Chapter IV: Leading Varieties of Pears (6)

Major Espéren, Mechlin, Belgium, raised this pear from seed about the middle of the nineteenth century. The name _Souvenir d'Espéren_ was at one time applied to _Fondante de Noël_ in consequence of which confusion has existed as to the identity of the two sorts. The pear reached America about 1850.

Tree medium in size, upright, slightly spreading, dense-topped, productive; branches reddish-brown overlaid with thin scarf-skin, marked with very conspicuous but scattering lenticels; branchlets very thick and long, with long internodes, light brown mingled with green, dull, glabrous, sprinkled with small, conspicuous, raised lenticels.

Leaf-buds very small, short, pointed, plump, free. Leaves 3 in. long, 1-5/8 in. wide; apex abruptly pointed; margin uneven, finely serrate; petiole 2-5/8 in. long, tinged red. Flower-buds small, short, conical, plump, free, singly on very short spurs; flowers open late, showy, 1-3/8 in. across, average 7 buds in a cluster; pedicels 1-1/4 in. long, slender.

Fruit ripe the last of November and December; large, 3-1/2 in. long, 2-5/8 in. wide, oblong-obovate-pyriform, the surface uneven; stem 1-1/4 in. long, slender; cavity very obtuse and shallow or lacking, the flesh drawn up about the base of the stem in a lip; calyx partly open, small; lobes separated at the base, short, narrow, acute; basin shallow, narrow, obtuse, wrinkled; skin thick, roughened with russet; color greenish-yellow, mottled and patched with russet, sprinkled with many russet dots and often with russet overspreading nearly the entire surface; dots numerous, russet, small; flesh yellowish, very granular near the center, firm, crisp but tender, juicy, with a pleasant, aromatic, vinous flavor; quality good to very good. Core large, closed, with clasping core-lines; calyx-tube short, wide, conical; seeds small, short, plump, acute, light brown.

SUDDUTH

=1.= _Ill. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 144, Pl. 1894. =2.= _Mich. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 141. 1894. =3.= _Can. Hort._ =19=:126, figs. 936 and 937. 1896. =4.= _Gard. Chron._ 3rd Ser. =19=:108. 1896. =5.= _Ill. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 9. 1897. =6.= Budd-Hansen _Am. Hort. Man._ =2=:264. 1903.

Sudduth has little to recommend it for New York or eastern pear regions, but it is a standard sort in parts of the Mississippi Valley. The characters which give it a place in the pear flora of the region just named are remarkable freedom from blight, hardiness to cold and heat, capacity to withstand drought, early bearing, and great productiveness. The fruits are neither attractive in appearance nor high in quality--hardly fit for dessert, being but a grade or two better than the disreputable Kieffer. Like those of the Kieffer, however, the fruits do very well for all culinary purposes. They do not keep well as they soften at the center soon after becoming edible. The trees are said to be nearly as hardy as those of the wild crab-apple. The variety is desirable only where hardiness and freedom from blight are prime requisites.

The Sudduth pear was introduced about 1895, although the parent tree was at that time fully seventy years old. It originated from seed planted by Thomas Constant in 1820, in Sangamon County, Illinois. Later, Judge Stephen A. Logan of Springfield, Abraham Lincoln's first law partner, acquired the property on which the tree stood and from him Titus Sudduth bought the place in 1862. Sudduth was so impressed with the fruit that he had trees propagated by Augustine and Company, Normal, Illinois, and disseminated under his name.

Tree large, vigorous, upright becoming quite spreading, open-topped, hardy, productive; trunk stocky, shaggy; branches thick, smooth, dull reddish-brown, almost entirely covered with gray scarf-skin, sprinkled with numerous large, raised lenticels; branchlets slender, curved, long, with long internodes, dull reddish-brown, overspread with thin gray scarf-skin which is mingled with green, dull, smooth, glabrous, with conspicuous, raised lenticels.

Leaf-buds small, pointed, appressed, somewhat flattened. Leaves 3 in. long, 1-5/8 in. wide, thin, velvety; apex taper-pointed; margin glandless, finely serrate; petiole 2 in. long, slender, tinged red, glabrous. Flower-buds small, short, conical, free, singly on very short spurs; flowers late, 1-1/8 in. across, in dense clusters, average 8 buds in a cluster; pedicels 7/8 in. long, thick, pubescent.

Fruit ripe in late September and October; medium or below in size, 2-1/4 in. long, 2-3/8 in. wide, roundish-oblate, slightly conical toward the apex; stem 7/8 in. long, slender; cavity acute, deep, narrow, smooth, sometimes lipped; calyx large, open; lobes separated at the base, long, acute; basin very shallow, narrow, obtuse, occasionally wrinkled; skin thin, tough, smooth, dull; color light green, without blush; dots very small, russet or greenish, very obscure; flesh greenish-white, firm, crisp, rather dry, subacid; quality medium to poor. Core large, closed, axile, with meeting core-lines; calyx-tube wide, conical; carpels ovate; seeds variable in size, wide, flat, obtuse.

SUMMER DOYENNÉ

=1.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 40. 1883. =2.= Hogg _Fruit Man._ 651. 1884. =3.= Ont. Dept. Agr. _Fr. Ont._ 180, fig. 1914.

_Doyenné d'Été._ =4.= Downing _Fr. Trees Am._ 336. 1845. =5.= _Gard. Chron._ 508, fig. 1847. =6.= _Mag. Hort._ =13=:66, fig. 8. 1847. =7.= Hovey _Fr. Am._ =1=:59, Pl. 1851. =8.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt._ 53. 1852. =9.= _Horticulturist_ N. S. =3=:491, fig. 1853. =10.= Downing _Fr. Trees Am._ 742, fig. 1869.

_Sommerdechantsbirne._ =11.= Dochnahl _Führ. Obstkunde_ =2=:20. 1856.

_Doyenné de Juillet._ =12.= Leroy _Dict. Pom._ =2=:77, fig. 1869. =13.= _Guide Prat._ 57, 266. 1876.

