230 THE PEARS OF NEW YORK 
Tree large, vigorous, upright, vasiform, hardy, very productive; trunk stocky, some- 
what smooth; branches thick, dark gray, with many large lenticels; branchlets thick, 
reddish-brown, smooth, glabrous, with small, very slightly raised lenticels. 
Leaf-buds obtuse, pointed, appressed. Leaves 2} in. long, 14 in. wide, flattened, 
leathery; apex taper-pointed; margin finely serrate; petiole 14 in. long, slender. Flower- 
buds large, long, conical or pointed, free; flowers early, 13 in. across, in dense clusters, 7 
or 8 buds in a cluster; pedicels 7 in. long, slender, pubescent, light green. 
Fruit matures in early October; medium in size, 2} in. long, 2% in. wide, uniform, 
obovate-obtuse-pyriform, symmetrical; stem 43 in. long, thick, slightly curved; cavity 
obtuse, shallow, narrow, russeted, usually symmetrical; calyx small, open or closed; lobes 
short, narrow, obtuse; basin shallow, obtuse, nearly smooth, symmetrical; skin thick, 
tough, smooth, dull; color clear pale yellow, with a small, bright red blush on the exposed 
cheek; dots numerous, small, russet, conspicuous; flesh yellowish-white, granular, firm at 
first but becoming melting when fully ripe, juicy, sweet, with a rich, aromatic flavor; 
quality very good. Core closed, with clasping core-lines; calyx-tube short, wide, conical; 
seeds wide, plump, obtuse. 
WILDER EARLY 
1. Can. Hort. 12:286, fig. 73. 1889. 2. Ibid. 13:251, Pl. 1890. 3. Am. Pom. Soc. Cat. 37. 1899. 
4. Budd-Hansen Am. Hort. Man. 2:268. 1903. 
Early Wilder. 5. Ill. Hort. Soc. Rpt. 45. 1896. 
Wilder. 6. Ont. Dept. Agr. Fr. Ont. 183, fig. 1914. 
This is one of the good, early pears for the markets. It is more 
highly prized in the Mississippi Valley than in New York and the Eastern 
states where summer pears are raised in greater variety. The pears are 
very attractive in size, shape, and particularly in the bright lemon-yellow 
color, with a flaming cheek to the sun, the whole pear being characteristically 
marked with small, russet dots set in a pinkish circle. Of all summer pears 
the fruits of this one seem least inclined to rot at the center, and usually 
keep longer and ship better, although the skin is tender and bruises easily. 
The flesh is buttery, moderately juicy, sweet and rich, with a faint, pleasant 
perfume. The fruits are small but are usually larger than those of the 
well-known Seckel, and are edible almost to the very center. The tree is 
large, vigorous, prodigiously productive, as healthy as any, and a remark- 
ably handsome ornamental. Despite this catalog of virtues, Wilder Early 
is not largely planted in New York. 
Wilder Early is a chance seedling found by Charles A. Green, Rochester, 
New York, about 1884, in Chautauqua County, New York. At the time 
of its discovery the tree was already in bearing. The variety was named 
after Marshall P. Wilder, President of the Massachusetts Horticultural 
Society. The name first appeared in the fruit-catalog of the American 
Pomological Society in 1899. 
