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KOONCE FROST-PROOF, Largest Early Pear. Very early, heavy bearer, large, handsome, good. Does not rot at core. Has never blighted. Frost-Proof—bore in 1894, when all others in same orchard were killed. -- Stark Fruit Book 1896

Originated in Southern Illinois; has been largely planted; the most successful early market Pear in that section. A strong, upright grower; hardy, magnificent foliage; has produced crops when all other varieties were killed by frost. Fruit medium, yellow, with carmine cheek; juicy, spicy, sweet and delicious quality; ripens with the earliest.An excellent shipper; it comes into bearing young. July and August. -- Washington Nursery Co. Toppenish, 1901

Ewart. Originated in East Akron, Ohio, by Mortimer Ewart. Introduced in 1928. Parentage unknown. Fruit: size medium; skin greenish-yellow, russeted, appearance fair; flesh fine, melting, tender, juicy, flavor excellent; quality excellent; season 10 to 20 days after Bartlett, which it resembles; keeps well into December under refrigerated storage. Tree: somewhat more resistant to fire blight than Bartlett; very productive; effectively pollinates Bartlett.

Phelps. Originated in Geneva, N.Y., by Richard Wellington, New York State Agriculture Experiment Station. Introduced in 1925. Winter Nelis x Russet Bartlett; cross made in 1912. Fruit: skin color duller than Bartlett; flesh juicy, tender, pleasant vinous flavor; ripens 1 month later than Bartlett, and keeping until Christmas. Tree: spreading; vigorous and productive. -- Brooks and Olmo Descriptions of Fruit Varieties

Originated in Geneva, N.Y., by Richard Wellington, New York State Agriculture Experiment Station. Introduced in 1935. Bartlett x Dorset; cross made in 1921; first full crop in 1921. Fruit: one of largest of all pears; similar to Bartlett, but not as pale yellow; flesh tender, granular; develops best quality after a period of cold storage; season December to January. Tree: spreading, dense; vigorous and productive. -- Brooks and Olmo Register of New Fruit and Nut Varieties.

From extension publication 824 (Farmers' Bulletin 156) "Pear Growing in the Annapolis Valley" by R.D.L. Bligh, Experimental Farms Service, Ottawa, Canada, 1949: Covert. —The young tree is hardy, vigorous and comes in bearing early, and is a prodigious cropper. The fruits resemble Bartlett in colour and shape but are much larger and heavier and drop readily near harvest. The season is supposed to be two months later than Bartlett, but it has ripened with us about mid-November. The fruit is firm and handles well, and canning tests indicate the product is near Bartlett quality and much better than the Kieffer canned product. It is meeting with enthusiastic grower acceptance in New York State. Worthy of trial.

In his 1964 book 'Dwarf Fruit Trees for Orchard, Garden and Home" Harold Tukey listed Covert as one of the pear cultivars that is graft compatible with quince rootstock.

Photograph of mature fruit and ripening season suggests that this may be the same cultivar as the 'Hager Grove Pear' in Salem, Oregon (PI 617686).

Horticulturist Richard Bell, at the Agricultural Research Service's (ARS) Appalachian Fruit Research Station in Kearneysville, West Virginia, and his colleagues describe Gem in the March 2014 issue of HortScience.

Gem requires at least 3 weeks of cold storage before normal fruit softening, but it will last for at least 28 weeks in cold storage without core breakdown or superficial scald. The fruit can also be eaten immediately after harvest without softening, as it has a crisp, juicy texture. Its flavor is sweet and mildly aromatic. When compared to Bartlett, a popular pear variety, sensory panelists rated Gem similar in appearance, flavor and purchase intent.

The original seedling tree of Gem was from a cross of 'Sheldon' and US62563-004 made in 1970. Bell selected Gem in 1981 from the seedling orchard at the ARS Henry A. Wallace Beltsville Agricultural Research Center in Beltsville, Maryland.

The source of Gem's fire blight resistance comes from the cultivar 'Barseck'. Subsequently, Gem was evaluated for fruit quality, fire blight resistance and productivity in replicated trials at the Kearneysville location and at research centers at Washington State University, Oregon State University, Michigan State University, Cornell University and Clemson University.

