Good Fruit Grower

www.goodfruit.com GOOD FRUIT GROWER SEPTEMBER 2017 5 H idden from view, down an embankment in an unremarkable business park north of Boston stands a very, very old pear tree. The Endicott tree may be the oldest cultivated fruit tree in North America and is protected as a national land- mark. Historians estimate it was planted more than 380 years ago in the early 1630s. For reference, the Declaration of Independence was signed about 140 years later. My hunt for this tree, which still produces pears, was exciting. I suppose I should have celebrated when I fi nally located the Endicott tree, but I didn't. Instead, I paused, stretched out on a grassy slope facing the diminutive tree and wondered how it survived centuries of encroachment by industry and suburbs. In the early July sun, I could see a few small pears growing under a canopy held together by support wires and steel, surrounded by an iron fence that propped and protected the historic tree. I was surprised how it appeared caged and suspended like an upside-down marionette, cornered in by a parking lot. The setting for this tree is in stark contrast to the grand old Bartlett "dinosaur" trees from my grandfather's orchard in Washington state. Many of my summer childhood days were spent climbing those giants, hiding in the canopy with binoculars looking for pirates and an occasional barn cat. Though the Endicott tree was not what I expected, it was captivating. Every crag in the bark was deep, every pear nearly identical in size and shape, and it truly was a won- der to me that it was still producing. It's worth noting that the tree's stubborn survival and historic signifi cance has earned a spot for its genetic daughters to be propagated and protected at the National Clonal Germplasm Repository in Corvallis, Oregon. I highly recommend anyone traveling near Danvers, Massachusetts, to seek out this tree. Find your way past the casino, over the rivers, through the subdivisions and indus- trial parks to the concrete farm where it continues to grow. I hope you fi nd it healthy and producing another crop of pears like the one gracing our cover this month. • TJ Mullinax is digital producer/photojournalist for Good Fruit Grower. National treasure hedged in by time and development FIRST BITE TJ Mullinax, Good Fruit Grower ONLINE For more images of the Endicott pear tree, links to stories about its history and a panorama of the site go to goodfruit.com/endicottpear 360° A historical marker stands above the Endicott Pear Tree, stating the tree was planted by John Endecott, fi rst governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. The tree is a "living link to the earliest European settlers of our nation. Endecott was granted 300 acres where he settled and farmed, calling this property 'Orchard Farm.' " cameronnursery.com 1261 Ringold Rd., PO Box 300 • Eltopia, WA 99330 We ship nationwide, so please call for price and availability! CONTRACTS for 2017 and beyond! Custom Contracted Apple, Cherry & Pear Trees ➱ TOP QUALITY ➱ VIRUS TESTED ➱ VERY COMPETITIVE PRICING HIGHEST QUALITY FRUIT TREES ! Call for: • TREES • ROOTSTOCK • INTERSTEMS • BENCH GRAFTS • SLEEPING EYES • ROYALTIES Build Initial Plan For 2019. STACY GILMORE 509-266-4669 Stacy Gilmore • cnsales@fastmail.com

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