_Juli Dechantsbirne._ =14.= Mathieu _Nom. Pom._ 239. 1889. =15.= Gaucher _Pom. Prak. Obst._ No. 51, Pl. 108. 1894.

The extremely early and highly flavored fruits, which are borne in prodigious quantities, make this a very desirable pear for the home garden. The fruits have no value for the markets, as they are small, do not keep well, and are unattractive. The tree, while never large, is of medium size, comes in bearing early, is hardy, and is as free as most of its orchard associates from blight. Both fruit and foliage suffer badly from pear-scab, and no amount of spraying can give the fruits a fair cheek in seasons when this fungus is epidemic.

Van Mons is supposed to have originated this variety about 1800 as Diel mentioned it among his best pears in 1812. Summer Doyenné was first brought to the notice of American pomologists by William Kenrick, who compiled a description of it as early as 1836. It does not, however, appear to have been introduced until 1843. It was recommended for general culture in the United States by the American Pomological Society in 1852.

Tree variable in size, upright, vigorous, very productive; trunk slender; branches slender, slightly zigzag, brownish, overlaid with gray scarf-skin, marked with numerous conspicuous lenticels; branchlets slender, long, light brown mingled with green, the new growth tinged with red, smooth, glabrous except near the ends of the new growth, with numerous raised lenticels.

Leaf-buds small, short, sharply pointed, plump, free; leaf-scars with prominent shoulders. Leaves 2-7/8 in. long, 1-1/8 in. wide, thin, leathery; apex taper-pointed; margin finely serrate; petiole 1-3/4 in. long, tinged with pink. Flower-buds small, short, plump, free, singly on very short spurs; flowers showy, 1-1/4 in. across, in dense clusters, 7 to 9 buds in a cluster; pedicels 1-1/4 in. long, slender, pubescent.

Fruit ripe in early August; small, 1-1/2 in. long, 1-5/8 in. wide, obovate-obtuse-pyriform, symmetrical; stem 1-1/8 in. long, slender; cavity obtuse, shallow, narrow, slightly furrowed, often lipped; calyx small, closed; lobes separated at the base, short, narrow, acuminate; basin shallow, obtuse, furrowed; skin thin, smooth, tender, waxen yellow, washed or blushed with bright red, deepening on the exposed cheek to crimson; dots numerous, small, russet, obscure; flesh tinged with yellow, fine-grained, tender and melting, juicy, variable in flavor and quality, pleasantly sprightly under favorable conditions; quality variable, good under the best conditions. Core closed, axile, with clasping core-lines; calyx-tube short, narrow, urn-shaped; carpels roundish-ovate; seeds small, narrow, flat, acute.

TYSON

=1.= _Mag. Hort._ =12=:433, fig. 30. 1846. =2.= _Horticulturist_ =1=:433. 1846-47. =3.= _Proc. Nat. Con. Fr. Gr._ 51. 1848. =4.= Hovey _Fr. Am._ =1=:33, Pl. 1851. =5.= Downing _Fr. Trees Am._ 444, fig. 1857. =6.= _Ibid._ 870, fig. 1869. =7.= Leroy _Dict. Pom._ =2=:710, fig. 1869. =8.= Oberdieck _Obst-Sort._ 333. 1881. =9.= Lauche _Deut. Pom._ =II=: No. 95, Pl. 95. 1883. =10.= Ont. Dept. Agr. _Fr. Ont._ 182, fig. 1914.

Tyson competes with Clapp Favorite as the precursor of the pear season which is really opened by Bartlett. In every character of fruit and tree excepting size and color of fruit, Tyson excels Clapp Favorite. The quality of the fruit far excels that of Clapp Favorite and it is better than that of Bartlett. Indeed, of commonly grown pears, the characters of flesh and flavor are second only to those of the fruits of Seckel. The flesh is melting and juicy, with a spicy, scented sweetness that gives the fruit the charm of individuality. The pears keep longer and ship better than those of Clapp Favorite; their season in New York is from the middle of August to the middle of September. Unfortunately, the pears are but medium in size, and are often poorly colored, both of which defects appear on the fruits of this variety as grown on the grounds of this Station and shown in the accompanying illustration. The tree is the most nearly perfect of that of any pear grown in America--the Kieffer, praiseworthy only in its tree, not excepted. The tree is certainly as hardy as that of any other variety, if not hardier, and resists better than that of any other sort the black scourge of blight. Add to these notable characters large size, great vigor, and fruitfulness, and it is seen that the trees are nearly flawless. The only fault is, and this a comparatively trifling one, that the trees are slow in coming in bearing. Tyson is the best pear of its season for the home orchard, and has much merit for commercial orchards. Were the fruits larger, it would rival Bartlett for the markets. No other variety offers so many good starting points for the pear-breeder.

Tyson originated as a wilding found about 1794 in a hedge on the land of Jonathan Tyson, Jenkintown, Pennsylvania. The tree first bore fruit in 1800. The pears proved to be so good that Mr. Tyson distributed cions among his neighbors, but the variety was not generally disseminated. About 1837, a Doctor Mease of Philadelphia sent cions to B. V. French, Braintree, near Boston, who in turn distributed them among his friends. The variety fruited here about 1842, and the fruit was exhibited before the Massachusetts Horticultural Society under the name Tyson. In 1848, at the National Convention of Fruit-Growers, Tyson was recommended for general cultivation, and since that date the name has appeared continuously in the catalogs of the American Pomological Society.

Tree very large, vigorous, upright-spreading, tall, dense-topped, hardy, productive; trunk very stocky, rough; branches thick, dull reddish-brown, overspread with gray scarf-skin, with few lenticels; branchlets slender, short, light brown mingled with green, smooth, glabrous, sprinkled with few small, inconspicuous lenticels.

Leaf-buds small, short, conical, pointed, plump, appressed or free. Leaves 2-3/4 in. long, 1-1/2 in. wide, thin; apex abruptly pointed; margin finely and shallowly serrate; petiole 1-5/8 in. long. Flower-buds small, short, conical, pointed, plump, free, singly on short spurs; flowers medium in season of bloom.

