THE 



Canadian Horticulturist 





JIB 



/IN 



)K 



THE EASTER BEURRE. 



MONG the desirable pears to grow 



for export we must not overlook 



^ the Easter Beurre, which, though 



c-}p~=K green and unattractive in appear- 

 ance at time of harvesting, keeps well 

 through the winter, is an excellent shipper 

 and is of very good quality. A warm climate 

 and favorable soil seems to be necessary to 

 its best development, and accordingly we 

 find it a favorite shipping variety in the 

 Californian pear orchards. On deep, rich, 

 sandy loam, in the southern parts of our 

 province, it succeeds well, either as a dwarf 

 or as a standard tree ; and it would no doubt 

 be profitable in the commercial orchard. 



Although some writers have claimed that 

 this pear originated in France, because some 

 old trees were found near Laval, yet the 

 majority agree that the variety originated in 

 Belgium, at the old University town of 

 Louvain. Van Mons, in his Album de Pom- 

 ologie in 1847, says, "This variety was 

 found in the ancient garden of the Capucins, 

 at Louvain, where the original tree still 

 stood in the year 1825, under the name of 

 Pastorale de Louvain." » 



In the old countries, much confusion has 

 existed regarding the names of pears, and 

 consequently much difficulty exists in the 

 identification of varieties ; this pear, for 

 example, is given no less than twenty-four 

 different names in Leroy's Dictionnaire de 

 Pomologie, as for example. Doyenne de 

 Printemps, Canning, Beurre d'Austerlitz, 

 Beurre d'Hiver, etc., the last named being 

 adopted by LeRoy, while Hogg, of England 

 and Downing of America, both adopt the 

 name so well known with us, Easter Beurre. 



DESCRIPTION. 



Tree, fairly vigorous, upright and produc- 

 tive, and may be grown either as a dwarf 

 or as a standard ; if as a standard it needs 

 good rich soil and a warm climate for the 

 best success. In Great Britain it does not 

 seem to succeed as well as in Canada, for 

 Hogg says it frequently happens that this 

 delicious pear is of an indifferent and insipid 

 flavor, which is caused by unfavorable soil, 

 and Blackmore of Teddington says, "It 

 cracks and spots and is seldom very good." 

 Our experience with it, as grown at 



