132 THE PEARS OF NEW YORK 



BEURRfi CLAIRGEAU 



i. Hovey Fr. Am. 2:73, PI. 1851. 2. Ann. Pom. Beige 2: 103. PI. 1854. 3. Gard. Chron. 805. 1854. 

 4. Am. Pom. Soc. Rpl. 337. i860. 5. Pom. France 1: No. II, PI. II. 1863. 6. Mas Le Verger 1:39, 

 fig. 26. 1866-73. 7. /our. /for/. N. S. 12:211. 1867. 8. Leroy Diet. Pom. 1:335, fig- 1867. 9. Downing 

 Fr. Trees Am. 678. 1869. 10. Card. Chron. 1271. 1S73. IX. Hogg Fnw/ ilian. 517. 1884. 



Clairgeau's Butterbirne. 12. Dochnahl Fiiiir. Obstkunde 2:127. 1856. 13. Lauche Deul. Pom. II: 

 No. 7, PI. 7. 1882. 14. Deut. Obstsorten 3: Pt. 9, PI. 1907. 



Chirgeau. 15. Am. Pom. Soc. Cat. 36. 1883. 



Beurre Clairgeau is one of the mainstays in American pear-growing, 

 and is an especially valuable variety in New York. It maintains its place 

 among standard varieties chiefly because of splendid tree-characters, as the 

 fruits, while handsome, are not of the best quality. The tree is second only 

 to that of Buffum in vigor, health, and productiveness, and is nearly as hand- 

 some as an ornamental. It does equally well on quince or pear stock, 

 although the Europeans maintain that the product is better on the dwarfing 

 stock. On either stock, the trees bear young and annually. The fruits are 

 large, smooth, symmetrical, and uniform in shape, with a handsome ground 

 color of rich yellow at maturity and a bright crimson cheek. But here 

 praises end, for the " deceptive cheek of the Clairgeau " is proverbial in 

 pear-growing, the handsome coat covering rather coarse, granular flesh 

 which is sometimes very good but more often commonplace. The core is 

 very large, and the flesh surrounding it often rots or softens prematurely. 

 The fruit is more suitable for cookery than dessert. The pears are heavy 

 and often drop before maturity, and the trees should not be set in wind- 

 swept situations. Despite these demerits of the fruits, the variety is well 

 worth planting in commercial orchards for late markets. 



The original tree of Beurre Clairgeau appears to have grown by chance 

 about 1830 with Pierre Clairgeau, Nantes, France. M. Clairgeau's first 

 account of it was given in 1848 when he exhibited fruit. The reputation of 

 the variety seems to have been at once established, for J. de Jonghe and 

 others combined and purchased the stock of about 300 trees grafted on 

 quince. Together with the parent tree, these were the same year removed 

 to Brussels, and in 1852 the pear was placed on the market. Thus it hap- 

 pened that a French pear was first distributed by Belgian growers. The 

 variety was introduced in America about 1854. The American Pomological 

 Society placed it upon its list of recommended fruits in i860. 



Tree medium in size, vigorous, unusually upright, dense, slow-growing, hardy, pro- 

 ductive, a regular bearer; trunk slender, shaggy; branches smooth, slightly zigzag, ash- 



