132 THE PEARS OF NEW YORK 
BEURRE CLAIRGEAU 
1. Hovey Fr. Am. 2:73, Pl. 1851. 2. Ann. Pom. Belge 2:103, Pl. 1854. 3. Gard. Chron. 805. 1854. 
4. Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt. 337. 1860. §. Pom. France 1: No. 11, Pl. 11. 1863. 6. Mas Le Verger 1:39, 
fig. 26. 1866-73. 7. Jour. Hort. N.S.12:211. 1867. 8. Leroy Dict. Pom. 1:335, fig. 1867. 9. Downing 
Fr. Trees Am. 678. 1869. 10. Gard. Chron. 1271. 1873. 11. Hogg Fruit Man. 517. 1884. 
Clairgeau’s Butterbirne. 12. Dochnahl Fuhr. Obstkunde 2:127. 1856. 13. Lauche Deut. Pom. Il: 
No. 7, Pl. 7. 1882. 14. Deut. Obstsorten 3: Pt.9, Pl. 1907. 
Clairgeau. 15. Am. Pom. Soc. Cat. 36. 1883. 
Beurré Clairgeau is one of the mainstays in American pear-growing, 
and is an especially valuable variety in New York. It maintains its place 
among standard varieties chiefly because of splendid tree-characters, as the 
fruits, while handsome, are not of the best quality. The tree is second only 
to-that of Buffum in vigor, health, and productiveness, and is nearly as hand- 
some as an ornamental. It does equally well on quince or pear stock, 
although the Europeans maintain that the product is better on the dwarfing 
stock. On either stock, the trees bear young and annually. The fruits are 
large, smooth, symmetrical, and uniform in shape, with a handsome ground 
color of rich yellow at maturity and a bright crimson cheek. But here 
praises end, for the ‘‘ deceptive cheek of the Clairgeau”’ is proverbial in 
pear-growing, the handsome coat covering rather coarse, granular flesh 
which is sometimes very good but more often commonplace. The core is 
very large, and the flesh surrounding it often rots or softens prematurely. 
The fruit is more suitable for cookery than dessert. The pears are heavy 
and often drop before maturity, and the trees should not be set in wind- 
swept situations. Despite these demerits of the fruits, the variety is well 
worth planting in commercial orchards for late markets. 
The original tree of Beurré Clairgeau appears to have grown by chance 
about 1830 with Pierre Clairgeau, Nantes, France. M. Clairgeau’s first 
account of it was given in 1848 when he exhibited fruit. The reputation of 
the variety seems to have been at once established, for J. de Jonghe and 
others combined and purchased the stock of about 300 trees grafted on 
quince. Together with the parent tree, these were the same year removed 
to Brussels, and in 1852 the pear was placed on the market. Thus it hap- 
pened that a French pear was first distributed by Belgian growers. The 
variety was introduced in America about 1854. The American Pomological 
Society placed it upon its list of recommended fruits in 1860. 
Tree medium in size, vigorous, unusually upright, dense, slow-growing, hardy, pro- 
ductive, a regular bearer; trunk slender, shaggy; branches smooth, slightly zigzag, ash- 
