pear of the Bartlett type. It was first brought to America about 1885.

Tree medium in size, vigorous, upright, hardy, productive, a regular bearer; branches brownish, overlaid with thick scarf-skin, marked by small, round, indistinct lenticels; branchlets slender, very long, curved, with long internodes, reddish-brown mingled with green, smooth, glabrous, sprinkled with raised, conspicuous lenticels.

Leaf-buds small, very short, pointed, appressed. Leaves 2-7/8 in. long, 1-3/4 in. wide; apex taper-pointed; margin glandular, variable in serration; petiole 2 in. long, thick, reddish-green. Flower-buds small, short, conical, plump, free, singly on very short spurs; flowers open late, showy, 1-1/4 in. across, in dense clusters, from 5 to 8 buds in a cluster; pedicels 7/8 in. long, pubescent.

Fruit ripens in early September; large, 3-1/4 in. long, 2-5/8 in. wide, oblong-obtuse-pyriform, irregular, with unequal sides; stem 1-1/4 in. long, thick, curved; cavity obtuse, shallow, narrow, slightly russeted, drawn up on one side of the stem in a prominent lip; calyx large, open; lobes separated at the base, short, broad, acute; basin shallow, narrow, obtuse, furrowed; skin very thin, tender, roughish; color yellow, more or less mottled and with traces of russet, with a red blush on the exposed cheek; dots numerous, small, russet, conspicuous; flesh yellowish-white, granular, tender, moderately juicy, sweet mingled with sprightliness, aromatic; quality good. Core closed, with clasping core-lines; calyx-tube short, wide, conical; seeds large, long, plump, acute.

HOWELL

=1.= _Mag. Hort._ =15=:69, fig. 12. 1849. =2.= Hovey _Fr. Am._ =2=:75, Pl. 1851. =3.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt._ 210. 1856. =4.= Downing _Fr. Trees Am._ 510, fig. 1857. =5.= Hoffy _N. Am. Pom._ =1=: Pl. 1860. =6.= _Pom. France_ 3: No. 105, Pl. 105. 1865.

_Howell's Seedling._ =7.= _Mag. Hort._ =14=:519. 1848.

Howell is everywhere condemned by faint praise. The variety is a little too good to be discarded and not quite good enough to be generally recommended. Its characters in tree and fruit are faulty by reason of their mediocrity. After having said that the trees are not above the average in vigor, healthfulness, hardiness, and fruitfulness, it remains only to be said that their spreading tops make them desirable orchard inhabitants and handsome dooryard ornamentals. The fruits cannot be praised for attractive appearance or good quality, but they are preëminently meritorious in that they are probably more often uniform in appearance, quality, and freedom from the ravages of the scab fungus than those of almost any other pear. These qualities make Howell a most estimable variety for the home orchard where intensive care cannot be given. The variety further commends itself to amateur growers, because the trees bear early, annually, and abundantly. Howell seems to be better suited to the middle western states than to the eastern states.

In 1829 or 1830, Thomas Howell, New Haven, Connecticut, planted in his garden seeds from a variety of pear known locally as the Jonah, a hard and tough winter sort which seldom matures sufficiently to be regarded as a dessert fruit. One of the trees resulting from these seeds came into bearing in 1842 or 1843. Specimens were exhibited in Faneuil Hall by the Massachusetts Horticultural Society in 1848 and were considered to be "of the first class and worthy of cultivation in every place where the soil and climate are congenial." In 1856, the Howell pear was recommended for general cultivation by the American Pomological Society.

Tree large, vigorous, spreading, open-topped; trunk thick; branches stocky, reddish-brown, overspread with gray scarf-skin, with few small lenticels; branchlets thick, short, dull reddish-brown, smooth, glabrous, with a few large, raised lenticels.

Leaf-buds large, long, conical, free. Leaves 2 in. long, 1-1/8 in. wide, oval, leathery; apex taper-pointed; margin finely serrate, hairy, tipped with very minute glands; petiole 1-1/2 in. long. Flower-buds large, long, conical, rather plump, free; flowers open early, 1-3/8 in. across, in dense clusters, from 7 to 15 buds in a cluster; pedicels 1-1/16 in. long, pubescent, greenish.

Fruit ripe in late September and October; medium in size, 2-3/8 in. long, 2-1/4 in. wide, uniform in size and shape, round-obovate, symmetrical; stem 1 in. long, thick, straight; cavity obtuse, very shallow and narrow, often with almost no cavity, smooth, symmetrical; calyx open, small; lobes separated at the base, short, narrow, obtuse; basin obtuse, slightly furrowed, nearly symmetrical; skin smooth, dull; color pale lemon-yellow, marked on the side exposed to the sun with a trace of blush and with patches and tracings of russet; dots many, small, russet, very conspicuous; flesh yellowish-white, firm but tender, granular, melting, very juicy, sweet, with a rich, somewhat brisk, almost vinous flavor, aromatic; quality very good. Core rather large, closed, with clasping core-lines; calyx-tube short, wide, conical; seeds long, plump, acute, frequently abortive.

