96 



MADELEINE 



MARIE LOUISE 



productive ; trunk shaggy ; branches thick, zigzag, marked 

 by numerous, elongated lenticels. Leaves 3 inches long, 

 1% inches wide, thin ; margin occasionally glandular, 

 finely serrate or entire; petiole l 1 /^ inches long, slender. 

 Flowers open late, 1% inches across. Fruit ripens in 

 late October and November ; medium in size, oblong- 

 pyriform, symmetrical ; stem short, thick, curved ; 

 cavity obtuse, shallow, narrow, russeted, often wrinkled 

 and occasionally lipped ; calyx large, open, rounded and 

 with a deeply set center ; basin obtuse, smooth, sym- 

 metrical ; skin very tough, roughened with thick russet ; 

 color greenish-yellow, overspread with dark russet, chang- 

 ing to golden russet on the cheek exposed to the sun ; 

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

 white, fine, melting, rich, juicy, sweet ; quality very 

 good ; core large, closed, axile ; calyx-tube short, wide, 

 broadly conical ; seeds large, wide, long, plump, acute. 



MADELEINE. Madeleine has long been 

 a dependable summer variety, the crop of 

 which ripens just before that of Bloodgood. 

 Many consider it the best very early summer 

 pear. The fruits are attractive in appearance, 

 and very good in quality; but their season is 

 short, their skins are tender, and the flesh 

 quickly softens at the core. While the trees 

 are productive, they are not resistant to blight, 

 do not hold their crop well, are tender to cold, 

 and are short-lived. The variety is worth 

 planting only for the sake of succession in 

 crop, and in large collections of pears. Made- 

 leine was cultivated by Le Lectier in his gar- 

 den at Orleans in 1628; no other author had 

 made previous mention of it. 



Tree large, vigorous, upright, open-topped, hardy, pro- 

 ductive ; trunk shaggy ; branches zigzag, light greenish- 

 brown. Leaves 3 inches long, 1 % inches wide, thin ; 

 apex taper-pointed, margin glandless, finely serrate ; 

 petiole 1% inches long, glabrous, reddish-green. Flowers 

 showy, 1% inches across, in dense clusters, average 11 

 buds in a cluster. Fruit ripens in early August ; 2 % 

 inches long, 2 inches wide, roundish-obtuse-pyriform ; 

 stem 1 % inches long, thick, curved ; cavity very shallow 

 and narrow or lacking, the flesh folded in a lip on one 

 side of the stem ; calyx partly open ; lobes separated at 

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

 narrow, obtuse, gently furrowed, symmetrical ; skin thin, 

 smooth, very tender ; color dull green, occasionally with 

 faint dotted brownish blush ; dots numerous, greenish, 

 obscure ; flesh slightly tinged yellow, granular at the 

 center, tender and melting, very juicy, sweet, vinous ; 

 quality good to very good ; core closed, with clasping 

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

 short, plump, acuminate. 



MALINES: See Josephine de Malines. 



MARGARET. The fruits of Margaret are 

 early and attractive in color and shape, but 

 they run small in size, and in neither flesh 

 nor flavor can they compete with the product 

 of several other varieties of the same season. 

 The trees are hardly more desirable than the 

 fruits, since they are tender to cold, blight 

 badly, and are short-lived, seldom attaining 

 full size or large size. Despite these defects 

 of fruit and tree, the variety is a one-time 

 favorite still rather commonly planted. Better 

 summer pears can be found for almost every 

 part of the country. In the middle of the 

 nineteenth century, Christopher Wiegel, Cleve- 

 land, Ohio, planted seeds from one of which 

 came this variety. 



Tree medium in size, vigorous, spreading, drooping, 

 open-topped, productive ; trunk shaggy ; branches me- 

 dium in thickness and smoothness, brown mingled with 



much red, marked by numerous lenticels. Leaves 3 

 inches long, 1 % inches wide, thin ; margin tipped with 

 few pinkish glands, finely serrate; petiole 1% inches 

 long, green ; stipules of medium size. Flowers showy, 

 1% inches long, large, in dense clusters, 6 or 8 buds 

 in a cluster. Fruit matures in late August and early 

 September ; medium in size, 3 ^ inches long, 3 inches 

 wide, oblong-obovate-pyriform, irregular ; stem 1 % 

 inches long, thick, curved ; cavity acuminate, deep, 

 narrow, russeted, furrowed and compressed, often with 

 a pronounced lip ; calyx open, large ; lobes separated 

 at the base, broad, acute, reflexed ; basin deep, abrupt, 

 furrowed, often compressed ; skin thin, tender, smooth ; 

 color dull greenish-yellow, often with a deep but dull 

 reddish-brown blush and occasional patches of russet ; 

 dots numerous, small, green or russet, obscure ; flesh 

 fine under the skin but granular and gritty near the 

 center ; tender, buttery, very juicy, faintly vinous, 

 slightly aromatic ; quality good ; core large, closed, with 

 clasping core-lines ; calyx-tube long, wide, funnel- 

 shaped ; seeds large, wide, plump, obtuse or acute. 



MARIE LOUISE. Fig. 89. The fruits of 

 Marie Louise are among the perfections of 

 Nature, and were the tree more certain in 

 bearing and less fastidious as to environment, 

 the variety would rank as one of the best of 

 all pears. The flesh is tender and melting, very 

 juicy, and the flavor is a most delectable 

 commingling of re- 

 freshing piquancy and 

 scented sweetness. In 

 shape, the pears re- 

 semble a short Beurre 

 Bosc, having the same 

 trim contour, but the 

 color is very different 

 rich yellow, netted 

 and sprinkled with 

 russet, and sunflecked 

 with red on the sunny 

 side. The fruits are 

 somewhat susceptible 

 to the scab fungus, 

 and even the most 

 careful spraying fails 

 to give them a fair 

 cheek some seasons. 

 The trees are hardy 

 but only moderately 

 vigorous, somewhat 



89 Marie Louise. 



susceptible to blight, 

 rather uncertain in bearing, and vary much 

 from season to season in abundance and qual- 

 ity of product. Not at all suited for a com- 

 mercial plantation, Marie Louise is one of 

 the choicest sorts for a home collection. The 

 Abbe Duquesne, Mons, Belgium, raised this 

 pear from seed in 1809. 



Tree medium in size, vigorous, spreading, open-topped, 

 slow-growing ; hardy, productive ; trunk slender ; 

 branches dark reddish-brown, marked with many large, 

 very conspicuous lenticels. Leaves 2% inches long, 1*4 

 inches wide, narrow, short, oval or somewhat elongated, 

 leathery ; apex obtusely or slightly taper-pointed ; mar- 

 gin glandless, entire ; petiole 2 inches long, greenish, 

 glabrous, slender. Flowers very showy, 1% inches 

 across, in dense clusters, 7 to 9 buds in a cluster. Fruit 

 ripe in late September and early October ; above medium 

 in size, 3% inches long, 2%t inches wide, variable 

 in size, oblong-pyriform, irregular ; stem 1 % inches 

 long, thick, curved ; cavity small and one-sided, russeted, 

 often lipped ; calyx large, open ; lobes separated at the 

 base, narrow, acuminate ; basin obtuse, furrowed ; skin 

 thin, tender, smooth, dull ; color rich yellow, netted and 

 sprinkled with russet on the exposed cheek ; dots nu- 

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



