194 THE PEARS OF NEW YORK 
Tree large, vigorous, upright, very tall, dense-topped, hardy, productive, long-lived; 
trunk stocky; branches slightly zigzag, reddish-brown mingled with very dark grayish scarf- 
skin, with numerous raised lenticels; branchlets slender, long, dark reddish-brown, nearly 
smooth, glabrous, with few small, slightly raised lenticels. 
Leaf-buds pointed, semi-free. Leaves 3} in. long, 12 in. wide, much curled under at 
the margins, oval, leathery; apex slightly taper-pointed; margin glandless, finely serrate; 
petiole 13 in. long, slender. Flower-buds small, conical or pointed, free; flowers with a 
disagreeable odor, 13 in. across, white or tinged with pink along the edge of the petals, 
averaging 6 buds in a cluster; pedicels 13 in. long, slender, pubescent, light green. 
Fruit matures in October; medium to large, 23 in. long, 2} in. wide, uniform in size 
and shape, oblong-pyriform, somewhat irregular, with unequal sides; stem 1 in. long, slender, 
usually curved; cavity obtuse, very shallow and very narrow, furrowed and wrinkled, 
often lipped, the flesh folded up around the stem; calyx open, large; lobes broad, acute; 
basin obtuse, furrowed and uneven; skin granular, smooth; color pale yellow, marked on 
the exposed cheek with a dull red blush and with streaks of russet; dots numerous, small, 
grayish or russet, conspicuous; fruit yellowish-white, somewhat granular, tender and melt- 
ing, very juicy, sweet and vinous, aromatic, rich; quality very good. Core closed, with 
clasping core-lines; calyx-tube short, wide, conical; seeds large, wide, long, plump, acute. 
LUCY DUKE 
1. Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt. 153. 1885. 2. W. N. Y. Hort. Soc. Rpt. 65. 1889. 3. Van Lindley Cat. 
22, Pl. 1892. 4. N. Y. Sta. Bul. 364:182. 1913. 
Why Lucy Duke is neglected is hard to see. Tree and fruit are highly 
praised. Charles Downing thought the pear “not quite so fine as a 
first-class Seckel, but I must aver it is not far behind.’’ The pear has a 
rich, juicy, spicy, melting flesh that makes it one of the best. In form, 
the fruits resemble those of Bartlett, which is probably one of the parents; 
they are of but medium size, but are of a beautiful golden-russet color, 
which makes them as handsome as the handsomest. The skin is thick and 
the pears stand shipping well. The variety can be recommended for home 
and local markets, but the trees are a little too unproductive and too 
irregular in bearing for commercial orchards. The tree is hardy but only 
moderately vigorous and resembles Winter Nelis, supposed to be the other 
parent, in habit of growth. The variety is relatively free from blight. 
Lucy Duke was grown about 1880 by Mrs. Lucy Duke, Beaufort 
County, North Carolina, from seed of a Bartlett pear which she had 
received from California. Its tree-characters are so nearly like those of 
Winter Nelis that the other parent is supposed to be that variety. Lucy 
Duke was introduced about 1892 by J. Van Lindley, Pomona, North 
Carolina. 