IDAHO

=1.= _U. S. D. A. Rpt._ 572, Pl. II. 1888. =2.= _Can. Hort._ =12=:2, fig. 1, Pl. 1889. =3.= Wickson _Cal. Fruits_ 341. 1889. =4.= Thomas _Am. Fruit Cult._ 477, fig. 691. 1897. =5.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 36. 1899. =6.= _Rev. Hort._ 60. 1901. =7.= Budd-Hansen _Am. Hort. Man._ =2=:249. 1903.

There is much difference of opinion as to the value of Idaho in America. Without question, the variety is of considerable worth in parts of the Pacific Northwest, and especially in regions where hardihood is a prime requisite. There, presumably, the fruits are larger and better flavored than in the East. As the accompanying plate shows, the pears are only medium in size on the grounds of this Station, but they are attractive in color and of excellent taste. The core is small, and the seeds are often abortive and sometimes wanting. The flesh is tender, buttery and almost free from granulation, with a rich, sweet, vinous flavor which make the rating for this fruit "good to very good." In many regions the pears are large, rough, and gross--sometimes a facsimile of Duchesse d'Angoulême. The trees are dwarf and fruitful to a fault so that the pears often run small; they are hardier than those of almost any other pear and bear annually. To offset these good characters, however, the trees have the fatal fault of blighting, so that the variety is of value only in regions where blight is not an annual scourge of this fruit.

Idaho was raised from seed of an unknown variety about the year 1867 by a Mrs. Mulkey, Lewiston, Idaho, and, having been propagated by the Idaho Pear Company, was first brought to public notice in the autumn of 1886 by John H. Evans of Lewiston. In 1888 it was introduced to Europe and was shown at the congress of fruit growers held at Geneva, Switzerland, in 1899. Idaho is included in the American Pomological Society's list of fruits recommended for general cultivation, having been added to this list in 1899.

Tree medium in size, vigorous, upright-spreading, hardy, very productive; trunk smooth; branches slender, smooth, reddish-brown overspread with much gray scarf-skin, sprinkled with many small lenticels; branchlets dull brownish-red, overlaid with scarf-skin, smooth, glabrous, with small lenticels.

Leaf-buds small, short, conical, pointed, free; leaf-scars prominent. Leaves 2-3/4 in. long, 1-4/5 in. wide, leathery; apex abruptly pointed; margin glandular, finely serrate; petiole 2 in. long. Flower-buds short, conical, very plump, free, singly on short spurs; flowers showy, 1-1/8 in. across, in dense racemes, average 8 buds in a cluster; pedicels 1-1/8 in. long, pubescent.

Fruit matures in late September and October; medium in size, 2 in. long, 2-1/8 in. wide, roundish, slightly pyriform, symmetrical; stem 1 in. long, thick, slightly curved; cavity acute, narrow, furrowed, slightly lipped; calyx closed; lobes broad, acute; basin shallow, obtuse, somewhat furrowed; skin thick and granular, tough, roughish; color dull lemon-yellow, tinged with green, dotted and streaked with russet, splashed with russet patches; dots numerous, small, russet, conspicuous; flesh dull white, tinged with yellow, firm, tender, buttery, juicy, sweet, rich, almost vinous; quality good to very good. Core closed, with clasping core-lines; calyx-tube short, wide, conical; seeds wide, acute.

JARGONELLE

=1.= Knoop _Pomologie_ 101, fig. 1771. =2.= Coxe _Cult. Fr. Trees_ 183, fig. 13. 1817. =3.= _Pom. Mag._ =3=:108, Pl. 1830. =4.= Lindley _Guide Orch. Gard._ 341. 1831. =5.= _Mag. Hort._ =9=:363, fig. 30. 1843. =6.= Downing _Fr. Trees Am._ 758. 1869.

_Gergonell._ =7.= Parkinson _Par. Ter._ 593. 1629.

_Épargne._ =8.= Duhamel _Trait. Arb. Fr._ =2=:133. Pl. VII. 1768. =9.= Coxe _Cult. Fr. Trees_ 181, fig. 10. 1817. =10.= Prince _Pom. Man._ =1=:152. 1831. =11.= _Pom. France_ =2=: No. 85, Pl. 85. 1864. =12.= Mas _Le Verger_ =2=:19, fig. 8. 1866-73. =13.= Leroy _Dict. Pom._ =2=:135, fig. 1869. =14.= _Guide Prat._ 62, 269. 1876.

