BEURRE CLAIRGEAU 



BEURRE DIEL 



79 



these characters being wholly unlike any other 

 pear. The shape is pyriform with a very long 

 tapering neck, perfectly symmetrical and un- 

 equalled in trimness of contour. The color is 

 a dark rich yellow overspread with cinnamon 

 russet with here and there a spot of the yellow 

 ground color visible. The quality is "very 

 good" or "best," Seckel alone surpassing it as 

 a dessert fruit. The flesh is tender and melting 

 or almost buttery, very juicy, with a rich 

 piquant flavor and a pleasing aroma. The 

 characters of the tree fall far short of those of 

 the fruits; they make a poor growth in the 

 nursery; must be humored in soil and climate; 

 and make but a moderate growth as young 

 plants. Established trees, however, surpass 

 most of their neighbors in size and luxuriance 

 of foliage. While slow in coming in bearing, 

 after fruiting begins the trees bear regularly 

 and abundantly. Unfortunately, the trees are 

 tender to cold and somewhat susceptible to 

 blight. Beurre Bosc has long been a favorite, 

 and its culture may be recommended for the 

 home, for local and general markets and for 

 exportation. This pear is a native of Belgium, 

 having been raised from seed in 1807 by Dr. 

 Van Mons, the renowned pomologist of Lou- 

 vain. 



Tree medium in size, not very vigorous, upright- 

 spreading, hardy, productive, not an early bearer ; trunk 

 medium to stocky ; branches nearly smooth, brownish, 

 with large lenticels. Leaves 3 inches long, 1% inches 

 wide, ovate, thick, leathery ; apex taper-pointed ; margin 

 finely crenate ; petiole 1 ^4 inches long. Flowers open 

 early, 1% inches across, showy, in dense clusters, from 

 10 to 20 buds in a cluster. Fruit ripe in late October 

 and' November ; large, 3% inches long, 2% inches wide, 

 uniform in size, acute-obovate-pyriform, with a very 

 long, tapering neck, uniform in shape and very sym- 

 metrical ; stem 1 *& inches long, somewhat curved ; 

 cavity very obtuse or lacking, occasionally very shallow 

 and narrow, wrinkled, russeted, with a fleshy ring folded 

 up around the stem, slightly lipped ; calyx open, small ; 

 lobes short, broad, obtuse ; basin very shallow, narrow, 

 obtuse, smooth, symmetrical ; skin slightly granular, 

 tender, roughened by russet, dull ; color dark yellow, 

 overspread with thick, dark, attractive russet, laid on in 

 streaks and patches, with a cheek of solid russet ; dots 

 small, light russet, obscure ; flesh yellowish-white, 

 slightly granular, tender and melting, buttery, very 

 juicy, with a rich, delicious, aromatic flavor ; quality 

 very good to best ; core large, closed, with clasping 

 core-lines ; calyx-tube short, wide, conical ; seeds wide, 

 short, plump, obtuse. 



BEURRE CLAIRGEAU. Fig. 74. Clair- 

 geau. Beurre Clairgeau is one of the mainstays 

 in American pear-growing. It maintains its 

 place among standard varieties because of 

 excellent tree-characters, the fruits, while hand- 

 some, being of but mediocre quality. The tree 

 is second only to that of Buffum in vigor, 

 health and productiveness. It does equally 

 well on quince or pear stock. On either stock, 

 the trees bear young and usually 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 Beurre Clairgeau" is 

 proverbial in pear-growing, the handsome coat 

 covering rather coarse, granular flesh which is 

 sometimes good but more often commonplace. 

 The core is very large, and the flesh surround- 



ing it often softens prematurely. The fruit is 

 more suitable for cookery than dessert. The 

 pears are heavy and often drop before matu- 

 rity ; hence the trees should not be set in wind- 

 swept situations. Despite these demerits of 



74. Beurre Clairgeau. (X%) 



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 as early as 1828 or 1830 

 by Pierre Clairgeau, Nantes, France. 



Tree below medium in size, vigorous, unusually 

 upright, dense, slow-growing, hardy, productive, a regu- 

 lar bearer ; trunk slender, shaggy ; branches smooth, 

 slightly zigzag, ash-gray almost completely overspread- 

 ing reddish-brown, with many lenticels. Leaves very 

 numerous, 3 inches long, 2 inches wide, broadly oval, 

 leathery ; apex abruptly pointed ; margin glandless, finely 



November; large, 3% inches long, 2% inches wide, 



i-aij'A u^cii, iaigc , iuues separated at uie oase, long, 

 broad, acute or acuminate ; basin shallow, narrow, obtuse, 

 furrowed, often compressed ; skin thick and granular, 



seeds large, wide, long, plump, acute. 



BEURRE DIEL. Fig. 75. Did. The cat- 

 alogs and text-books supply Beurre Diel with 

 several virtues which Nature denies it. As 

 grown in the eastern United States, the pears 

 are dull and unattractive even at maturity 

 when the pale lemon color is brightest. If the 

 tree is happily situated as to soil and care, the 

 quality of its product is excellent, its fruits 



