230 THE PEARS OF NEW YORK 



Tree large, vigorous, upright, vasiform, hardy, very productive; trunk stocky, some- 

 what smooth; branches thick, dark gray, with many large lenticels; branchlets thick, 

 reddish-brown, smooth, glabrous, with small, very slightly raised lenticels. 



Leaf -buds obtuse, pointed, appressed. Leaves 25 in. long, if in. wide, flattened, 

 leathery; apex taper-pointed; margin finely serrate; petiole 15 in. long, slender. Flower- 

 buds large, long, conical or pointed, free; flowers early, ig in. across, in dense clusters, 7 

 or 8 buds in a cluster; pedicels 5 in. long, slender, pubescent, light green. 



Fruit matures in early October; medium in size, 2j in. long, 2I in. wide, uniform, 

 obovate-obtuse-pyriform, symmetrical; stem f in. long, thick, slightly curved; cavity 

 obtuse, shallow, narrow, russeted, usually symmetrical; calyx small, open or closed; lobes 

 short, narrow, obtuse; basin shallow, obtuse, nearly smooth, symmetrical; skin thick, 

 tough, smooth, dull; color clear pale yellow, with a small, bright red blush on the exposed 

 cheek; dots numerous, small, russet, conspicuous; flesh yellowish-white, granular, firm at 

 first but becoming melting when fully ripe, juicy, sweet, with a rich, aromatic flavor; 

 quality very good. Core closed, with clasping core-lines; calyx-tube short, wide, conical; 

 seeds wide, plump, obtuse. 



WILDER EARLY 



I. Can.Hort. 12:286, fig. 73. 1889. 2. Ibid. 13:251, PI. 1890. 3. Am. Pom. Soc. Cat. 37. 1899. 

 4. Budd-Hansen Am. Hort. Man. 2:268. 1903. 



Early Wilder. 5. ///. Hort. Soc. Rpt. 45. 1896. 

 Wilder. 6. Ont. Dept. Agr. Fr. Out. 183, fig. 1914. 



This is one of the good, early pears for the markets. It is more 

 highly prized in the Mississippi Valley than in New York and the Eastern 

 states where sttmmer pears are raised in greater variety. The pears are 

 very attractive in size, shape, and particularly in the bright lemon-yellow 

 color, with a flaming cheek to the sun, the whole pear being characteristically 

 marked with small, russet dots set in a pinkish circle. Of all stunmer pears 

 the fruits of this one seem least inclined to rot at the center, and usually 

 keep longer and ship better, although the skin is tender and bruises easily. 

 The flesh is buttery, moderately juicy, sweet and rich, with a faint, pleasant 

 perfume. The fruits are small but are usually larger than those of the 

 well-known Seckel, and are edible almost to the very center. The tree is 

 large, vigorous, prodigiously productive, as healthy as any, and a remark- 

 ably handsome ornamental. Despite this catalog of virtues, Wilder Early 

 is not largely planted in New York. 



Wilder Early is a chance seedling found by Charles A. Green, Rochester, 

 New York, about 1884, in Chautauqua County, New York. At the time 

 of its discovery the tree was already in bearing. The variety was named 

 after Marshall P. Wilder, President of the Massachusetts Horticvdtural 

 Society. The name first appeared in the fruit-catalog of the American 

 Pomological Society in 1899. 



