2l6 THE PEARS OF NEW YORK 



Toward the close of the eighteenth century, there lived in Philadelphia 

 a well-known sportsman and cattle dealer known as " Dutch Jacob." E very- 

 autumn, upon returning from shooting excursions, Dutch Jacob distributed 

 among his neighbors pears of exceedingly delicious flavor. The place of 

 their growth he kept secret. In time, a tract of land south of Philadelphia 

 was disposed of in parcels, and Dutch Jacob secured the ground on which 

 his favorite pear tree stood, a neck of land near the Delaware river. Shortly 

 afterwards this land became the property of a Mr. Seckel, who gave the pear 

 his name and introduced it. Later, the property was added to the estate 

 of Stephen Girard, and the original tree long remained vigorous and fruit- 

 ful. The new variety was soon widely disseminated and everywhere 

 became popular. As early as 1819, Dr. Hossack of New York sent trees 

 of the variety to the London Horticultural Society, whence it was later 

 distributed in England. There is much difference of opinion as to the 

 spelling of the name of this pear. Coxe, who lived in Philadelphia and prob- 

 ably knew the introducer of the pear, writing in 181 7, spelled the name 

 Seckle. English pomologists have followed Coxe. Nearly all of Coxe's 

 contemporaries, however, spelled it Seckel, the spelling now in common 

 use. At the first meeting of the American Pomological Society, held in 

 1848, Seckel was recommended for general cultivation and the variety has 

 ever held its place among the pears recommended by the Society. 



Tree large and very vigorous, upright-spreading, dense-topped, hardy, very productive, 

 long-lived; trunk very stocky; branches thick, reddish-brown mingled with dull gray scarf- 

 skin, covered with small lenticels; branchlets thick, long, dark reddish-brown, dull, smooth, 

 glabrous, with small, slightly raised lenticels. 



Leaf -buds small, short, obtuse or pointed, appressed; leaf -scars prominent. Leaves 

 2§ in. long, 1^ in. wide, oval, leathery; apex taper-pointed; margin finely serrate; petiole 

 i\ in. long; stipules very long when present. Flower-buds small, short, conical, free; 

 flowers i\ in. across, in dense clusters, 7 or 8 buds in a cluster; pedicels f in. long, slender, 

 lightly pubescent, light green, slightly streaked with red. 



Fruit ripe in October; small, z\ in. long, 2 in. wide, uniform in size and shape, obovate, 

 symmetrical; stem \ in. long, short, thick, often curved; cavity obtuse, with a very shallow, 

 narrow depression, symmetrical; calyx small, partly open; lobes separated at the base, 

 short, variable in width, acute; basin very shallow and narrow, strongly obtuse, symmetrical; 

 skin smooth, dull; color yellowish-brown, lightly marked with pale russet and often with 

 a lively russet-red cheek; dots numerous, very small, russet or grayish; flesh white, with a 

 faint tinge of yellow, slightly granular, melting, buttery, very juicy; sweet, with an exceed- 

 ingly rich, aromatic, spicy flavor; quality very good to best. Core small, closed, with 

 clasping core-lines; calyx-tube short, conical; seeds small, short, not very plump, obtuse. 