Gem is recommended as a fresh-market pear for both commercial and home orchards. While budwood of Gem is limited, genetic material of this release will be deposited in the National Plant Germplasm System, where it will be available for research purposes, including development and commercialization of the new cultivar. -- By Sharon Durham, USDA Agricultural Research Service, January 2015: http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/2015/150130.htm

In 1995, horticulturists at the Hood River station began to prescreen 13 of the rootstocks for tree size, yield, and fruit size. They also looked for 'fatal flaws' such as too much root suckering and susceptibility to fire blight or Pseudomonas. The scion was d'Anjou, and the trees were spaced 8 by 18 feet. The control was OHxF.97, which Auvil said is similar to seedling. During the seven-year study, two of the rootstocks-Horner 4 and 10-were more productive than OHxF.97 and produced larger fruit.

From: GoodFruit Grower, September 2007

In 1995, horticulturists at the Hood River station began to prescreen 13 of the rootstocks for tree size, yield, and fruit size. They also looked for 'fatal flaws' such as too much root suckering and susceptibility to fire blight or Pseudomonas. The scion was d'Anjou, and the trees were spaced 8 by 18 feet. The control was OHxF.97, which Auvil said is similar to seedling. During the seven-year study, two of the rootstocks-Horner 4 and 10-were more productive than OHxF.97 and produced larger fruit.

From: GoodFruit Grower, September 2007

When I read Ethan Natelson's narrative about the origination of the Leona pear, in my mind, I began to compare that information with our Leona (=Patricke) pear. My late mother's sister, Marie, the only surviving sibling of five, was born in 1931. She told me her father told her the pear tree we have was planted long before she was born. My grandfather, her father, told me that his father had rooted the tree from a cutting from a tree he saw at a neighboring farm. In 1930, I assume that a pear tree that arrived in the mail at the post office in Converse, La., or wherever, would have had to have been a sapling. However, my great grandfather's rooted tree was already old enough to bear fruit by 1930 and probably before that. Additionally, I mention in my book that my great grandfather had climbed the tree when he was nearly ninety. As he climbed the tree to reach limbs small enough for him to be able to shake pears from out of the top, he lost his footing and hung upside down by one foot, which had gotten caught in a fork of the tree. My uncle Tony, my Aunt Marie's brother, now deceased, told me he saw this incident, as did my Aunt Marie, when I called her this evening to ask her about it. She said she laughed "because I was too young (around 12) to know it wasn't funny." This incident has stayed in the family lore for so long because those who witnessed it were so astonished that a man of his age could still climb trees. There are no pear trees anywhere near our property anymore, so the tree my great grandfather took wood from must have disappeared years ago. But what we do have here is a live eyewitness, my Aunt, a retired professional, to the fact that this pear tree was bearing fruit years before her grandfather climbed it, and that the tree was there throughout all her memory. Since the tree is hollow, its true age can't be determined by ring count. But, suffice it to say, our tree pre-dates the assumed 1930 Converse, La. origination date by some years. Not knowing any official name for the tree, all the elders in my family just called it the pear tree. However, I can vouch with one of Mr. Natelson's observations -- "It takes a few years to come into full bearing on calleryana." The tree in my backyard that bore fruit for the first time this year also took a few years just to begin to bear, and it was rooted from a cutting, not grafted. Additionally, grafts and rooted cuttings show different growth rates, and some of them begin blooming a few years before others of similar age. -- from Michael Bourgeois, 08/2014

From September to 25, 2009, U.S. scientists K. Hummer and J. Postman from the USDA Agricultural Research Service and Japanese scientists H. Iketani and H. Imanishi from the Japanese Ministry of Forestry and Fisheries/National Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, and Akita Agricultural University collaborated on an expedition to collect temperate fruit genera in Hokkaido and northern Honshu, Japan. An agreement between Japan and the USDA specified the terms of exchange, and materials collected were shared between scientists of both countries.

From September 7 to 25, 2009, U.S. scientists K. Hummer and J. Postman from the USDA Agricultural Research Service and Japanese scientists H. Iketani and H. Imanishi from the Japanese Ministry of Forestry and Fisheries/National Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, and Akita Agricultural University collaborated on an expedition to collect temperate fruit genera in Hokkaido and northern Honshu, Japan. An agreement between Japan and the USDA specified the terms of exchange, and materials collected were shared between scientists of both countries.

From September 7 to 25, 2009, U.S. scientists K. Hummer and J. Postman from the USDA Agricultural Research Service and Japanese scientists H. Iketani and H. Imanishi from the Japanese Ministry of Forestry and Fisheries/National Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, and Akita Agricultural University collaborated on an expedition to collect temperate fruit genera in Hokkaido and northern Honshu, Japan. An agreement between Japan and the USDA specified the terms of exchange, and materials collected were shared between scientists of both countries.

