Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/79982
Photos by JosePh Postman Pears F Nelis. Thought to be a seedling of Seckel, fruit resembles Seckel in size, form, and flavor. Skin greenish-yellow at maturity, russeted, not blushed. Flesh somewhat granular but buttery and very juicy. Keeps longer than Seckel and holds up well after ripening. Devoe—Pretty enough to pose for a still life, creamy flavor with a hint of vanilla. Thought to be a seedling of Clapp Favorite. Fruit elongated similar to Bosc, coloring similar to Clapp Favorite; attractive bright red spotted blush. Flesh soft, fine, buttery, tender, melting, white to yellow, subacid. Harvests in mid-September, about two weeks after Bartlett. Tree vigorous; tolerant to fireblight and pear psylla, susceptible to scab. Doyenne du Comice—A large, juicy, ripe Comice is best eaten with a spoon. Regarded by many as the standard of dessert quality among pears. Medium to large, sometimes very large. Skin fairly thick, granular, susceptible to blemishes, sometimes rus- seted, greenish-yellow, often blushed. Flesh very fine, melting, extremely juicy, quite free of grit. Sweet, rich, aromatic, vinous flavor. Midseason. Tree large, stately, vigorous, but slow in coming into bear- ing. Semidwarf on quince, moderately susceptible to fireblight. A temperamental variety that reaches per- fection only under limited conditions of soil, climate, and location. Hosui—"My favorite Asian pear, sweet, crisp and juicy," Postman said. The russeted skin resists blemishes. Large, globose to oblate fruit; skin russeted, golden to gold- brown, enlarged lenticels; flesh off-white, mild; ripe mid-August to September in Oregon; stores four weeks. Pear trees growing at the repository In spring (inset) and fall. As unique and individually colorful as are the fruit midseason. Johantorp—A very late ripening and cold-hardy pear widely grown in Sweden for winter stor- age. Hangs on the tree into the winter. "In a mild Corvallis winter, we can enjoy them directly off the tree in late December," Postman said. Klementinka—A small, crunchy, early season pear (mid-July) that ripens on the tree. This Bulgarian variety of unknown parentage is indistinguishable from Turkey's Mustafabey, Macedonia's Arganche, and Romania's Zaharoasa de Vara. Small like Seckel, yellow with red blush and no russet; flesh fine-textured, sweet, juicy, firm. Tree naturally compact, o resistant to scab. Leopardo Morettini—"Flavor is an important characteristic of any pear released in Italy, and this is no exception," Postman said. Medium size, interesting netlike russet, fine, buttery texture, flavor similar to Beurré Superfin. R easily managed, consistently productive, 100 YEARS Because we offer the QUALITY you expect and deserve! Onward—Nearly as good as its parent Doyenne du Comice. Short pyriform to round conic; skin light green becoming yellow-green, often with pink blush; russeted at the stem and eye. Flesh creamy white, melting, very fine, juicy, sweet rich flavor with balancing acidity. Tree easier to grow and often more productive than Comice. Rousselet de Reims—Said to have been the favorite pear of France's King Louis XIV. An ancient variety believed to date back to the beginning of the Christian era. Small, roundish, somewhat irregular shape. Skin greenish-yellow, blushed with dull red on sunny side, sprinkled with gray russet dots. Flesh white, semifine, buttery but not melting; moderately juicy. Extremely sweet, aromatic, spicy flavor. A little later than Bartlett. Susceptible to core breakdown. Tree very vigorous, spreading and willowy in habit, almost standard size on quince, productive. Rousselet of Stuttgart x Dr. Jules Guyot No. VII— Attractive rainbow-trout colored, crunchy pear that ripens nicely on the tree. Five selections of the cross Rous- selet Shtutgartskii x Dr. J. Gujo were received in 1968 from the USSR Vavilov Institute in Leningrad. All five selections have crunchy, attractive, pyriform-shaped fruit that ripen in August and September. Selection VII is the most attrac- tive, with red blushed and speckled fruit similar in color- ing to Forelle. Tree is disease resistant and cold hardy. The repository staff suggests the name 'Vavilov' for this unnamed pear selection, in honor of the famous Russian botanist. Seckel—One of the best pears born in America and the most requested variety at the USDA gene bank. A chance seedling found in the outskirts of Philadelphia by Dutch Jacobs, about 1760. Small, obovate-pyriform in shape, usually symmetrical. Skin dull brownish-yellow, usually overlaid with russet and blushed dull red. Flesh some- what granular, buttery and very juicy. Noted for sweet, aromatic, spicy flavor. Rates among the best in dessert quality. Early midseason. Tree moderately vigorous, sturdy, strong, very productive, widely adaptable, with a tendency to overbear, somewhat resistant to fireblight. Though self-fertile, it benefits from cross-pollination. Summer Blood Birne— Of the half-dozen or so red flesh or "blood" pears, this one has larger fruit and is more scab resistant than the others. An ancient culti- or a more detailed description or history of each of these pears, visit the Web site, www.ars.usda.gov/pwa/corvallis/ncgr. var thought to have originated in Germany. The fruit is still quite small, and not of commercial quality, but with a nice cinnamon-like flavor. Wilder Early—An attractive early pear, ripe nearly a n e e Your Krymsk 5 & 6 Headquarters! ® 100 Years at Newcastle, Ca 800-675-6075 FowlerNurseries.com 22 SEPTEMBER 2012 GOOD FRUIT GROWER e month before Bartlett. Medium in size, oblong-pyriform. Skin pale green, red blushed on the sunny side. Flesh but- tery but not melting, moderately juicy. Aromatic, pleasing flavor but second-rate in dessert quality. Holds up better than most early pears. Tree vigorous, thrifty, somewhat applelike in appear- r ance, productive, moderately susceptible to fireblight. Once grown commercially in California. • www.goodfruit.com J o s h a i n t R S o r d e p o H m r d r E u u i B i r s m l y l s W e l l S e c t e m s i l a e k e o u o B d