PASSE COLMAR 



PITMASTON 



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

 productive ; trunk stocky ; branches thick, roughish, 

 dull reddish-brown, marked by small lenticels. Leaves 

 2 inches long, 1 % inches wide, oval, thin, leathery ; 

 apex abruptly pointed ; margin glandular toward the 

 apex, very finely serrate ; petiole 1 % inches long. Flow- 

 ers 1% inches across, in a scattering raceme, from 8 

 to 10 buds in a cluster. Fruit in season from the 

 middle to the last of September ; medium in size, 2 % 

 inches long, 1% inches wide, uniform in size and shape, 

 oblong-pyriform, with sides usually unequal ; stem % 

 inch long, thick ; cavity obtuse, shallow, narrow, often 

 russeted and lipped ; calyx open ; lobes separated at the 

 base, narrow, acute ; basin shallow to medium, obtuse, 

 gently furrowed, sometimes compressed ; skin smooth, 

 dull ; color pale yellow with small patches and streaks 

 of light colored russet ; dots numerous, very small, russet, 

 obscure ; flesh whitish, with a yellow tinge at the core, 

 granular, firm but tender, juicy, sweet, slightly aromatic ; 

 quality good ; core closed, with clasping core-lines ; 

 calyx-tube short, wide, conical ; seeds large, wide, long, 

 plump, acute. 



PASSE COLMAR. This is one of the 

 standard winter pears in England. The fruits 

 are exceedingly sugary and mildly spiced with 

 cinnamon, a flavor so unique, especially when 

 compared with the piquant flavor most com- 

 mon in winter pears, that the variety is worth 

 growing where it succeeds for the sake of di- 

 versity. On unsuitable soils and under indiffer- 

 ent care, the pears are unattractive and poor 

 in quality. The variety does not thrive on 

 heavy cold clay but requires a light, warm soil. 

 The trees are very vigorous on heavy soils, 

 with the result that the fruits are many but 

 small and poor; checking vigor by dwarfing 

 on quince or planting on poor soil suits the 

 variety. The trees are hardy and as free as 

 the average pear from blight. The variety is 

 a good winter sort for home or market. This 

 variety was raised in 1758 at Mons, Belgium, 

 by the Abbe Hardenpont. 



Tree vigorous, upright, tall, rapid-growing, produc- 

 tive ; trunk slender ; branches reddish-brown, marked 

 by large, conspicuous glands. Leaves 3 inches long, 1^ 

 inches wide, leathery ; apex taper-pointed ; margin 

 tipped with few small glands, finely serrate to nearly 

 entire ; petiole 2 inches long, glabrous, pinkish-green. 

 Flowers late, showy, 1% inches across, unusually large, 

 in dense clusters, average 6 buds in a cluster. Fruit 

 ripe December- January ; 2 *& inches long, 2 Vs inches 

 wide, obovate-obtuse-pyriform, somewhat irregular ; stem 

 1 inch long, very thick ; cavity obtuse, shallow, narrow, 

 russeted, furrowed ; calyx partly open ; lobes separated 

 at the base, narrow, acute ; basin shallow, narrow, 

 obtuse, gently furrowed ; skin thick, granular, tender, 

 roughish ; color greenish-yellow, with reddish-brown and 

 russet patches and nettings ; 

 dots numerous, small, rus- 

 set, obscure ; flesh tinged 

 with yellow, granular, ten- 

 der, buttery, very juicy, 

 sweet, vinous, aromatic ; 

 quality very good ; core 

 large, closed, with clasp- 

 ing core-lines ; calyx-tnbc 

 short, wide, conical ; seeds 

 large, wide, plump, acute. 



P. BARRY. Fig. 

 91. The fruits of P. 

 Barry do not ripen 

 until March or April 

 and keep until late 

 May. A serious de- 

 fect is that they some- 

 times refuse to ripen 

 but shrivel and decay. 

 The pears are excel- 



lent in flavor, have good flesh-characters, and 

 when properly ripened are excelled in quality 

 by no other winter pear. The variety should 

 have a place in the collection of every pear 

 fancier to extend the season for this fruit, and 

 commercial pear-growers might find it a profit- 

 able sort for local market. Unfortunately, the 

 trees are small, fastidious, as to environment 

 and somewhat uncertain in bearing. Bernard S. 

 Fox, San Jose, California, raised many pears 

 from seeds of Belle Lucrative; among these 

 seedlings was one which fruited first in 1873 and 

 was named in honor of Patrick Barry. 



Tree variable in size, lacking in vigor, spreading, 

 open-topped, unusually hardy ; trunk slender ; branches 

 stocky, zigzag, reddish-brown, marked with large lenti- 

 cels. Leaves 1 % inches long, 1 % inches wide, leathery ; 

 apex abruptly pointed ; margin finely serrate, tipped 

 with few glands ; petiole 1 % inches long. Flowers open 

 late, 1*4 inches across, well distributed, averaging 7 

 buds in a cluster. Fruit matures in late November and 

 December ; averaging 2 % inches long, 2 ^4 inches wide, 

 oblong-obtuse-pyriform, irregular, with unequal sides ; 

 stem 1 inch long, thick, curved ; cavity obtuse, narrow, 

 furrowed, compressed, often lipped ; calyx small, open ; 

 lobes separated at the base, short, narrow, obtuse ; basin 

 shallow, narrow, obtuse, smooth and regular ; color rich 

 yellow, almost entirely overspread with russet ; dots 

 numerous, small, russet, conspicuous ; flesh yellowish- 

 white, fine, melting, sweet, juicy, with a rich, vinous 

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

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

 large, wide, long, plump, acute. 



91. P. Barry. (Xy 2 ) 



92. Pitmaston. (X%) 



PITMASTON. Fig. 92. Pitmaston Duchess. 

 Although this fine old English pear has more 

 than ordinary merit, it seems to be little grown 

 in America. In appearance, the pears are un- 

 surpassed. On warm soils or in warm seasons, 

 the flavor is choicely good, but in cold soils and 

 seasons, the flavor is often austere, or even acid 

 and astringent. The season prolongs that of 



