THE PEARS OF NEW YORK 177 
JARGONELLE 
1. Knoop Pomologie tot, fig. 1771. 2. Coxe Cult. Fr. Trees 183, fig. 13. 1817. 3. Pom. Mag. 3: 
108, Pl. 1830. 4. Lindley Guide Orch. Gard. 341. 1831. 5. Mag. Hort. 9:363, fig. 30. 1843. 
6. Downing Fr. Trees Am. 758. 1869. 
Gergonell. 7. Parkinson Par. Ter. 593. 1629. 
Epargne. 8. Duhamel Trait. Arb. Fr. 2:133, Pl. VII. 1768. 9. Coxe Cult. Fr. Trees 181, fig. 10. 
1817. 10. Prince Pom. Man. 1:152. 1831. 11. Pom. France 2: No. 85, Pl. 85. 1864. 12. Mas Le 
Verger 2:19, fig. 8. 1866-73. 13. Leroy Dict. Pom. 2:135, fig. 1869. 14. Guide Prat. 62, 269. 1876. 
Sparbirne. 15. Dochnahl Fuhr. Obstkunde a:131. 1856. 16. Mathieu Nom. Pom. 286. 1889. 
Walsche Birne. 17. Dochnahl Fuhr. Obstkunde 2:144. 1856. 
At one time the best second early pear, Jargonelle is now little grown in 
America, native varieties having crowded it out. The crop ripens two or 
three weeks before that of Bartlett, so that the pears come on the market 
with those of Bloodgood and Dearborn, which, for most situations, are 
better sorts. The fruits are as attractive as any of their season and are 
unique in shape and in having a long, curved stem. The quality leaves 
much to be desired. The flesh is coarse, rather gritty, and the flavor lacks 
the rich sugary taste on the one hand, or the refreshing piquancy on the 
other hand, of good pears. The fruits rot at the core and the season is 
short. The crop should be picked early and ripened in the house. The 
trees are large, vigorous and sometimes very productive, but are coarse, 
untidy bearers, especially when young, and are often uncertain in bear- 
ing. After setting the faults against the merits of this variety, one must 
conclude that is it too worthy to discard, but hardly good enough for a 
recommendation for other than the home orchard or in the plantings of 
collectors. 
Jargonelle is a patriarch among pears, being one of the oldest of all 
varieties. Its name appears to be derived from Jargon, anciently Gergon, 
a corruption of Groecum; whence Merlet, writing in 1675, infers that the 
Jargonelle was the Pyrum Tarentinum of Cato and Columella, the Numid- 
ianum Groecum of Pliny, and the Groeculum of Macrobius. So far as we 
know the earliest mention of the Jargonelle in England is by John Parkinson, 
who, writing in 1629, mentions sixty-five varieties of pears, among them 
being the Peare Gergonell. Stephen Switser, who wrote in 1731, also 
names it. The vitality of the English Jargonelle is remarkable; the trees, 
it is said, often live for 200 years. In Scotland the variety is cultivated as 
far north as pears will grow. William Coxe, Burlington, New Jersey, 
writing in 1817 of the Jargonelle, said, ‘‘ This pear has not been much 
cultivated in America, and almost always under false names.”’ 
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