THE PEARS OF NEW YORK 65 
the cavity in classifying pears and is described by the same terms. The 
furrows in the basin are sometimes indistinct and are then called wavy. 
The skin around the calyx-lobes may be wrinkled, plaited, folded, or corru- 
gated. Rarely, there are fleshy protuberances about the calyx-lobes called 
mammiform appendages. 
Calyx-lobes— The withered calyx-lobes persist in some pears and not 
in others. They persist in European pears, but are deciduous in the 
edible-fruited Asiatic species. The calyx-lobes may be open, partly open, 
or closed in varieties of the fruits in which they are persistent. In some 
varieties the segments are separated at the base; in others, united. The 
lobes may lie flat on the fruit or may stand erect. When upright, if the 
tips incline inward the lobes are said to be connivent; if inclined outward, 
they are reflexed, or divergent. The lobes may be broad or narrow, with 
tips acute or accuminate. 
Characters of the skin.— The skin of all pears offers several most 
valuable features for classification. Of these characters, color is the most 
important. Perhaps no character of fruits varies more in accordance with 
environment than the color, yet the color itself and the way in which it is 
distributed on the fruit, serve to make this character a fairly safe 
distinguishing mark for most varieties of pears. The ground-color of pears 
is the green or yellow-green of chlorophyll, usually with an over-color of 
tints and shades of yellow or red. The over-color may be laid on in stripes, 
splashes, or streaks; as a blush; may mottle the surface; or may be a 
single color, in which case the fruit is said to be self-colored. In nearly 
all varieties of colored pears, it is not an uncommon anomaly to find trees 
under some conditions bearing green fruits. Usually, in pears, the color 
is laid on solidly; very few varieties have striped or splashed fruits. 
The skin may be thick or thin, tough or tender. In a few varieties 
it is relatively free from the flesh, but with most clings tightly. The surface 
of the skin is often waxy or oily. This character must not be confused 
with waxen which refers to the glossy appearance of the skin. 
Some pears have an unbroken russet surface as Beurré Bosc and 
Sheldon. Or, the surface may be rough because of minute russet dots or 
netted veins. With many sorts, the cavity alone is russeted. Sometimes 
the russet of the cavity is spread out in radiating lines. 
Nearly all pears have few or many dots on the skin, notes on which 
may enhance the value of a description. These may be obscure or con- 
spicuous, large or small, raised or sunken. If visible under the epidermis, 
5 