Fruit matures in late August; medium in size, 2-1/8 in. long, 1-3/4 in. wide, roundish-acute-pyriform, with unequal sides; stem 1-3/4 in. long, curved; cavity very shallow, obtuse, roughened, usually drawing up as a lip about the base of the stem; calyx open, small; lobes separated at the base, short, narrow, acute; basin shallow, narrow, flaring, slightly furrowed, compressed; skin tough, smooth, slightly russeted, dull; color deep yellow, usually blushed; dots numerous, very small, obscure; flesh tinged with yellow, granular around the basin, otherwise rather fine-grained, tender and melting, very juicy, sweet, aromatic; quality very good. Core small, closed, with clasping core-lines; calyx-tube, short, wide, conical; seeds medium in size and width, plump, acute.

URBANISTE

=1.= _Trans. Lond. Hort. Soc._ =5=:411. 1824. =2.= Lindley _Guide Orch. Gard._ 384. 1831. =3.= Kenrick _Am. Orch._ 186. 1832. =4.= _Mag. Hort._ =10=:131, fig. 1844. =5.= Downing _Fr. Trees Am._ 417, fig. 190. 1845. =6.= _Gard. Chron._ 68, fig. 1847. =7.= Hovey _Fr. Am._ =2=:21, Pl. 1851. =8.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt._ 53. 1852. =9.= _Pom. France_. =1=: No. 32, Pl. 32. 1863. =10.= Mas _Le Verger_ =3=: Pt. 1, 193, fig. 95. 1866-73. =11.= Downing _Fr. Trees Am._ 871, fig. 1869. =12.= _Guide Prat._ 59, 308. 1876. =13.= Hogg _Fruit Man._ 657. 1884.

_Urbanister Sämling._ =14.= Dochnahl _Führ. Obstkunde_ =2=:116. 1856.

_Poire des Urbanistes._ =15.= Leroy _Dict. Pom._ =2=:712, fig. 1869.

_Coloma's Herbst Butterbirne._ =16.= Mathieu _Nom. Pom._ 197. 1889. =17.= Lucas _Tafelbirnen_ 109, fig. 1894.

Urbaniste is another variety desirable for home use because of its highly-flavored fruits--so sweet, rich, perfumed, and luscious as to be a natural sweetmeat. The fruits are of but medium size and not particularly handsome, but the taste excels the looks. The flesh is as tender, sweet, juicy, and as delicately perfumed as that of Seckel or White Doyenné, but with a distinct flavor and scent which give the fruits the added charm of individuality. The crop ripens in October, in a season when there are many other pears, but the fruits stand comparison with those of any other variety and are welcome additions to the fruit-basket. The trees have several defects, chief of which is tardiness in coming in bearing, to remedy which grafting on the quince is recommended. They are also susceptible to blight, and are not as hardy as might be wished. Of all pears, the tree of this variety is one of the handsomest--clean and tidy, slender and graceful, yet robust and productive. Fruit and tree make this a valuable variety for home plantings.

Urbaniste originated as a wilding in the gardens of the religious order of Urbanistes, Mechlin, Belgium. After the suppression of this order in 1783, their gardens remained uncultivated for some time and produced new seedlings of considerable merit. The beauty of one of these attracted the attention of Count de Coloma, a well-known pomologist, who acquired this property in 1786, and in due course propagated and disseminated the variety under the name Urbaniste. Early in the nineteenth century, Count de Coloma sent specimens of the pear to the London Horticultural Society, which organization afterwards distributed it in England about 1823. Thomas Andrew Knight sent cions to John Lowell, Roxbury, Massachusetts, through whom it became disseminated in the United States. The American Pomological Society added Urbaniste to its fruit-catalog list in 1852.

Tree medium in size, vigorous, upright-spreading, slow-growing, productive with age; trunk slender, shaggy; branches stocky, shaggy, zigzag, reddish-brown, overspread with gray scarf-skin, sprinkled with numerous lenticels; branchlets long, reddish-brown mingled with grayish scarf-skin, smooth, zigzag, glabrous, marked with conspicuous, raised lenticels.

Leaf-buds large, obtuse, semi-free. Leaves 2-1/4 in. long, 7/8 in. wide, thin, leathery; apex taper-pointed; margin finely serrate; petiole 1-1/2 in. long, slender. Flower-buds short, variable in shape, free.

Fruit ripe in late October and early November; medium in size, 2-3/8 in. long, 2 in. wide, obovate-obtuse-pyriform, with unequal sides; stem 5/8 in. long, short, thick; cavity obtuse, shallow, narrow, faintly russeted, furrowed, slightly lipped; calyx open; lobes separated at the base, narrow, obtuse; basin shallow, narrow, obtuse, slightly furrowed; skin thick, tough, roughened by the russet nettings, dull; color pale yellow, often with a faint russet-red blush on the exposed cheek and marked with nettings and patches of russet; dots numerous, small, russet, conspicuous; flesh tinged with yellow, granular especially around the core, tender and melting, buttery, juicy, sweet, pleasantly aromatic; quality very good. Core closed, with clasping core-lines; calyx-tube short, wide, conical; seeds medium in size and width, long, plump, acute.

VERMONT BEAUTY

=1.= _W. N. Y. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 65. 1889. =2.= _Ibid._ 176. 1890. =3.= _Ibid._ 134. 1891. =4.= _Can. Hort._ =16=:184. 1893. =5.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 37. 1899. =6.= Ellwanger & Barry _Cat._ 18. 1900. =7.= Budd-Hansen _Am. Hort. Man._ =2=:267. 1903.