_Sparbirne._ =15.= Dochnahl _Führ. Obstkunde_ =2=:131. 1856. =16.= Mathieu _Nom. Pom._ 286. 1889.

_Wälsche Birne._ =17.= Dochnahl _Führ. Obstkunde_ =2=:144. 1856.

At one time the best second early pear, Jargonelle is now little grown in America, native varieties having crowded it out. The crop ripens two or three weeks before that of Bartlett, so that the pears come on the market with those of Bloodgood and Dearborn, which, for most situations, are better sorts. The fruits are as attractive as any of their season and are unique in shape and in having a long, curved stem. The quality leaves much to be desired. The flesh is coarse, rather gritty, and the flavor lacks the rich sugary taste on the one hand, or the refreshing piquancy on the other hand, of good pears. The fruits rot at the core and the season is short. The crop should be picked early and ripened in the house. The trees are large, vigorous and sometimes very productive, but are coarse, untidy bearers, especially when young, and are often uncertain in bearing. After setting the faults against the merits of this variety, one must conclude that is it too worthy to discard, but hardly good enough for a recommendation for other than the home orchard or in the plantings of collectors.

Jargonelle is a patriarch among pears, being one of the oldest of all varieties. Its name appears to be derived from Jargon, anciently Gergon, a corruption of Groecum; whence Merlet, writing in 1675, infers that the Jargonelle was the _Pyrum Tarentinum_ of Cato and Columella, the _Numidianum Groecum_ of Pliny, and the _Groeculum_ of Macrobius. So far as we know the earliest mention of the Jargonelle in England is by John Parkinson, who, writing in 1629, mentions sixty-five varieties of pears, among them being the _Peare Gergonell_. Stephen Switser, who wrote in 1731, also names it. The vitality of the English Jargonelle is remarkable; the trees, it is said, often live for 200 years. In Scotland the variety is cultivated as far north as pears will grow. William Coxe, Burlington, New Jersey, writing in 1817 of the Jargonelle, said, "This pear has not been much cultivated in America, and almost always under false names."

Tree large, vigorous, spreading, open-topped, rapid-growing, hardy, very productive, long-lived; trunk shaggy; branches reddish-brown overlaid with heavy gray scarf-skin, with large lenticels; branchlets slender, short, reddish-brown overlaid with gray, new growth brownish, dull, smooth, with numerous small, raised, very conspicuous lenticels.

Leaf-buds small, short, pointed, plump, appressed or free. Leaves 3-1/4 in. long, 2 in. wide, leathery; apex taper-pointed; margin tipped with few small, black glands, finely serrate; petiole 3 in. long, slender, tinged with red, glabrous; flower-buds small, very short, conical, plump, singly on short spurs; flowers late, showy, 1-1/2 in. across, in dense clusters, from 8 to 14 buds in a cluster; pedicels 1-3/8 in, long, pubescent.

Fruit ripe in late August; large, 3-3/8 in. long, 2-3/16 in. wide, oblong-obovate-pyriform, with an acute neck; stem characteristically long and curved, 1-5/8 in. long; cavity lacking, the flesh folding up around the base of the stem, russeted, lipped; calyx open; lobes separated at the base, long, broad, acute; basin very shallow and narrow, obtuse, gently furrowed, compressed; skin smooth; color yellow, with a bright blush laid thinly over the exposed cheek in streaks and splashes; dots numerous, greenish-russet, very small, obscure; flesh yellowish-white, granular under the skin, gritty at the center, melting, very juicy, subacid, aromatic, vinous; quality very good. Core large, open, with clasping core-lines; calyx-tube long, narrow, conical; seeds large, wide, long, plump, acute.

JARGONELLE (FRENCH)

=1.= Duhamel _Trait. Arb. Fr._ =2=:123. 1768. =2.= Prince _Pom. Man._ =1=:154. 1831. =3.= Downing _Fr. Trees Am._ 339. 1845. =4.= _Ibid._ 767. 1869. =5.= Leroy _Dict. Pom._ =2=:303, fig. 1869. =6.= Mathieu _Nom. Pom._ 237. 1889.

_Bellissime d'Été._ =7.= Duhamel _Trait. Arb. Fr._ =2=:203, Pl. XLII. 1768. =8.= Mas _Le Verger_ =2=:193, fig. 95. 1866-73. =9.= Leroy _Dict. Pom._ =1=:216, fig. 1867. =10.= _Guide Prat._ 70, 235. 1876.

_Cuisse Madame._ =11.= Coxe _Cult. Fr. Trees_ 181, fig. 11. 1817.

