PLATE XXVIII. 
who was familiarly known as “ Dutch Jacob.” Every season, early in the autumn, on returning 
from his shooting excursion, Dutch Jacob regaled his neighbours with pears of an unusually delicious 
flavour ; the secret of whose place of growth, however, he would never satisfy their curiosity by 
divulging. At length the Holland Land Company, owning a considerable tract south of the city, 
disposed of it in parcels, and Dutch Jacob then secured the ground on which his favourite pear tree 
stood—a fine strip of land near the Delaware. Not long afterwards it became the farm of Mr. 
Seckel, who introduced this remarkable fruit to public notice, and it received his name.” The Seckle 
Pear has been figured in the Transactions of The London Horticultural Society , Vol. III., PI. ix., 
and also in the Pomological Magazine. PI. 72. 
Description. —Fruit : small ; obovate, regularly and handsomely shaped. Skin : at first dull 
brownish green, changing, as it ripens, to yellowish brown, with bright red on the side exposed to 
the sun. Eye : small and open, with very short segments, and not at all depressed. Stalk : half 
an inch long, inserted in a small, narrow depression. Flesh : buttery, melting and very juicy, with 
a rich and unusually powerful aromatic flavour. 
One of the most valuable dessert Pears, surpassing in richness any other pear in cultivation. 
It is ripe in October, and from the beauty of its colour is as desirable as an ornament to the dessert 
table, as it is welcome there, for its delicious flavour. 
The tree is very hardy, vigorous, and an abundant bearer. It succeeds well as a standard, 
and is admirably adapted for dwarf pyramids on the Pear stock, kept well root pruned. No 
garden, however small, should be without this excellent fruit. 
