60 THE PEARS OF NEW YORK 
pears. Bartlett and Beurré Bosc are relatively tender to cold, Tyson is 
hardy, and Flemish Beauty is very hardy. Less important, but still of 
some importance, is the ability to withstand heat, a character possessed in 
varying degrees by varieties of pears. 
Productiveness, age of bearing, regularity of bearing, certainty of 
bearing, and longevity are constitutional characters that must be noted in 
full descriptions. All help to determine the value of a variety, and all aid 
more or less in classification. For most part, these are inherent characters 
and are influenced but little by environment. 
The degree of susceptibility of a variety to fungous diseases and insect 
pests is a valuable cultural character, but has little use in identifying or 
classifying pears. There are great variations in varieties of pears to the 
dreaded pear-blight: Bartlett, Beurré Bosc, Beurré d’Anjou, and Clapp 
Favorite are among the varieties most susceptible; Kieffer, Seckel, and 
Winter Nelis are among those least susceptible to blight. Kieffer and 
related hybrids are somewhat immune to San Jose scale, but are very 
susceptible to psylla. Flemish Beauty and White Doyenné are so badly 
attacked by the scab-fungus that it is almost impossible to grow them in 
eastern America. 
Some of these constitutional characters are much modified by care and 
environment, as all are more or less. Care and local environment often 
make it possible to grow varieties in special localities, although some 
varieties are inherently adapted to a greater number of diverse conditions 
than others. Bartlett, Seckel, and Kieffer have in common as one of their 
most valuable characters adaptability to a great diversity of soils and 
climates. 
Trunk and branch.— The trunk does not count for much in descriptions 
of varieties. The height of the trunk usually depends on the whims of the 
pruner. Whether stout or slender is sometimes noteworthy. The bark 
may be smooth or shaggy. Color of ‘bark is often a valuable diagnostic 
character, especially in young trees. Many if not most varieties of pears 
can be identified in nursery rows by an expert nurseryman from the color 
of the bark. Seckel, Sheldon, and Beurré d’Anjou have remarkably 
distinctive color as young trees. 
The branches of pear-trees are often reliable guides in identifying 
varieties in orchard or nursery, especially when trees are leafless and fruitless. 
The twisting, drooping branches of Winter Nelis serve to identify that 
variety at any time. The zigzag branches of Beurré d’Anjou and Bloodgood 
