50 THE PEARS OF NEW YORK 



City. After the revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685, many Huguenots 

 fled to America. In 1689, some of these French emigres settled at New 

 Rochelle, New York, and on Long Island. The trees grown by the Hugue- 

 nots were usually grafted, the parent plants having been brought from 

 France. No doubt, it was from these importations that White Doyenne, 

 Brown Beurre, St. Germain, Virgouleuse, and many other old French 

 sorts that seem to have been in America from time immemorial came. 

 However, the pear, in common with other fruits, was more largely 

 grown from seeds in these pioneer days than from buds or grafts. Fruits 

 were known and grown as species and not as varieties almost wholly in 

 America until the nineteenth century. The sale of budded or grafted 

 trees began in New York, so far as records show, with the establishment 

 of a nursery at Flushing, Long Island, in 1730, by Robert Prince. This 

 nursery afterwards became the famous Linnaean Botanic Garden. At 

 what date Prince began to offer grafted pears for sale cannot now be ascer- 

 tained, but advertisements appearing in 1767, 1771, and 1790 offer named 

 varieties at these dates. The following is a list of pears offered by the 

 Princes in 1771 : l 



Bergamot Russelet 



Catharine Early sugar 



Vergalieu Baurre vert 



July Winter baurre 



Monsier Jean Baurre de roy 



Trom valette Green chissel 



French primative Swan's egg 



Winter bon Cretan Colmar 



Easter bergamot Cressan 



Amber Spanish bon Cretan 



Chaumontelle Large bell 



Citron de camis La Chassaire 



Summer bergamot Hampden's bergamot 



Autumn bergamot Doctor Uvedale's St. Germain 



Amozelle Large winter, weighs near two pounds 



Lent St. Germain Pear wardens 



Brocaus bergamot Empress 



Winter bergamot Large summer baking 



Jargonelle The black pear of Worcester or Parkinson's 



Roussilon warden 



Cuissemadam The skinless 



Green Catharine 



Prince, William Cat. 1771. 



