THE PEARS OF NEW YORK 1 39 



Bloodgood has long been a standard summer pear in America. It 

 surpasses any European associate of its season in both fruit- and 

 tree-characters. In particular, the fruits are meritorious for flesh of fine 

 texture, which, though a little granular, is melting and juicy, and has a rich, 

 sweet, perfumed flavor. Complaints appear in the horticultural press that 

 the quality is exceedingly variable. The reports of poor flavor may arise 

 from the fact that the quality is always poor if the fruit is not picked as soon 

 as fvill grown and ripened indoors. The season in New York is August. 

 The trees are resistant to blight, healthy, bear young and regularly, are 

 long-lived, and attain large size, although in some situations they are but 

 medium in size. The variety has little or no value in commercial plantations, 

 but is prized in every collection for home use. 



The origin of this pear is unknown, but it is supposed to be a native of 

 New York. It seems to have been brought to notice about 1835 by James 

 Bloodgood of the nursery firm of Bloodgood and Company, Flushing, 

 Long Island. According to Robert Manning, the variety was Hsted in 

 Prince's Catalogue for 1837 as Early Beurre. After being introduced by 

 Bloodgood and Company, it was speedily recognized as one of the most 

 valuable native sorts. The variety was placed upon the fruit catalog-list 

 of the American Pomological Society in 1848. 



Tree medium in size and vigor, upright, dense, slow-growing, productive; trunk medium 

 in thickness and smoothness; branches zigzag, reddish-brown partly overspread with 

 grayish scarf-sldn, marked with few small lenticels; branchlets thick, very long, with long 

 intemodes, reddish-brown, the new growth greenish, with a brown tinge, glossy, smooth, 

 with small, raised, conspicuous lenticels. 



Leaf-buds broad at the base, small, short, sharply pointed, free; leaf-scars with promi- 

 nent shoulders. Leaves 2\ in. long, if in. wide, oval, leathery; apex taper-pointed; margin 

 finely serrate; petiole i\ in. long, slender, tinged red; stipules few, variable in size and shape, 

 tinged red. Flower-buds medium in size and length, conical, plump, free, arranged singly 

 on short spurs; flowers eariy, i\ in. across, in dense clusters, 7 or 8 buds in a cluster; pedicels 

 often I in. long, pubescent. 



Fruit matures in late August; medium in size, 2I in. long, 2 in. wide, roundish-pyriform 

 to acute-pyriform, symmetrical, uniform, with equal sides; stem f in. long, thick; cavity 

 russeted, lipped, drawn up in fleshy folds about the stem; calyx open, small; lobes separated 

 at the base, short, broad, obtuse; basin narrow, obtuse, smooth, symmetrical; skin thick, 

 tough, roughish ; color bright yellow, with patches and nettings of russet, producing a mottled 

 russet effect; dots many, small, russet, inconspicuous; flesh tinged yellow, granular, melting, 

 buttery, rich, very juicy, sweet, highly flavored, aromatic; quality very good. Core small, 

 closed, with clasping core-lines; calyx-tube short, narrow, conical; seeds small, short, plump, 

 acute. 



