THE PEARS OF NEW YORK 1 45 



Once a favorite in eastern United States, Columbia is planted now only 

 in collections. The variety never was a leader as far north as the pear 

 regions of New York and Massachusetts, but when pear-growing was being 

 attempted in the southern states in the middle of the last century, before 

 the advent of Kieffer, Garber, and Le Conte, Columbia was the most depend- 

 able sort for the South. The pears are not attractive in appearance, nor 

 remarkably good in quality, but the trees are vigorous, healthy, and very 

 fruitful, although they come in bearing late. The variety is above the 

 average in both fruit and tree, and is too valuable to be discarded. This 

 variety must not be confused with the Columbia now listed in many cata- 

 logs, the proper name of which is Barseck. 



The original seedling grew on the farm of a Mr. Casser in Westchester 

 County, thirteen miles from New York City. In 1835, Bloodgood and 

 Company, nurserymen of Flushing, Long Island, secured fruit from the 

 original tree, which was then fifteen inches in diameter, and sent it to the 

 Massachusetts Horticultural Society. Later, the variety was propagated 

 and distributed by the Bloodgood Nursery. Columbia was added to the 

 fruit-catalog of the American Pomological Society in 1862. 



Tree large, vigorous, upright-spreading, hardy, very productive; trunk stocky, rough- 

 ish; branches thick, rough, shaggy, dull brownish-red overspread with much gray scarf- 

 skin, marked with roundish lenticels; branchlets short, light brown intermingled with green, 

 dull, smooth, glabrous, with few very small, slightly raised, lenticels. 



Leaf -buds small, short, conical, pointed, plump, usually appressed. Leaves 31 in. 

 long, i§ in. wide, long-oval, thin; apex abruptly pointed; margin finely serrate, usually 

 tipped with very small glands; petiole 2j in. long. Flower-buds small, short, conical, 

 pointed, plump, free, arranged singly on short spurs; blossoms late; flowers if in. across, very 

 showy, in dense clusters, 9 to 12 buds in a cluster; pedicels i| in. long, very thick, pubescent, 

 light green. 



Fruit ripe from late November to January; large, 3 in. long, 25 in. wide, uniform in 

 size, oblong-obovate-pyriform, broad at the middle, unequal sides, uniform in general 

 shape; stem i in. long, curved, thick; cavity obtuse, very shallow and narrow, smooth; 

 calyx partly open, large; lobes narrow, acuminate; basin shallow, obtuse, wrinkled; skin 

 thick, granular, tough, roughish, dull; color yellowish-green, frequently with a dotted, dull 

 red blush on the exposed cheek; dots many, of various colors, conspicuous; flesh yellowish- 

 white, firm, granular, rather tough, very juicy, sweet, aromatic and rich; quality good. 

 Core large, closed, with clasping core-lines; calyx-tube wide, conical; seeds narrow, very 

 long, often flattened and abortive, acuminate. 



