92 



KIEFFER 



KOONCE 



to be fooled." There are several reasons why 

 Kieffer is widely planted. No pear has been 

 advertised so widely and so unqualifiedly, grow- 

 ers of trees often supplying virtues to the va- 

 riety which Nature denies it. Nurserymen like 

 it because of all pears the trees of Kieffer are 

 most easily grown; and in the orchard they are 

 uniformly the most vigorous, fruitful, endure 

 heat best, are least susceptible to blight, and 



86. Kieffer. 



withstand best the ravages of San Jose scale. 

 On the other hand, the trees are tender to cold, 

 in some soils refuse to set fruit, are often self- 

 sterile, and sometimes with the best of care 

 bear only pears of small size. Worthless for 

 dessert, much can be said for the fruits of 

 Kieffer for culinary preparation. Cooking re- 

 moves the disagreeable natural taste of the raw 

 pear, and leaves a good product. Canned, the 

 pears retain their shape, color, and flavor well; 

 therefore, and because of white and inviting 

 flesh, Kieffers are preferred by commercial 

 canners. Now that the first flush of popularity 

 is past, it would seem a wise precaution on 

 the part of pear-growers to grow this fruit 

 chiefly for the cannery, supplying the demands 

 for dessert pears with worthier varieties. Peter 

 Kieffer, who lived near Philadelphia, grew 

 Chinese Sand pears as ornamentals. In his 

 garden there were also trees of Bartlett. Among 

 chance seedlings, Kieffer observed one of pecu- 

 liar growth which he saved. Probably it was a 

 hybrid between the pears named. This bore 

 fruit for the first time in 1863 and was the 

 original Kieffer tree. 



Tree of medium size, vigorous, upright, dense-topped, 

 hardy, very productive ; branches slender, nearly smooth, 

 reddish-brown, marked with few small lenticels. Leaves 

 3 % inches long, 1 % inches wide, oval, thick, leathery ; 

 apex taper-pointed ; margin often finely serrate ; petiole 

 1% inches long. Flowers open early, 1% inches across, 

 fairly well distributed, varying from 3 to 11 buds in a 

 cluster. Fruit matures in late October and November ; 

 above medium to large, 2% inches long, 2% inches wide, 

 oval, narrowing at both ends, symmetrical, uniform ; 



stem 1 inch long, thick ; cavity very small, smooth ; 

 calyx open ; lobes separated at the base, short, narrow, 

 acute ; basin shallow, narrow, obtuse, nearly smooth ; 

 skin thick, tough, smooth ; color yellow, occasionally 

 blushed with dull pinkish-red on the exposed cheek ; 

 dots numerous, small, russet, conspicuous ; flesh yellowish- 

 white, very granular and coarse, crisp, juicy ; not sweet, 

 often astringent ; quality poor ; core large, closed, with 

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

 wide, plump, acute. 



KTNGSESSING. A summing up of the 

 characters of Kingsessing makes it appear a 

 most desirable sort. Nevertheless, its culture 

 does not make headway. Growers rate it as a 

 "good pear," but will not grow it, for the 

 reason that it has no outstanding characters 

 for any region, season or purpose. The pears 

 are a little under size for a good commercial 

 fruit, and while the sweet, perfumed flavor is 

 pleasant it lacks individuality. The variety is 

 grown chiefly along the Atlantic Coast from 

 Long Island to Maryland. This is a natural 

 seedling which sprang up in the family burial 

 ground of Isaac Leech, Kingsessing, Pennsyl- 

 vania, about 1833. 



Tree very large and vigorous, upright-spreading, 

 dense-topped, rapid-growing, hardy ; trunk very thick ; 

 branches very stocky, grayish-brown, sprinkled with 

 numerous large lenticels. Leaves 2%, inches long, 1% 

 inches wide ; apex abruptly pointed ; margin glandular, 

 finely serrate; petiole 1%, inches long. Fruit ripens 

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

 long, 2% inches wide, obovate-obtuse-pyriform ; stem % 

 inch long, thick, usually curved, fleshy at the point of 

 insertion in the flesh ; cavity obtuse, shallow, slightly 

 furrowed, occasionally lipped ; calyx partly open ; lobes 

 separated at the base, short, narrow, acute ; basin shal- 

 low, gently furrowed, usually symmetrical ; skin granular, 

 tender, roughish ; color dull yellow, sprinkled and netted 

 with russet, a thin brownish-red blush spreading over the 

 exposed cheek ; dots numerous, grayish or russet, small, 

 conspicuous ; flesh white, granular, tender and melting, 

 sweet, aromatic ; quality good ; core closed, with clasping 

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

 long, plump, acute. 



KOONCE. Koonce is a popular early va- 

 riety grown rather commonly in nearly every 

 pear region in the United States. The trees 

 make a good showing in the nursery and are 

 hardy and productive in the orchard, although 

 of but medium size and rather straggling at 

 maturity. The pears are better in quality than 

 those of Early Harvest or Lawson, with which 

 it often competes, but are hardly as attrac- 

 tive in appearance, as they are small and often 

 irregular in shape. The color is unusually 

 bright, especially on the red cheek. The pears 

 decay quickly after maturity and are suitable 

 only for home and local markets. This pear 

 originated in southern Illinois, but by whom or 

 at what time does not appear. The variety has 

 been grown for more than thirty years. 



Tree upright-spreading, scraggiy, open-topped, hardy, 

 productive ; trunk shaggy ; branches zigzag, dark 

 brownish-red, with few lenticels. Leaves 2V 2 inches 

 long, 1% inches wide, stiff; apex taper-pointed; margin 

 glandular, finely serrate ; petiole 1 % inches long. 

 Flowers showy, 1% inches across, in dense clusters, 

 average 5 buds in a cluster. Fruit ripens in August ; 

 medium in size, 2% inches long, 2% inches wide, 

 obovate-obtuse-pyriform, with unequal sides ; stem 1 ^4 

 inches long, thick ; cavity obtuse, shallow, narrow, com- 

 pressed, lipped or often drawn up in a wrinkled fold 

 about the base of the stem ; calyx open ; lobes separated 

 at the base, narrow, acuminate ; basin obtuse, gently 

 furrowed ; skin thick, tough, roughish ; color pale 