_Red Muscadel._ =12.= Lindley _Guide Orch. Gard._ 346. 1831.

_Bassin._ =13.= Hogg _Fruit Man._ 491. 1884.

_Schönste Sommerbirne._ =14.= Mathieu _Nom. Pom._ 280. 1889.

This old sort, very different from Jargonelle, is worthy of description only to distinguish it from the much better and older pear of the same name. A generation ago this French Jargonelle was much grown in America, but has given way to better sorts. The pears are handsome, but are poor in quality and are edible only a day or two after maturity as they quickly rot at the center and become dry and mealy toward the periphery.

The name Jargonelle is used in France to denote a group of pears. This fact accounts for the confusion which exists among the names and synonyms of several varieties of this class. The French Jargonelle is said to have originated in Anjou, a former province in France, where it was much cultivated and highly esteemed toward the end of the fifteenth century.

Tree large, vigorous, upright, the younger branches inclined to droop, very productive; branches stocky, dark reddish-brown; branchlets often curved and drooping, short, sprinkled with elongated, inconspicuous lenticels. Leaf-buds large, conical, appressed. Leaves oval, enlarged at the base; apex abruptly pointed; margin coarsely serrate; petiole long, thick. Flower-buds large, long-conic; flowers medium in size.

Fruit ripens in August and September; medium to sometimes large, 3-1/2 in. long, 2-1/2 in. wide, obtuse-pyriform to oblong-pyriform; stem 1 in. long, slender, obliquely inserted; cavity obtuse, very shallow; calyx small, open; lobes long, projecting; basin variable in depth, small, irregular, furrowed; skin smooth, glossy; color lemon-yellow, blushed with red on the sunny side, occasionally marbled with thin orange-russet about the neck; dots light greenish or russet; flesh white, coarse, juicy, sweet, aromatic; quality good. Core large; seeds dark brown, small, narrow, long, often abortive.

JOSÉPHINE DE MALINES

=1.= McIntosh _Bk. Gard._ =2=:461. 1855. =2.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt._ 68. 1862. =3.= _Pom. France_ =2=: No. 50, Pl. 50. 1864. =4.= _Jour. Hort._ N. S. =14=:67. 1868. =5.= Downing _Fr. Trees Am._ 793, fig. 1869. =6.= Leroy _Dict. Pom._ =2=:310, fig. 1869. =7.= _Guide Prat._ 61, 282. 1876. =8.= _Jour. Hort._ 3rd Ser. =5=:565, fig. 96. 1882. =9.= Hogg _Fruit Man._ 599. 1884. =10.= Bunyard _Handb. Hardy Fr._ 182. 1920.

_Joséphine von Mecheln._ =11.= Dochnahl _Führ. Obstkunde_ =2=:93. 1856. =12.= Mathieu _Nom. Pom._ 239. 1889. =13.= Gaucher _Pom. Prak. Obst._ No. 50, Pl. 31. 1894.

_Malines._ =14.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 24. 1897.

This is another of the few good winter pears. The fruit-characters are so distinctive and meritorious that the variety should be grown in every home orchard, and it possesses much merit for commercial plantations. The fruits have a marked peculiarity. Cut through the shaded yellow-russet skin, flesh with a faint, rosy tint is displayed. Several red or rosy-fleshed pears are grown in Europe, but this is the only one described by American pomologists. The tree also, has a marked peculiarity; it thrives amazingly well on the white-thorn as well as on pear and quince stocks. But it is the quality of the fruits that commends the variety most highly. The flesh is buttery, juicy, sweet, and perfumed--pleasing in every character that gratifies the palate. The season is exceedingly variable, and is given by different pomologists from December to March and January to May. The fruits are not very pleasing in appearance, but the accompanying illustration scarcely does them justice in either size or color. In the orchard, the trees are satisfactory, but the nurserymen find them rather difficult to grow, this, no doubt, being the chief reason for the apparent neglect of this splendid pear. The trees thrive in almost any soil or situation suitable to pears, and are everywhere prodigiously fruitful, hardy, and resistant to blight. The variety deserves wider recognition than it now receives.

This pear originated about 1830 in the seed beds of Major Espéren, the well-known pomologist of Mechlin (Malines), Belgium, who named it Joséphine de Malines in honor of his wife. It was introduced in America prior to 1850, and in 1862 was added to the fruit-list of the American Pomological Society, a place it has since retained.

Tree large, vigorous, spreading, tall, dense-topped, rapid-growing, hardy, very productive; trunk stocky; branches thick, shaggy, reddish-brown overlaid with gray scarf-skin, marked with few lenticels; branchlets thick, dull reddish-brown, smooth, glabrous, with small, raised, inconspicuous lenticels.