The fruits of Vermont Beauty elicit praise from all who see or taste them. The bright-cheeked pears are as alluring to the eye as those of any other, and are almost as delectable as those of Seckel, which they resemble in shape, but are larger and handsomer. Of all pears, those of this variety (or of Forelle, with which it may be identical) best satisfy the eye for bright color. The crop ripens a little later and keeps longer than that of Seckel, and for these reasons, and because of the handsome appearance, should sell better. The pears will probably be most used to grace the table and for dessert, but the somewhat more sprightly flavor makes them better suited for all culinary purposes than those of Seckel. The trees are scarcely less satisfactory than the fruits. They are preëminent among their kind by virtue of large size, rapidity of growth, productivity, and hardiness, the region from which the variety came bespeaking greater hardihood to cold than that possessed by the average variety. The trees rejoice in vigor and health as do those of almost no other variety, and while hardly as productive as those of Seckel, yet because of greater size the pears fill the basket nearly as quickly. Vermont Beauty is one of the best of the pears of its season, and deserves a place in the orchards of the country for home and market.

Vermont Beauty is supposed to have originated in the nursery of Benjamin Macomber, Grand Isle, Vermont, more than forty years ago. Macomber maintained a small nursery, and this pear was one of several hundreds planted for stock. The tree was budded in the usual manner, but the bud failed to grow, and the original tree was allowed to stand without another budding. After the variety fruited, it attracted so much attention that Macomber propagated it. Later, it was introduced by W. P. Rupert and Son, Seneca, New York. The American Pomological Society, recognizing its worth, added the variety to its fruit-catalog in 1899. There has long been doubt in the minds of the writers as to whether Vermont Beauty is distinct from Forelle. Careful comparison has been made of the fruit- and tree-characters of the two sorts, and it is found that they are so closely allied as to be indistinguishable. It is possible that a tree of the old German pear may have found its way into Macomber's nursery and received the new name.

Tree medium in size, vigorous, upright-spreading, dense-topped, hardy, productive; trunk stocky, shaggy; branches zigzag, reddish-brown, thinly overspread with gray scarf-skin, with numerous large lenticels; branchlets very thick, long, reddish-brown mingled with green, thickly covered with ash-gray scarf-skin near the tips, smooth, glabrous except near the ends of the new growth, sprinkled with numerous small, roundish, conspicuous, raised lenticels.

Leaf-buds small, short, pointed, plump, free. Leaves 2-3/4 in. long, 1-3/8 in. wide, leathery; apex abruptly-or taper-pointed; margin glandless, finely serrate; petiole 2 in. long, glabrous, slender, pinkish-green. Flower-buds small, short, conical, plump, free, singly on short spurs; flowers characteristically small, average 1 in. across, in dense clusters, about 6 buds in a cluster, the petals unusually small; pedicels 7/8 in. long, slender, pubescent.

Fruit ripe in late October and November; medium in size, 2-1/2 in. long, 2 in. wide, obovate-acute-pyriform, symmetrical; stem 3/4 in. long, curved; cavity extremely small or lacking, the flesh folded up around the base of the stem, occasionally lipped; calyx small, open; lobes separated at the base, short, narrow, acute; basin shallow, narrow, obtuse, smooth, symmetrical; skin thick, tough, smooth or with slight russet markings; color clear pale lemon-yellow, with a broad and brilliantly blushed cheek, fading at the sides into pinkish-red dots; dots numerous, very small, light russet, conspicuous; flesh tinged with yellow, granular at the center but fine-grained near the skin, tender and melting, very juicy, with a rich, vinous flavor; quality very good. Core closed, axile, with meeting core-lines; calyx-tube short, wide, conical; seeds large, wide, plump, acute.

VICAR OF WINKFIELD

=1.= _Card. Chron._ 20, fig. 1843. =2.= _Mag. Hort._ =9=:129, 269. 1843. =3.= Downing _Fr. Trees Am._ 448, fig. 208. 1845. =4.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt._ 53. 1852. =5.= Elliott _Fr. Book_ 344, fig. 1854. =6.= _Jour. Hort._ N. S. =7=:414. 1864. =7.= Downing _Fr. Trees Am._ 875, fig. 1869. =8.= Hogg _Fruit Man._ 660. 1884.

_Vicar._ =9.= Mawe-Abercrombie _Univ. Gard. Bot._ 1778. =10.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 40. 1883. =11.= _Ont._ Dept. Agr. _Fr. Ont._ 183. 1914. Clion. =12.= Kenrick _Am. Orch._ 159. 1841.

_Le Curé._ =13.= Hovey _Fr. Am._ =1=:47, Pl. 1851.

_Curé._ =14.= _Pom. France_ =1=: No. 18, Pl. 18. 1863. =15.= Leroy _Dict. Pom._ =1=:610, fig. 1867. =16.= _Guide Prat._ 61, 261. 1876. =17.= _Soc. Nat. Hort. France Pom._ 396, fig. 1904. =18.= _Cat. Cong. Pom. France_ 221, fig. 1906.

_Pastorenbirne._ =19.= Mathieu _Nom. Pom._ 262. 1889. =20.= Gaucher _Pom. Prak. Obst._ No. 59, Pl. 49. 1894.

Though large and handsome, the pears of this variety vary so much in quality, often being wretchedly poor, that trees of it are now seldom planted in America. The variety is not liked, also, because the trees blight badly. The fruits, besides being large and handsome, keep well, and are excellent for all culinary purposes. They are in season from November to January. The pears have a strong musky smell, and are more or less astringent. The quality depends largely on the soil, and is best when the trees stand in a deep, warm loam. The fruits are long-pyriform, usually one-sided, and are further characterized by the peculiarity that the calyx is not in line with the axis, as in other pears, but is on one side, generally opposite to that in which the stalk is inserted as shown in the accompanying illustration. The trees, barring susceptibility to blight, are about all that could be desired--large, vigorous, handsome, and thrive both as standards and dwarfs. Many old trees of largest size of this variety are still to be found in New York, but young stock is now seldom set.

In 1760, this pear was found as a wilding by a French curate at Villiers-en-Brenne. In due course it was introduced into England by the Rev. W. L. Rahm, Vicar of Winkfield, in Berkshire, and from this circumstance it lost its proper name, _Curé or Le Curé_, and wrongly acquired that by which it is now known here and in England. The variety was introduced to America early in the nineteenth century. It was placed on the list of recommended fruits by the American Pomological Society in 1852.

