86 DROUARD 



DROUARD: See President Drouard. 



DUCHESSE D'ANGOULEME. Fig. 82. 

 Angouleme. The fruits of Duchesse d'An- 

 gouleme excite admiration and wonder by their 

 enormous size. They may always be known 

 by their size, squat pyriform shape, and uneven 

 knobby surface. Well grown, the flesh is 

 buttery and melting with a rich and delicious 

 flavor; but poorly grown, and on unfavorable 



82. Duchesse d'Angouleme. 



soils, the flesh is granular, coarse-grained, but 

 half-melting, and nearly devoid of the richness 

 that characterizes the fruits in happier situa- 

 tions. The trees are vigorous, hardy and 

 healthy, bear abundantly under favorable con- 

 ditions, and succeed either as standards or 

 dwarfs. Possibly this sort is best grown as a 

 dwarf, and in America at least is more often 

 worked on the dwarfing quince than on the 

 pear. This variety is the favorite dwarf pear 

 for garden and home orchard, and commercial 

 orchards of dwarfed trees are not uncommon. 

 On either stock, the tree makes a beautiful 

 and symmetrical pyramid, and comes in bear- 

 ing early and bears regularly. This variety is 

 more popular in New York than in any other 

 part of America, and while less planted than 

 formerly, is still regarded as a standard late 

 autumn variety. The original tree of Duchesse 

 d'Angouleme was a wilding growing in a garden 

 near Angers, France. It was introduced about 

 1812. 



Tree vigorous, upright, becoming spreading, dense- 

 topped, slow-growing, productive ; branches stocky, 

 shaggy, zigzag, dull reddish-brown, marked with small 

 lenticels. Leaves 2% inches long, 1% inches wide, oval, 

 thick, leathery ; apex taper-pointed ; margin marked 

 with minute dark brown glands, crenate, or nearly 

 entire; petiole 1% inches long. Flowers 1% inches 

 across, 7 or 8 buds in each cluster. Fruit ripe October- 

 November ; large, often very large, _3% inches long, 2^4 

 inches wide, uniform in size, oblong-obovate-pyriform 



DUHAMEL DU MONCEAU 



with irregular and uneven surface and with sides often 

 unequal ; stem 1 % inches long, very thick, curved ; 

 cavity acute, deep, furrowed, irregular, often lipped ; 

 calyx partly open, small ; lobes short, narrow, acute ; 

 basin medium to deep, abrupt, furrowed and uneven, 

 often corrugated ; skin thick, granular, roughened with 

 russet ; color dull yellow, streaked, spotted and netted 

 with dull russet ; dots numerous, russet, conspicuous ; 

 flesh white, firm, melting, tender, granular, juicy, sweet, 

 rich and delicious; quality good to very good; core 

 closed, with clasping core-lines ; calyx-tube short, wide, 

 conical ; seeds small, narrow, flat, acute, often abortive. 



DUCHESSE D'ORLEANS. Saint-Nico- 

 las. While in no way remarkable, this variety 

 is too valuable to be discarded. The pears 

 are bright yellow with a brilliant cheek, the 

 whole fruit being more or less mottled with 

 golden russet; smooth of skin; symmetrical 

 in shape; and the fruits are more uniform in 

 size than those of most varieties. While the 

 flesh is a little dry and not as rich in flavor 

 as that of most other varieties of its season, 

 it is so crisp and refreshingly piquant in con- 

 trast to the sweeter, buttery pears with which 

 it ripens, that the variety finds favor with all 

 who like pears. The variety fails in its tree- 

 characters. The trees are late in coming in 

 bearing; not very vigorous; somewhat tender 

 to cold; and do not resist blight well. The 

 variety is well worth planting in the home 

 orchard. This pear is a chance seedling found 

 by M. Maurier near Angers, France. 



Tree medium in size and vigor, spreading, rapid- 

 growing, moderately productive ; branches medium in 

 thickness and smoothness, reddish-brown, with few in- 

 distinct lenticels. Leaves 3 inches long, 1 % inches wide ; 

 apex taper-pointed ; margin tipped with small brownish 

 glands, coarsely serrate ; petiole 2 inches long, glabrous, 

 reddish-green. Flowers showy, 1% inches across, in 

 dense clusters, average 7 buds in a cluster, the petals 

 widely separated at the base. Fruit matures in late 

 September and October; medium in size, 2% inches long, 

 2 *4 inches wide, obovate-acute-pyriform, symmetrical ; 

 stem 1 inch long, thick ; cavity lacking, the flesh drawn 

 up in a symmetrical fold about the stem ; calyx small, 

 open ; lobes separated at the base, narrow, acute ; basin 

 very shallow, narrow, obtuse, smooth or slightly wrinkled ; 

 skin thin, tender, smooth ; color yellow overlaid with a 

 pinkish-red blush, faintly mottled with golden russet ; 

 dots numerous, whitish or russet, conspicuous ; flesh 

 tinged with yellow, firm, granular, crisp, juicy, subacid ; 

 quality good ; core small, closed, axile, with meeting 

 core-lines ; calyx-tube short, conical ; seeds long, plump, 

 acute. 



DUHAMEL DU MONCEAU. Duhamel. 

 The unattractive little fruits of this pear would 

 have small value were it not for the fact that 

 they are delicious in quality, and come into 

 edible condition about the latest of all pears. 

 The fruits are similar to those of Winter Nelis, 

 differing in shape somewhat, but are even bet- 

 ter in quality and keep longer. They are dis- 

 tinguished by a musky taste and perfume, 

 which is especially agreeable to those who like 

 rich, sweet, perfumed pears. The trees are 

 better than most of their orchard associates, 

 and far superior to the unmanageable Winter 

 Nelis with which this variety must compete. 

 After a probationary period of a half century 

 in America, Duhamel du Monceau has not 

 found favor with commercial orchardists, but 

 pear fanciers value it for its delectable late- 

 keeping fruits. Duhamel du Monceau was 

 obtained from seed by Andre Leroy, Angers, 

 France. 