"Rostiezer. Origin uncertain. It was, however, received from A.N. Baumann, Bollweiler, Alsace, by R. Manning, Salem, Massachusetts in 1834 or 1835. Often called 'Early Seckel' in the west. Fruit medium or below, pyriform, regular in form, grass-green on the shaded side, reddish on the exposed face and sprinkled with small gray dots; flesh greenish-white, fine, melting, rather granular below the core; juice very abundant, vinous, acidulous, very saccharine, with a most delicate flavor; first; last of August." -- U.P. Hedrick, 1921, The Pears of New York

curator note: A cultivar named 'Early Seckel' (PI 541184) was introduced in 1935 by the New York State Agriculture Experiment Station. Neither the John Day Fossil Bed Pear No. 3 or the description of 'Rostiezer' is the same as the New York 'Early Seckel'.

"The Rostiezer is, we believe, a German pear, and was received from the nursery of the brothers Baumann, of Bolwiller, on the Rhine. It is likely to prove a capital variety. It bears abundantly. Fruit of medium size, oblong-pyriform. Skin a dull yellowish-green, with a reddish-brown cheek, and whitish dots, light russet. Stalk very long, nearly two inches, irregular, slender, set with very little depression. Calyx open, but little sunk. Flesh juicy, a little coarse, but very melting, sweet and delicious, with a rich perfume. August and September." -- A.J. Downing, 1846, The Fruits and Fruit Trees of America.

Aromatic, sweet to subacid flavor

o Very attractive, 20% red blush common

o Medium fruit size, productive tree

o Fire blight resistance equal to Seckel

o Early maturing: Harvest 2 to 3 weeks before Bartlett , just before Clapp s Favorite

o Stores 3 months without core breakdown

-- from R.L. Bell. 2008. Pear Cultivar Fact Sheet

This pear was discovered by Edwin H. Riehl, Godfrey, Illinois, and was introduced by Stark Brothers, Louisiana, Missouri. Mr. Riehl says: 'The farm on which the original tree stood was owned by a pioneer nurseryman who evidently imported from France a number of varieties, some perhaps without name. Riehl Best trees and several hundreds of other varieties represent the remains of three old orchards planted fifty years ago (written in 1912). Trees of other varieties are ruined by blight while Rielh Best is in perfect health and bears every season.' From this history it is probably that Riehl Best is a old European Pear renamed. -- U.P. Hedrick. 1921. The Pears of New York, quoting from Stark Bros. Catalogs from 1912 and 1916.

This 'Riehl Best' tree, as identified by C. Compton, is growing in the Applegate Orchard near the southwest corner of the Francis Writsman donation land claim, north of Corvallis, Oregon. It is by the north edge of McDonald Forest along Tampico Road and is among several fruit trees growing at the edge of an open field east of the forested area and several hundred feet south of Tampico Road on forest road 400. The tree has metal tag number AP-P3 placed in 1990. Tree location is latitude 44.69420 degrees N, longitude 123.25766 degrees W, elevation 108 meters.

Retired OSU horticulture Professor Cecil Compton continued his passion for identifying unknown fruit trees for farmers, homeowners, and natural resource managers well into his 90s. Following his death in August, 2005, at the age of 102 a group of Oregon Master Gardeners sorting through his papers found a list of apple and pear varieties that he had identified in abandoned orchards on what were once Donation Land Claim homesteads and are now the OSU McDonald Research Forest. Dozens of old trees were identified by Compton from fruit samples collected by OSU foresters Bob Zybach and Sanliang Gu in the fall of 1990. Zybach placed metal tags on the trees and mapped their locations. A team of master gardeners working with OSU McDonald Forest cultural resources specialist Debra Johnson and USDA ARS NCGR pear curator Joseph Postman toured McDonald forest in April 2007 and were able to locate a number of the fruit trees that Cecil Compton had identified 17 years earlier including one tree of 'Riehl Best', one of the Lost Pears of New York -- J. Postman, 2007.