Tree large, vigorous, upright-spreading, dense-topped, hardy, very productive, long-lived; trunk and branches stocky; branches zigzag, greenish-brown overspread with grayish scarf-skin, with lenticels variable in number and size; branchlets curved, thick, long and willowy, with long internodes, light greenish-brown which is mingled with red on the newer growth, smooth, glabrous except near the ends of the new growth, sprinkled with conspicuous, raised lenticels.

Leaf-buds small, short, pointed, free. Leaves 3 in. long, 2-1/4 in. wide, thick, leathery; apex abruptly pointed; margin tipped with minute scattering glands, finely serrate; petiole variable in length, pinkish-green; stipules short, tinged with pink. Flower-buds small, short, conical, plump, free, singly on very short spurs.

Fruit ripe December to January; large, 4-1/4 in. long, 3 in. wide, oblong-pyriform, with a long, tapering neck, with unequal sides; stem 1-1/8 in. long, slender, curved; cavity lacking, with stem obliquely set without a depression and often with a fleshy fold around the base in the form of a lip; calyx large, open; lobes long, unusually broad, obtusely pointed; basin very shallow, narrow, obtuse, smooth, symmetrical; skin thick, tough, smooth, dull; color pale yellow, often with a faint trace of a brownish-red blush over the exposed cheek, marked with light russet around the calyx, and occasionally with russet flecks scattered over the surface; dots numerous, small, conspicuous, brownish-russet; flesh white, granular only near the center, tender and melting, juicy, somewhat astringent or with a sprightly muskiness, with no pleasant aroma; quality inferior for dessert but good for cooking. Core small, closed, axile, with clasping core-lines; calyx-tube long, narrow, funnel-shaped; carpels long-oval; seeds large, long, not very plump, often abortive.

WHITE DOYENNÉ

=1.= _Pom. Mag._ =2=:60, Pl. 1829. =2.= Lindley _Guide Orch. Gard._ 385. 1831. =3.= Prince _Pom. Man._ =1=:43. 1831. =4.= Downing _Fr. Trees Am._ 378, fig. 162. 1845. =5.= _Proc. Nat. Con. Fr. Gr._ 51. 1848. =6.= Hovey _Fr. Am._ =2=:85, Pl. 1851. =7.= _Horticulturist_ N. S. =4=:158, Pl. 1854. =8.= _Ibid._ N. S. =6=:406. 1856. =9.= Downing _Fr. Trees Am._ 880, fig. 1869. =10.= Hogg _Fruit Man._ 663. 1884.

_Warwicke._ =11.= Parkinson _Par. Ter._ 592. 1629.

_Doyenné._ =12.= Langley _Pomona_ 132. 1729. =13.= Duhamel _Trait. Arb. Fr._ =2=:205, Pl. XLIII. 1768. =14.= Miller _Gard. Dict._ =2=: Pt. 1. 1807. =15.= Brookshaw _Pom. Brit._ =2=: Pl. 49. 1817. =16.= Brookshaw _Hort. Reposit._ =2=:175, Pl. 92. 1823. =17.= Leroy _Dict. Pom._ =2=:52, fig. 1869. =18.= _Rev. Hort._ 51. 1898.

_Virgalieu._ =19.= Prince Cat. 1771.

_White Beurré._ =20.= Mawe-Abercrombie _Univ. Gard. Bot._ 1778.

_Weisse Herbst Butterbirne._ =21.= Christ _Handb._ 511. 1817. =22.= Liegel _Syst. Anleit._ 100. 1825. =23.= Dochnahl _Führ. Obstkunde_ =2=:84. 1856. =24.= Lauche _Deut. Pom._ =II=: No. 16, Pl. 16. 1882. =25.= Mathieu _Nom. Pom._ 296. 1889.

_Saint-Michael._ =26.= Coxe _Cult. Fr. Trees_ 191, fig. 38. 1817.

_Doyenné Blanc._ =27.= _Trans. Lond. Hort. Soc._ =5=:135. 1824. =28.= Kenrick _Am. Orch._ 121. 1841. =29.= _Pom. France_ =1=: No. 74, Pl. 74. 1863. =30.= Mas _Le Verger_ =3=: Pt. 2, 19, fig. 106. 1866-73. =31.= _Guide Prat._ 63, 264. 1876. =32.= _Cat. Cong. Pom. France_ 236, fig. 1906.

_Thorp._ =33.= Downing _Fr. Trees Am._ 553. 1857. =34.= _Mag. Hort._ =24=:516. 1858.

_Bonne-Ente._ =35.= Noisette _Man. Comp. Jard._ =2=:532. 1860.

This ancient and world-renowned pear, its fruits the most delectable of any that come from a pear orchard, is now rarely planted in America. It is being discarded because the small and comparatively unattractive fruits fail to satisfy commercial demands. In the middle of the last century, when there was almost a mania for the best of the European pears, when fruits were judged by the palate rather than the eye as now, White Doyenné was one of the most commonly planted varieties. Proof of its popularity at home and abroad is found in the great number of names under which it has been grown. A more serious fault than small and unattractive pears is that the fruits and foliage are inviting prey to the scab-fungus, which often cracks and scabs the pears and defoliates the trees. Except in susceptibility to scab, the trees are nearly perfect when grown in the soil which they prefer--a rich clay, heavy rather than light. On such a soil, tree and fruit attain perfection. The accompanying illustration shows this pear at its best in color and size--a handsome fruit rather than the unattractive product so often seen. Grown in a light soil, and when scab is unchecked, the fruits are small, green, cracked, and cankered--intolerable to sight and taste. Unfortunately, also, the trees are ravaged by blight when that disease is epidemic. The faults named have made the variety an outcast, but it should still receive attention for the superb quality of its fruits where scab and blight can be controlled.

