1 86 THE PEARS OF NEW YORK 



Tree of medium size, vigorous, spreading, with drooping branches, very hardy, produc- 

 tive; trunk shaggy; branches smooth, zigzag, reddish-brown mingled with ash-gray scarf- 

 skin, with numerous large lenticels; branchlets reddish-brown, glossy, smooth, glabrous, 

 with slightly raised, conspicuous lenticels. 



Leaf-buds short, obtuse, plump, nearly free. Leaves j\ in. long, i\ in. wide, oval, 

 leathery; margin finely serrate; petiole i\ in. long, slender; stipules rudimentary. Flower- 

 buds hardy, conical or pointed, free; flowers open early, if in. across, in rather dense clusters, 

 from 8 to 12 buds in a cluster; pedicels f in. long, lightly pubescent, greenish. 



Fruit ripe November to December; medium in size, 2§ in. long, 2g in. wide, uniform 

 in size and shape, obovate-obtuse-pyriform, generally symmetrical ; stem i in. long, thick, 

 slightly curved; cavity small, obtuse, shallow, narrow, russeted, furrowed and irregular, 

 often lipped; calyx large, partly open; lobes separated at the base, long, broad, acute; 

 basin wide, obtuse, furrowed and sometimes corrugated; skin thick and granular, tough, 

 roughish; color lemon-yellow, marked with occasional patches of russet and with a faint 

 russet-red blush on the exposed cheek; dots numerous, small, russet, inconspicuous; flesh 

 yellowish-white, firm, granular, tender and melting when fully mature, juicy, rich, sweet; 

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

 conical; seeds large, long, plump, acute. 



LAWSON 



i. Rural N. Y. 43:651, fig. 385. 1884. a. Card. Mon. 27:282. 1885. 3. Rural N. Y. 44:693. 

 1885. 4. Card. & For. 5:414. 1892. 5. Van Lindley Cat. 22. 1892. 6. A m. Pom. Soc. Cat. 36. 1899. 

 7. Ont. Dept. Agr. Fr. Ont. 168. 1914. 8. Cal. Com. Hort. Pear Grow. Cal. 7:266, fig. 67. 1918. 



Comet. 9. Gard. Mon. 27:144. 1885. 



Cometbirne. 10. Mathieu Norn. Pom. 198. 1889. 



Of all early pears, the fruit of Lawson best satisfies the eye for bright 

 colors. It is as brightly colored as the brilliant Vermont Beauty or as 

 Mount Vernon. Another outstanding character is the small core, which, 

 though the pears ripen early and quickly, seldom softens unduly. The 

 pears are sometimes nearly or quite seedless. Unfortunately, the fruits 

 are often irregular in shape, and in quality are never more than mediocre. 

 The tree is fairly healthy, vigorous, hardy, and free from blight, and is 

 characterized by its tall, upright growth. Although grown for more than 

 a hundred years in New York, the variety has never made headway in 

 this State, but seems to be attracting much attention on the Pacific slope. 



This pear originated on the farm of a Mr. Lawson in Ulster County, 

 New York, about 1800, judging from the appearance of the original tree 

 which was standing in 1900. The variety was introduced toward the 

 end of the nineteenth century under the name Comet by reason of its 

 color, so that it is sometimes known as Lawson Comet. The American 

 Pomological Society added Lawson to its fruit-catalog in 1899. 



