THE DUCHESS OF ORLEANS PEAR. 



Duchess of Oeleans. Kemick's American Orchardist, 7tli Ed. 1841. 



Among the new peai's of French or Flemish origin, 

 which have been recently introduced, the Duchess of 

 Orleans holds a high rank. It is but a few years 

 since Mr. Wilham Kenrick, on his return from Eu- 

 rope, brought with him a few scions of this variety, 

 which he procured in Paris. A portion of these 

 were, with his usual hberahty, given to the late 

 Robert Manning, of Salem, in whose pomological 

 garden it first fruited about six years, ago. Its beau- 

 tiful appearance and superior quahty at once com- 

 mended it to notice, and successive trials have fully 

 estabHshed its claim to a place among our finest pears. 



The origin of the Duchess of Orleans is unknown. Mr. Kenrick 

 briefly described it in the American Orchardist, and gave as his authority 

 M. Oudin, a French nm'seryman of high reputation. He merely adds, 

 that it had " lately been received from Normandy," the most favorable 

 locahty in France for fine pears. Undoubtedly it is the production of 

 some of the French nurserymen, or amateur cultivators, who are con- 

 stantly raising new seedlings, which are introduced to cultivation with- 

 out any other knowledge of their merits than the recommendation of 

 those who produced them from seed. 



The Duchess of Orleans is a peculiarly prepossessing fruit. In form 

 it is veiy regular, pyramidal, and the skin, which is of a fine rich 

 yellow, when mature, is beautifully mottled with golden russet, often so 

 profusely as to cover the whole fruit. It comes into eating at a good 

 season, just after the Williams's Bon Chretien or Bartlett, and keeps 

 better than most autumn pears. 



The trees are tolerably vigorous gi-owers, with a somewhat pecuUar, 

 upright habit; the branches are long, cm-ved or wa^7, with the ends 

 inchned towards the main stem. It is rather late in coming into bear- 

 ing, being generally the fifth or sixth year. It does not grow freely on 

 the quince. 



Teee. — Moderately vigorous, upright, somewhat irregular, with the 

 branches cmwed inwards ; annual shoots long and rather slender. 



Wood. — ^Yellomsh olive, rather thickly dotted with oblong, gi^ayish 

 white specks, rather slender, and long-jointed ; old wood brownish 

 ohve ; buds, small, slender, shai-ply pointed, diverging, with moderately 

 prominent shoulders : Flower-buds, medium size. 



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