234 THE PEARS OF NEW YORK 
wide, uniform in size and shape, roundish-obovate to obtuse-obovate-pyriform, quite 
symmetrical except for the unequal sides; stem 1% in. long, thick, curved; cavity obtuse, 
shallow, narrow, russeted, gently furrowed, occasionally lipped; calyx large, open; lobes 
separated at the base, short, broad, acute; basin shallow, obtuse, lightly furrowed, symmet- 
rical; skin thick, tender, roughened with much russet, dull; color yellow with a tinge of 
green, dotted with grayish-russet and with many russet streaks and patches on the exposed 
cheek which is usually blushed with bright red; dots numerous, small, russet, conspicuous; 
flesh yellowish-white, quite granular at the center and underneath the skin, tender and 
melting, buttery, very juicy, sweet, aromatic; quality very good. Core large, closed, 
axile, with clasping core-lines; calyx-tube short, wide, conical; seeds large, wide, long, 
plump, acute. 
WORDEN SECKEL 
1. Rural N. Y. 50:888, figs. 326 and 327. 1891. 2. Thomas Am. Fruit Cult. 465, fig. 675. 1897. 
3. Franklin Davis Nur. Cat. 23. 1901. 4- Budd-Hansen Am. Hort. Man. 2:268. 1903. 5. Banker 
Cat. 19. 1915. 
Worden. 6. Am. Pom. Soc. Cat. 41. 1909. 
Possibly no pear has been more widely advertised during the last 
quarter-century than Worden Seckel. Nurserymen and pear-growers alike 
describe it as a better variety than Seckel, and say that it ought to take 
the place of that good old sort of which it is a seedling. But it is not 
driving Seckel out in most pear regions, though in many it is considered 
the more profitable pear of the two. It is a splendid pear, but falls short 
of Seckel in not being quite as dependable in different soils and climates; 
the trees are not as vigorous, though just as productive in many places, 
they are not quite as resistant to blight, and the fruits are not as high 
in quality. On the other hand, the pears are larger and handsomer. Well 
grown, the fruits of Worden Seckel are voluptuously handsome in form 
and color. The pears are smooth, glossy, trim of contour, well turned, 
unusually uniform, with a beautifully blushed cheek on a handsome green 
and yellow background. The accompanying illustration does not do the 
pear justice in size or color and shows a lack of symmetry not usually 
present. When the crop is thinned so that the fruits attain their largest 
size, no pear is handsomer or will bring a higher price on the fruit-stands. 
The crop comes in with Seckel, but keeps longer, lasting until December in 
cold-storage. The tree is very hardy and bears young, but does poorly 
in the nursery. Commercial growers should give this variety a thorough 
test, and amateurs everywhere will find it worth planting. 
Worden Seckel, as its name suggests, is a seedling of Seckel, raised by 
Sylvester Worden, Minetto, Oswego County, New York, about 1881. 
Smiths and Powell, Syracuse, New York, placed it on the market about 
