Originated at Boulogne-sur-mer, France. Raised by M. Bonnet in 1820. Acquired by M. Jean-Laurent Jamin, a nurseryman near Paris in 1830, who named it in honor of M. Hardy. Fruit medium or larger in size, obtuse-pyriform, symmetrical. Skin usually granular, tender, dull greenish-yellow, often with some russeting, dots numerous and sometimes conspicuous. Flesh somewhat granular, buttery, juicy. Rich, aromatic flavor when properly grown and handled. Inclined to be bitter in taste if picked too early and susceptible to core breakdown if left on the trees too long. Fruit a little too soft to withstand commercial handling. Midseason. Tree of good growth habits, vigorous and productive. Often used as an intermediate trunk stock on quince. Semi-dwarf on quince. Fairly susceptible to fire blight. -- H. Hartman, Oregon Ag. Experiment Station, 1957 --Beurre Hardy is one of the good autumn pears that was originally raised by M. Bonnet of Boulogne-sur-mer, France in 1820. Ten years later M. Jean-Laurent Jamin gave it the name it holds today after he acquired the sample from Bonnet. The cultivar was named after M. Hardy, a Director and Professor of Arboriculture at the Garden of Luxembourg. Between 1840 and 1845, Jamin distributed it among other nurserymen and eventually the cultivar reached the Americas. Has been used as a virus indicator clone.