The original tree is growing in that interesting place, the old Bartram Botanic Garden, near Philadelphia. Col. Carr, the proprietor, who has disseminated this tree, informs us that in 1735, a seed was received by the elder John Bartram, from Lord Petre of London, as being the seed of a fine butter pear. The tree is not a rapid grower, but produces very regular and abundant crops. Young wood, slender, yellowish-brown. Fruit of medium size, or rather large, obovate. Skin very thin, pale yellow (sometimes marked with greenish-russet, and sprinlked with russet about the eye.) Calyx small, set in a narrow, but smooth basin. Flesh whitish, fine grained, buttery, and very melting; with a perfumed, slightly musky, high flavour. October, and if picked early, will keep a long time. -- A.J. Downing. 1859. Fruits and Fruit Trees of America, revised edition. Petre. This tree was presented to me by Mr. Carr, of the Bartram Botanic Garden, near Philadelphia, where the fruit originated. The first specimens were produced the last season, 1837. The size is large, the form long, round at the eye, and tapering to an obtuse point at the stem; the skin is a dull yellow, mixed with greenish russet; the flesh melting, juicy, and very delicious Ripe in October and November. It is a pear of the very first rank, and should be extensively cultivated. -- R. Manning, The New England Fruit Book, 1844.
I now have over 160 varieties growing in SE PA many which came from Geneva, a few from you and a number of other mid Atlantic sources. In my searching I got to know the folks at Historic Bartrams Gardens and found out that there was a rapidly disappearing pear named Lady Peter or Lady Petrie. There were two trees left in the world- one in nearby Germantown and one near DC in Chevy Chase. I contacted the owners in Germantown, got some scions and had no luck probably because of the age of the parent tree. The owners told me of someone else's efforts some ~15 years earlier that resulted in the one tree in Chevy Chase. Last spring/early summer my family and I were driving thru DC and stopped, and these owners were nice enough to allow us to take cuttings. I'm happy to report that there are now ~25 nice trees growing in SE PA which will be available for dispersal this fall or next spring. I have contacted my friends at Bartrams and expect that they will want several... -- Mike Tomlinson, Source of NCGR Scions, from June, 2003 email.
In Bartram's Garden, Philadelphia, Penn., a small, gnarled pear tree perpetuates the memory of Lady Petre, of England, who, in 1760, sent it across seas to the famous botanist. It was planted close by the quaint old house on the Schuylkill, that during his life-time was a centre of hospitality, and where noted men were often entertained. Owing to the generosity of Lord Peter, the Duke of Richmond and Peter Collinson, who justly subscribed a fund for the purpose, Bartram was able to continue the expeditions which he had begun in order to collect and classify the plants of the New World, returning to the donors the equivalent in roots and seeds. -- Katherine S. Nicholson,1922, Historic American Trees.