PLATE XXX. 
5. TAYNTON SQUASH. 
“ About Taynton (5 miles beyond Gloucester) Pears most abound, of which the best sort is that they name 
the Squash Pear , which makes the best Perry in those parts. These trees grow to be very large and exceedingly 
fruitful, bearing a fair round pear, red on one side and yellow on the other, when fully ripe, of a nature so harsh 
that Hogs will hardly eat them.” — Evelyn’s “Pomona.” 
[Syn : Teinton Squash ; Red Squaski] 
The earliest mention of this Pear is by Evelyn, in the paragraph above given. There is no 
history of its origin, but its name and tradition lead to the belief that it was a native of the parish of 
Taynton. A Red Squash is mentioned by Worlidge, which may very possibly have been the same 
variety, since the great size and age of many of the trees sufficiently prove its antiquity. 
A coloured representation of this Pear is given in the “ Pomona Herefordiensis ,’ PI. xiii. 
Description ,—Fruit : small, turbinate, even and regular in outline. Skin : dull, greenish 
yellow on the shaded side, and a clear red next the sun with a few interrupted streaks of deeper 
colour ; a thin light brown russet runs more or less over the fruit, often in thickly clustered dots, 
but not sufficiently deep to mar its bright colour. Eye : open, with stiff permanent recurved 
segments, giving it a star-like character, full of stamens set in a shallow depression, and surrounded 
with plaits. Stalk: slender, three quarters of an inch long, inserted without depression, with 
sometimes a fleshy lip on one side of it. Flesh : yellowish, abounding in juice of a rich sweet 
flavour, brisk, and very astringent, but sometimes very disagreeably harsh and rough. 
Mr. With’s analysis of the juice of the Taynton Squash Pear (season 1880), is as follows :— 
Density of fresh juice ... ... ... ... .1*055 
Ditto after 24 hours exposure to air ... ... 1*057 
One hundred parts by weight of juice yield :— 
Sugar ... ... ... ••• ... 13*471 
Tannin, Mucilage, Salts, &c. ... ... ... 3‘033 
Water ... ... ... ... ... 83‘496 
The Taynton Squash is the earliest of all the Perry Pears and is ripe about the beginning or 
middle of September. It affords a Perry of the greatest excellence with a sweet rich distinctive 