This pear is one of the oldest of all varieties. It is impossible to state whether it originated in France or was brought to that country from Italy. A German, Henri Manger, who studied the origin of fruits, states in his _Systematische Pomologie_, 1780, that the White Doyenné originated with the Romans; he considered it to be their _Sementinum_. Agostino Gallo, 1559, called the variety _Pera Ghiacciuola_. In 1660, Claude Saint-Etienne described a _Poire de Neige_. Both of these descriptions represent White Doyenné. In the sixteenth century and for part of the seventeenth, the name _Ghiacciuola_ was accepted for the variety in France with the synonym _Saint-Michel_. Leroy states that Le Lectier, in his catalog of the fruit trees which he grew at Orléans in 1628, changed the name to _Giaccole de Rome_, and Nicholas de Bonnefonds modified it in the first edition of his _Jardinier Francais_, 1652, to _Giacciola di Roma_. English pomologists have mentioned this pear under a variety of names since early in the seventeenth century. The names _Poire Doyenné_ and _White Doyenné_ have been most generally applied to it. The date of its introduction to America is not known, but it was probably brought to this country by the earliest French settlers. The first American catalogs mentioned the variety, and it was extensively grown in the vicinity of New York and Long Island where it was commonly called the _Virgalieu_ pear. In the neighborhood of Boston, the name _Saint-Michael_ was applied to it; while around Philadelphia it was called the _Butter Pear_. For nearly a century, however, the variety has been most generally known in this country as White Doyenné. At the Convention of Fruit-Growers held in New York, in 1848, White Doyenné was included in a short list of pears recommended for general cultivation. Since that date, the American Pomological Society has given the variety a place in its fruit-catalog.

Tree large, vigorous, upright, vasiform, hardy, very productive; trunk stocky, somewhat smooth; branches thick, dark gray, with many large lenticels; branchlets thick, reddish-brown, smooth, glabrous, with small, very slightly raised lenticels.

Leaf-buds obtuse, pointed, appressed. Leaves 2-1/2 in. long, 1-3/4 in. wide, flattened, leathery; apex taper-pointed; margin finely serrate; petiole 1-1/2 in. long, slender. Flower-buds large, long, conical or pointed, free; flowers early, 1-1/8 in. across, in dense clusters, 7 or 8 buds in a cluster; pedicels 7/8 in. long, slender, pubescent, light green.

Fruit matures in early October; medium in size, 2-1/4 in. long, 2-1/8 in. wide, uniform, obovate-obtuse-pyriform, symmetrical; stem 3/4 in. long, thick, slightly curved; cavity obtuse, shallow, narrow, russeted, usually symmetrical; calyx small, open or closed; lobes short, narrow, obtuse; basin shallow, obtuse, nearly smooth, symmetrical; skin thick, tough, smooth, dull; color clear pale yellow, with a small, bright red blush on the exposed cheek; dots numerous, small, russet, conspicuous; flesh yellowish-white, granular, firm at first but becoming melting when fully ripe, juicy, sweet, with a rich, aromatic flavor; quality very good. Core closed, with clasping core-lines; calyx-tube short, wide, conical; seeds wide, plump, obtuse.

WILDER EARLY

=1.= _Can. Hort._ =12=:286, fig. 73. 1889. =2.= _Ibid._ =13=:251, Pl. 1890. =3.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 37. 1899. =4.= Budd-Hansen _Am. Hort. Man._ =2=:268. 1903.

_Early Wilder._ =5.= _Ill. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 45. 1896.

_Wilder._ =6.= Ont. Dept. Agr. _Fr. Ont._ 183, fig. 1914.

This is one of the good, early pears for the markets. It is more highly prized in the Mississippi Valley than in New York and the Eastern states where summer pears are raised in greater variety. The pears are very attractive in size, shape, and particularly in the bright lemon-yellow color, with a flaming cheek to the sun, the whole pear being characteristically marked with small, russet dots set in a pinkish circle. Of all summer pears the fruits of this one seem least inclined to rot at the center, and usually keep longer and ship better, although the skin is tender and bruises easily. The flesh is buttery, moderately juicy, sweet and rich, with a faint, pleasant perfume. The fruits are small but are usually larger than those of the well-known Seckel, and are edible almost to the very center. The tree is large, vigorous, prodigiously productive, as healthy as any, and a remarkably handsome ornamental. Despite this catalog of virtues, Wilder Early is not largely planted in New York.

Wilder Early is a chance seedling found by Charles A. Green, Rochester, New York, about 1884, in Chautauqua County, New York. At the time of its discovery the tree was already in bearing. The variety was named after Marshall P. Wilder, President of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society. The name first appeared in the fruit-catalog of the American Pomological Society in 1899.

Tree large, vigorous, upright, dense-topped, rapid-growing, hardy, very productive; branches zigzag, reddish-brown overspread with gray scarf-skin, with numerous lenticels; branchlets thick, very long, light greenish-brown, lightly streaked with ash-gray scarf-skin, dull, smooth, glabrous except near the tips of the new growth, sprinkled with many conspicuous, raised lenticels.

Leaf-buds small, short, pointed, appressed; leaf-scars prominent. Leaves 3-1/4 in. long, 1-7/8 in. wide, leathery; apex taper-pointed; margin very finely serrate; petiole 2 in. long, glabrous. Flower-buds small, short, conical, plump, free, singly on short spurs; flowers late, 1-3/16 in. across, white or tinged with pink, in dense clusters, average 7 buds in a cluster; pedicels 1/2 in. long, pubescent.

Fruit ripe in late August; large, 2-3/4 in. long, 2-3/8 in. wide, oblong-pyriform, symmetrical; stem 3/4 in. long, very thick; cavity acute, narrow, russeted and with rays of russet extending over the sides, slightly compressed, rarely lipped; calyx large, open; lobes separated at the base, long, narrow, acuminate; basin very shallow, narrow, obtuse, wrinkled; skin thin, tender, smooth, dull; color pale lemon-yellow, with a pinkish blush on the exposed cheek often deepening to dark pink; dots characteristically distinct, very numerous, small, russet or russet-red; flesh white, stringy, tender and melting, buttery, moderately juicy, sweet, faintly aromatic; quality good. Core small, closed, with clasping core-lines; calyx-tube long, narrow, conical; seeds long, narrow, acute.