Cabot. Originated from the seed of the Brown Beurre (Beurre Gris) by J.S. Cabot, Esq., of Salem, Mass. It has a good deal of the flavour of its parent, and is an agreeable, sub-acid fruit. The tree grows upright and very strong, and produces amazing crops, but the fruit, with us, decays very quickly - though we understand that, in older specimens, this is not the case. It merits a general trial. Col. M.P. Wilder of Boston, informs us, that with him, it is of the first quality, nearly as good as Fondante d'Automne. Fruit pretty large, roundish-turbinate, narrowing rather abruptly to the stalk, which is bent obliquely, and inserted on one side, of a tapering summit. Skin roughish, bronze yellow, pretty well covered with cinnamon russet. Calyx small, open, set in a round, smooth basin. Flesh greenish-white, breaking, juicy, with a rich, sub-acid flavour. Middle and last of September. -- A.J. Downing. 1846. Fruits and Fruit Trees of America.

Scions received on 7 March, 2005 at the USDA Repository from Leona Heitsch of Bourbon, Missouri. Ms. Heitsch saw the article 'The Lost Pears of New York' (J. Postman. 2005. Journal of the American Pomological Society 59(1):3-6.) and thought that a tree on her property matched the description of Lincoln Coreless pear.

30 November 2006: image made of seeds from package B. These seeds are noticeably smaller than seeds in package A. - J. Postman

This seedlot was collected from the same general region as PI 541007, received in 1989.

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.

The pear cultivar 'Grand Champion' is a russeted sport of 'Gorham.' 'Grand Champion' originated in the W.F. Shannon orchard in Hood River, Oregon, in 1936. Perhaps 'Shannon' is a synonym for 'Grand Champion'? -- J. Postman Feb.2004.

Julienne - An old and formerly popular pear; now generally discarded. Synonyms: Bloodgood Pear of New York, Julianna, Julienne (of Coxe), L'Archiduc d'Ete, Summer Beurre, Summer Doyenne (erroneosly), Summer St. Michael (so called near Boston). -- Ragan, 1908, The Nomenclature of the Pear

A beautiful and productive fruit and profitable for the market. Fruit medium but varying on different soils, obovate, regularly formed, very smooth, skin fair, clear bright yellow all over; flesh white, rather firm at first, semi-buttery, sweet, moderately juicy, rich, sprightly; should be gathered a few days before ripe and kept in the house; Aug. -- U.P. Hedrick, 1921, The Pears of New York

Bloodgood has long been a standard summer pear in America. It surpasses any European associate of its season in both fruit- and tree-characters. In particular, the fruits are meritorious for flesh of fine texture, which, though a little granular, is melting and juicy, and ha a rich, sweet, perfumed flavor. Complaints appear in the horticultural press that the quality is always poor if the fruit is not picked as soon as full grown and ripened indoors. The season in New York is August. The trees are resistant to blight, healthy, bear young and regularly, are long-lived, and attain large size, although in some situations they are but medium in size. The variety has little or no value in commercial plantations, but is prized in every collection for home use.

The origin of this pear is unknown, but it is suposed to be a native of New York. It seems to have been brought to notice about 1835 by James Bloodgood of the nursery firm of Bloodgood and Company, Flushing, Long Island. According to Robert Manning, the variet was listed in Prince's Catalogue for 1837 as Early Beurre. After being introduced by Bloodgood and company, it was speedily recognized as one of the most valuable native sorts. The variety was placed upon the fruit catalog-list of the American Pomological Society in 1848. -- U.P. Hedrick, The Pears of New York, 1921.

Scions for NCGR Corvallis were collected on 17 February, 2004, at the Bybee Howell Pioneer Orchard, Howell Territorial Park on Sauvie Island west of Portland, Oregon. This orchard was established by Larry L. McGraw and the Home Orchard Society in 1973 on the grounds of the restored James F. Bybee House to represent and preserve Pacific Northwest heirloom fruit varieties. -- J. Postman, 2005

Scions for NCGR Corvallis were collected on 17 February, 2004, at the Bybee Howell Pioneer Orchard, Howell Territorial Park on Sauvie Island west of Portland, Oregon. This orchard was established by Larry L. McGraw and the Home Orchard Society in 1973 on the grounds of the restored James F. Bybee House to represent and preserve Pacific Northwest heirloom fruit varieties. -- J. Postman, 2005

Scions for NCGR Corvallis were collected on 17 February, 2004, at the Bybee Howell Pioneer Orchard, Howell Territorial Park on Sauvie Island west of Portland, Oregon. This orchard was established by Larry L. McGraw and the Home Orchard Society in 1973 on the grounds of the restored James F. Bybee House to represent and preserve Pacific Northwest heirloom fruit varieties. -- J. Postman, 2005

