THE PEARS OF NEW YORK 227 



Clion. 12. Kenrick Am. Orch. 159. 1841. 



Le Cure. 13. Hovey Fr. Am. 1:47, PI. 1851. 



Curi. 14. Pom. France 1: No. 18, PI. 18. 1863. 15. Leroy Diet. Pom. 1:610, fig. 1867. 16. Guide 

 Prat. 61,261. 1876. 17. Soc. Nat. Hort. France Pom. ;ig6, fig. 1904. 18. Cat. Cong. Pom. France 221, 

 fig. 1906. 



Pastorenbirne. 19. Mathieu Nam. Pom. 262. 1889. 20. Gaucher Pom. Prak. Obst. No. 59, PI. 

 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 illus- 

 tration. The trees, barring susceptibility to blight, are about aU that 

 cotild 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 

 foimd 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 circum- 

 stance it lost its proper name, Cure or Le Cure, and wrongly acquired that 

 by which it is now known here and in England. The variety was intro- 

 duced to America early in the nineteenth centtuy. 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 ciuved, thick, long and 

 willowy, with long intemodes, 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? 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. 



