EARLY HARVEST 



ELIZABETH 



87 



Tree vigorous, upright, dense, slow-growing, hardy ; 

 branches thick, zigzag, dull brownish-red, marked with 

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

 inches wide, long, folded lengthwise with the margins 

 curled under, leathery ; apex taper-pointed ; margin 

 entire or very coarsely crenate ; petiole 2 inches long, 

 slender. Blossoms open late, 1 inch across, well dis- 

 tributed, averaging 7 buds in a cluster. Fruit ripe 

 October-November; 3% inches long, 2% inches wide, 

 roundish-pyriform or at times oblong-pyriform, sym- 

 metrical, with equal sides ; stem 1 inch long, curved, 

 thick ; cavity lacking, the stem being attached to the 

 smooth, flat surface ; calyx open ; lobes separated at the 

 base, short, obtuse or acute ; basin shallow, obtuse, 

 gently furrowed, small ; skin thin, tender, roughened 

 by the russet skin, dull ; color greenish-yellow nearly 

 overspread with solid, russet or at times only splashed, 

 spotted and sprinkled with russet ; dots many, small, 

 russet, obscure, slightly raised ; flesh yellowish-white, 

 granular around the core, melting, buttery, very juicy, 

 vinous ; quality very good ; core variable in size, closed, 

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

 seeds elongated-oval, wide, plump, acute. 



EARLY HARVEST. Chambers. The 

 fruits of Early Harvest are so poor in quality, 

 and rot at the core so soon after ripening, that 

 the variety is hardly worth growing. To offset 

 these defects, the pears are large and handsome 

 for early fruits, and the trees are healthy, 

 regular, and heavy bearers. The pear is char- 

 acterized by a thick, fleshy stem and a large, 

 closed core. Nurserymen report that the tree 

 is difficult to propagate, and fruit-growers find 

 that it is slow in coming in bearing ; the growth 

 is usually straggling and difficult to manage 

 in nursery or orchard. The variety is more 

 popular in the Middle West than in any other 

 part of the country. This variety appears to 

 have been brought to Middletown, Kentucky, 

 from Maryland by Captain William Chambers 

 about 1800. 



Tree large, very vigorous, upright-spreading, dense- 

 topped, very hardy, productive, long-lived ; trunk very 

 stocky, shaggy ; branches thick, shaggy, zigzag, dull red- 

 dish-brown mingled with green and heavily marked with 

 numerous large, elongated lenticels. Leaves 3% inches 

 long, 2 % inches wide ; apex very abruptly pointed ; mar- 

 gin glandless, varying from finely serrate to entire ; petiole 

 1% inches long, slender. Flowers open early, showy, 1% 

 inches across, well distributed, average 7 buds in a 

 cluster. Fruit ripens in August ; large, obovate-obtuse- 

 pyriform, symmetrical ; stem very thick, fleshy at its 

 juncture with the cavity ; cavity obtuse, shallow, narrow, 

 often wrinkled and drawn up in fleshy folds about the 

 base of the stem, calyx small, open ; lobes short, obtuse ; 

 basin shallow, narrow, obtuse, wrinkled ; skin thin, 

 smooth ; color pale yellow, more or less overspread on 

 the cheek with a pinkish blush, occasionally mingled 

 with stripes of carmine ; dots numerous, small, greenish- 

 russet, obscure ; flesh yellowish, firm, granular, crisp, 

 somewhat tough, variable in juiciness ; quality poor ; 

 core large, closed, axile, with clasping core-lines ; calyx- 

 tube very long, narrow ; seeds wide, short, plump, obtuse. 



EASTER BEURRE. Doyenne d'Hiver. 

 The fruit-books of Europe have so much to 

 say in praise of Easter Beurre that the variety 

 has been tried time and again in America, but 

 nearly always with unfavorable results. It 

 grows well only in warm climates and on light, 

 warm soils, and refuses to ripen its crop on 

 any others. There are occasional places in 

 eastern America where Easter Beurre can be 

 well grown, but for most part it is at home 

 only on the Pacific slope. The fruits are of 

 first rate excellence when at their best, and 

 add much to the winter supply of pears. They 

 are excellent shippers and keep well in common 



or cold storage, so that where the variety suc- 

 ceeds it is valuable for home, distant and for- 

 eign markets. The trees are in every way 

 satisfactory except that they bloom earlier 

 than other sorts, and are susceptible to the 

 scab-fungus in both fruit and foliage; they 

 are hardy, vigorous, and productive. Easter 

 Beurre originated at a monastery in Louvain, 

 Belgium, about 1823. 