WINTER BARTLETT

=1.= _Ore. Bd. Hort. Rpt._ 42. 1895. =2.= _Ore. Nur. Cat._ 19. 1903. =3.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 41. 1909. =4.= Cal. Com. Hort. _Pear Grow. Cal._ =7=: No. 5, 278, fig. 94. 1918.

Winter Bartlett is heralded from the Pacific Coast as a winter variety bearing fruits similar to those of Bartlett. As the fruits grow in New York there is a suggestion of Bartlett in the shape, color, and flavor of the fruits, but in size, as the color-plate shows, the newcomer falls far short of the older pear. The season is December and January, a time when there are a half-dozen other good pears, and since this one has no outstanding characters to make it notable, it is doubtful if it will outlive a brief period of probation in eastern orchards. The westerners say that the tree is very resistant to blight, a statement neither proved nor disproved in the East as yet. The variety is worth trying in a small way in New York.

This pear seems to have originated at Eugene, Oregon, some time prior to 1880, and to have been introduced by D. W. Coolidge of Eugene, although it must have been grown to some extent before Mr. Coolidge brought it to the front. Because of its resemblance to Bartlett, it is assumed that it is a seedling of that variety. The American Pomological Society added Winter Bartlett to its catalog of fruits in 1909.

Tree large, vigorous, upright, scraggly, open-topped, hardy, productive; branches stocky, smooth, light-brown overlaid with gray scarf-skin, with few lenticels; branchlets thick, curved, long, with long internodes, brownish-red, streaked with gray scarf-skin, glossy, smooth, glabrous, sprinkled with conspicuous, raised lenticels.

Leaf-buds large, long, conical, pointed, plump, free; leaf-scars with very prominent shoulders. Leaves 3-1/4 in. long, 1-3/8 in. wide, stiff; apex taper-pointed; margin finely serrate; petiole 2-1/4 in. long. Flower-buds conical, plump, free, singly on spurs variable in length; flowers very late, 1-1/2 in. across, in dense clusters, average 5 buds in a cluster; pedicels 1 in. long, thick, thinly pubescent.

Fruit ripe in December and January; large, 3 in. long, 2-3/8 in. wide, oblong-obovate-pyriform; stem 1 in. long, thick, curved; cavity narrow, shallow, smooth, oblique; calyx small, nearly closed; lobes short; basin small, shallow, irregular; skin uneven in surface; color yellow, splashed with russet and often blushed on the exposed cheek with bright red; dots numerous, small, brownish-russet; flesh yellowish-white, fine-grained, tender, juicy, sweet, pleasant-flavored; quality good to very good. Core small, nearly closed, with meeting core-lines; calyx-tube short, wide; seeds large, long, plump, obtuse.

WINTER NELIS

=1.= _Pom. Mag._ =3=:126, Pl. 1830. =2.= Lindley _Guide Orch. Gard._ 409. 1831. =3.= Kenrick _Am. Orch._ 199. 1832. =4.= _Mag. Hort._ =10=:127. 1844. =5.= Downing _Fr. Trees Am._ 450, fig. 208. 1845. =6.= _Gard. Chron._ 20, fig. 1845. =7.= _Proc. Nat. Con. Fr. Gr._ 51. 1848. =8.= Hovey _Fr. Am._ =1=:15, Pl. 1851. =9.= Downing _Fr. Trees Am._ 884, fig. 1869. =10.= Oberdieck _Obst-Sort._ 339. 1881. =11.= Lauche _Deut. Pom._ =II=: No. 49, Pl. 49. 1882. =12.= Hogg _Fruit Man._ 667. 1884. =13.= Mathieu _Nom. Pom._ 301. 1889. =14.= _Deut. Obstsorten_ =5=: Pt. 15, Pl. 1909.

_La Bonne Malinoise._ =15.= _Trans. Lond. Hort. Soc._ =4=:276. 1822. =16.= _Ibid._ =5=:408. 1824.

_Thouin._ =17.= Dochnahl _Führ. Obstkunde_ =2=:23. 1856.

_Bonne de Malines._ =18.= _Ann. Pom. Belge_ =6=:77, Pl. 1858. =19.= _Pom. France_ =2=: No. 53, Pl. 53. 1864. =20.= Leroy _Dict. Pom._ =1=:484, figs. 1867. =21.= _Guide Prat._ 60, 252. 1876. =22.= _Cat. Cong. Pom. France_ 202. 1906.

_Nélis d'Hiver._ =23.= Mas _Le Verger_ =1=:29 bis, fig. 21. 1866-73.

Winter Nelis is the standard winter pear in the United States. Both fruits and trees possess several serious faults, but these are outmatched by virtues which make the variety preëminent in its season. The fruits are small and are often so poorly colored as to be unattractive, but well grown they are sufficiently large for dessert fruits and are very handsome in a much-russeted coat and a ruddy cheek. Flesh and flavor are the chief assets of the fruits. The flesh is tender, melting, juicy, luscious, with a rich, sweet, aromatic flavor--one of the most delectable of all pears. The fruits keep, ship, and sell well. The season is from Christmas to March, but the pears can be kept until late spring in cold-storage. The trees begin badly, for no variety is more difficult to grow well in the nursery. They thrive only on standard stocks, refusing to do well on the quince unless double worked. In the orchard, the trees are among the unmanageables. They are small or of but medium size, with straggling, wayward tops with habits of growth so self assertive that no art nor skill of the pruner can bring the branches under control. The limbs are always crooked; some bend inward toward the main stem, some are upright, some droop, and no two behave in quite the same way. Notwithstanding the illy-shaped tops, the trees are often enormously productive so that the crop usually requires thinning. They bear almost annually; come in bearing young; are fairly hardy; and are adapted to almost any soil or situation provided, only, that the soil is fertile or well fertilized. They are as nearly immune to blight as those of any other European pear. The trees are characterized by two marked peculiarities: the old wood is thickly set with small, short spurs; and they are about the latest of all their kind in leafing out in the spring. There is no better winter pear for either the commercial pear-grower or the amateur, and the variety grows especially well in New York.