Tree vigorous, upright-spreading, open-topped, slow- 

 growing, hardy, variable in yield ; trunk and branches 

 medium in thickness and smoothness ; branches reddish- 

 brown sprinkled with inconspicuous lenticels. Leaves 

 2 % inches long, 1 % inches wide, thin ; apex abruptly 

 pointed ; margin finely serrate, the teeth very short, 

 tipped with red ; petiole 2 inches long, slender. Flowers 

 1^4 inches across, occasionally tinged with pink in the 

 bud, average 9 buds in a cluster. Fruit in season late 

 December to February ; 3 inches long, 2 % inches wide, 

 obovate-pyriform, with a short, thick neck ; stem % 

 inch long, thick, woody ; cavity acute, very deep, 

 narrow, furrowed, uneven, compressed ; calyx open ; lobes 

 narrow, acute ; basin deep, narrow, abrupt, furrowed 

 and wrinkled ; skin thick, tough, roughened by the dots, 

 the surface uneven ; color yellow, marked with many 

 russet dots and with a few patches and veinings of 

 russet and often with a dull brownish-red blush ; dots 

 numerous, small, very conspicuous, russet ; flesh tinged 

 with yellow, quite granular especially near the center 

 and toward the calyx, tender and melting, juicy, buttery, 

 sweet, with a rich, pleasant flavor which is neither 

 vinous nor sprightly, very aromatic ; quality very good ; 

 core large, closed, axile, with meeting core-lines ; calyx- 

 tube short, wide, conical ; seeds large, wide, long, plump, 

 acute. 



ELIZABETH. Manning's Elizabeth. Eliz- 

 abeth is among the best summer pears for 

 eastern America, either for home consumption 

 or for the markets. The characters which com- 

 mend it are: handsome, well-flavored fruits; 

 and vigorous, hardy, productive trees, which 

 are as resistant to blight as those of any other 

 European pear, and which come in bearing 

 early and bear annually. Faults are: the fruits 

 are small; they are a little coarse in texture 

 of flesh, which is a little too gritty; and the 

 flavor, while good for an early pear, is not 

 sweet and rich. The trees are nearly flawless, 

 failing, if at all, in not attaining sufficient size. 

 The crop is often borne in clusters a defect 

 by reason of which the fruits are often small. 

 But even with these faults, this is one of the 

 best of summer pears. Elizabeth is a Belgian 

 pear which originated with Van Mons early 

 in the nineteenth century. 



Tree small, upright, dense-topped, hardy, very pro- 

 ductive ; trunk slender ; branches brownish-green, marked 

 by conspicuous, oval lenticels. Leaves 3 inches long, 

 1% inches wide, stiff; apex variable; margin almost 

 entire ; petiole 2 inches long, slender, reddish-green ; 

 stipules very small and slender when present. Flowers 

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

 8 buds in a cluster. Fruit ripe in late August ; inferior 

 in size, 2% inches long, 2% inches wide, obovate-obtuse- 

 pyriform, symmetrical, uniform ; stem 1 inch long, thick, 

 curved ; cavity acuminate, shallow, narrow, symmetrical, 

 often lipped ; calyx large, almost closed ; lobes separated 

 at the base, short, narrow, acuminate ; basin shallow, 

 obtuse, gently furrowed and wrinkled ; skin tough, char- 

 acteristically rough, glossy ; color bright yellow with a 

 beautiful, lively, pinkish-red cheek, mottled, mingled 

 with brownish, minute specks ; dots numerous, very 

 small, conspicuous, russet or brown ; flesh tinged with 

 yellow, slightly granular under the skin, strongly granu- 

 lar at the center, tender and melting, very juicy, sweet, 

 vinous, aromatic ; quality very good ; core large, closed, 

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

 seeds wide, plump, acute. 