Winter Nelis was raised from seed by Jean Charles Nélis, Mechlin, Belgium, early in the nineteenth century. It was introduced into England by the London Horticultural Society under the name _La Bonne Malinoise_. Subsequently this name was cancelled and that of Winter Nelis adopted, the name which had been given the variety by Van Mons in honor of the originator. In 1823, Thomas Andrew Knight, President of the London Horticultural Society, sent cions of the variety to John Lowell, Roxbury, Massachusetts, who, in his turn, shared them with Robert Manning, Salem, Massachusetts, whence the sort was very generally disseminated in this country and attained great popularity. At the National Convention of Fruit-Growers held in New York in 1848, Winter Nelis was included in a short list of pears recommended for general cultivation. For more than half a century the name has appeared in the fruit-catalogs of the American Pomological Society.

Tree medium in size and vigor, spreading, hardy, very productive; trunk stocky; branches thick, zigzag, reddish-brown mingled with gray scarf-skin, marked with small lenticels; branchlets with short internodes, reddish-brown, dull, smooth, glabrous, with numerous raised, conspicuous lenticels.

Leaf-buds medium to large, long, conical or pointed, free. Leaves 3 in. long, 1-1/8 in. wide, elongated-oval, leathery; apex taper-pointed; margin varies from crenate to serrate; petiole 1-1/2 in. long, slender. Flower-buds conical or pointed, free; flowers open late, 1-3/4 in. across, 6 or 7 buds in a cluster; pedicels 7/8 in. long, rather slender, lightly pubescent, greenish.

Fruit ripe late November to early January; medium in size, 2-1/4 in. long, about 2-1/4 in. wide, uniform in size and shape, roundish-obovate to obtuse-obovate-pyriform, quite symmetrical except for the unequal sides; stem 1-3/8 in. long, thick, curved; cavity obtuse, shallow, narrow, russeted, gently furrowed, occasionally lipped; calyx large, open; lobes separated at the base, short, broad, acute; basin shallow, obtuse, lightly furrowed, symmetrical; skin thick, tender, roughened with much russet, dull; color yellow with a tinge of green, dotted with grayish-russet and with many russet streaks and patches on the exposed cheek which is usually blushed with bright red; dots numerous, small, russet, conspicuous; flesh yellowish-white, quite granular at the center and underneath the skin, tender and melting, buttery, very juicy, sweet, aromatic; quality very good. Core large, closed, axile, with clasping core-lines; calyx-tube short, wide, conical; seeds large, wide, long, plump, acute.

WORDEN SECKEL

=1.= _Rural N. Y._ =50=:888, figs. 326 and 327. 1891. =2.= Thomas _Am. Fruit Cult._ 465, fig. 675. 1897. =3.= _Franklin Davis Nur. Cat._ 23. 1901. =4.= Budd-Hansen _Am. Hort. Man._ =2=:268. 1903. =5.= Banker _Cat._ 19. 1915.

_Worden._ =6.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 41. 1909.

Possibly no pear has been more widely advertised during the last quarter-century than Worden Seckel. Nurserymen and pear-growers alike describe it as a better variety than Seckel, and say that it ought to take the place of that good old sort of which it is a seedling. But it is not driving Seckel out in most pear regions, though in many it is considered the more profitable pear of the two. It is a splendid pear, but falls short of Seckel in not being quite as dependable in different soils and climates; the trees are not as vigorous, though just as productive in many places, they are not quite as resistant to blight, and the fruits are not as high in quality. On the other hand, the pears are larger and handsomer. Well grown, the fruits of Worden Seckel are voluptuously handsome in form and color. The pears are smooth, glossy, trim of contour, well turned, unusually uniform, with a beautifully blushed cheek on a handsome green and yellow background. The accompanying illustration does not do the pear justice in size or color and shows a lack of symmetry not usually present. When the crop is thinned so that the fruits attain their largest size, no pear is handsomer or will bring a higher price on the fruit-stands. The crop comes in with Seckel, but keeps longer, lasting until December in cold-storage. The tree is very hardy and bears young, but does poorly in the nursery. Commercial growers should give this variety a thorough test, and amateurs everywhere will find it worth planting.

Worden Seckel, as its name suggests, is a seedling of Seckel, raised by Sylvester Worden, Minetto, Oswego County, New York, about 1881. Smiths and Powell, Syracuse, New York, placed it on the market about 1890. The American Pomological Society added the variety to its fruit-list in 1909.

Tree large, vigorous, upright-spreading, rapid-growing, very productive; trunk thick; branches reddish-brown, nearly covered with thin, gray scarf-skin, marked with numerous lenticels; branchlets short, with internodes variable in length, light greenish-brown, dull, glabrous except near the ends of the new growth, sprinkled with numerous small, conspicuous, raised lenticels.

Leaf-buds very small, short, pointed, appressed. Leaves 2-1/2 in. long, 1-1/2 in. wide, thick, leathery; apex taper-pointed; margin tipped with few minute glands, finely or coarsely serrate; petiole 1-1/2 in. long, glabrous, slender, tinged with red; stipules very small when present. Flower-buds small, short, conical, sharply pointed, plump, free, singly on very short spurs; flowers showy, 1-1/2 in. across, in dense clusters, 8 or 10 buds in a cluster; pedicels 1-1/4 in. long, slightly pubescent.

Fruit ripe late September to October; medium in size, 2-1/2 in. long, 2-1/8 in. wide, obovate-acute-pyriform, symmetrical; stem 3/4 in. long, thick; cavity very shallow and obtuse or lacking, the flesh folded up around the base of the stem and often lipped; calyx open, large; lobes narrow, acute; basin shallow, narrow, obtuse, smooth or gently furrowed, symmetrical; skin thin, tender, smooth, glossy; color pale golden-yellow, blushed on the exposed cheek with solid bright red, becoming almost crimson in highly colored specimens; dots numerous, small, russet, obscure; flesh yellowish-white or dull white, fine-grained near the skin, granular at the center, tender and melting, buttery, very juicy, characteristically spicy and aromatic; quality very good. Core closed, axile, with meeting core-lines; calyx-tube conical; carpels ovate; seeds wide, plump, obtuse.