Leaves are large, round with flat surface; of dark green color and slightly serrate ends. Flowers are of medium size, white and fragrant; petals are of medium size. Fruits are of medium size, weighing 80 to 120 grams, round, comprising stony cells. Fruit stalk is long; yellow greenish. Fennel is of average size; plate is not deep. Fruits are getting yellow when they are ripe enough. Seeds are flat, oblong with dark brown color. 100 dry seed weigh 6 to 7 grams. The tree bears late, 5 to 6 years after planting. Fruits ripen in late October. --collection notes sent by Samvel Gasparian on wild and cultivated fruits of Armenia, Ministry of Agriculture, Republic of Armenia, 2002.

Another sample collected from same village and sent to NPGS but not accessed was seed of western European cultivar 'Kjure' (= Cure or Vicar of Winkfield). It is not known if the 'Kjure' trees were growing near the 'Dzmernuk' trees, but this would be a possible pollen source for these open pollinated seeds. -- J. Postman

Mishirazu. Origin: May trace back to seed from China. Found in Hokkaido about 1887 where it was originally called Iida Nashi. Tested in Aomori testing center beginning in 1933. In 1956 this was the main cultivar grown in Hokkaido and occupied 63% of production. Named 'Mishirazu' by Dr. Hoshino. Fruit ripens in same period as Taihaku. Has been used in breeding and is a parent of Kitahoshi (Misharazu x Nijisseiki), Hokuto (Mijisseiki x Mishirazu), Hatsuhi (Chojuro x Mishirazu) and Amatama (Chojuro x Mishizaru). -- from I.Kajiura and Y.Sato. 1990. Recent progress in Japanese pear breeding and descriptions of cultivars based on literature review. Bulletin of the Fruit Tree Research Station (translated from Japanese by S. Wada, 12/2007).

Flowering period: late mid-season. Fruit: broadly turbinate, approaching round, 43-56 mm. long, 45-57 mm. diameter. Stem 10-20 mm. thick, often lumby, usually swollen at union with spur. Stem basin usually small and slight, sometimes absent. Eye basin usually slight, though sometimes well defined, wide and shallow. Calyx upright, rarely reflexed; sepals tubular or joined; stamens attached at base of sepals, sometimes red. Skin light green, sometimes with a slight red, often blotchy flush; russet spreading to cheek; lenticels small, sometimes conspicuous, red on flush; scab slight. Core has a well defined axial sac, rarely filled. Flesh sometimes tinged yellow, with stone cells around core. Harvest 1st to 3rd week of October. Milled up to 5 days after harvest. The fruits rot quidkly from the centre, though remaining sound in external appearance. Juice sp. gr. 1052; acidity 0.40; tannin 0.14. Produces a medium acid, low to medium tannin perry; pleasant and full bodied. -- Luckwill and Pollard, 1963.

Flowering period: early mid-season. Fruit: Oblate or round, rarely turbinate, 33-45 mm. long, 38-48 mm. diameter. Stem 19-26 mm., slender, often attached to the fruit by a fleshy lip. Stem basin absent. Eye basin wide and shallow. Calyx upright; sepals free; stamens attached some distance below the base of the sepals. Skin green to yellow; russet at both ends; lenticels numerous, of variable size, conspicuous; scab often severe. Core has a filled axial sac or none; carpels large; seeds black. Flesh has a few stone cells around the core. Harvest 3rd to 4th week of October. Milled 3-6 weeks after harvest. Juice sp. gr. 1065; acidity 0.73; tannin 0.15. Produces a medium to high acid, medium tannin perry of average to good quality. -- Luckwill and Pollard, 1963.

This pear is being sold around Houston, and appears to be well suited for Southeast Texas. It is named after an African American enclave in Houston where for many years country living went on within city limits. Many inhabitants of Acres Homes kept livestock in their yards and gardened on their acre sized lots. The pedigree of this pear is unknown, but was likely grown from seed. Said to be a great pear and excellent for the area and possibly all along the gulf coast. -- Justin Duncan, Prairie View, Texas, 09/2011.

Not the same as European cultivars with similar name. Ragan (1908) notes Vermillion (of Haut) is an old European cultivar, and Vermillion or Vermilion is also a synonym for several other old cultivars including Brussels (Belle de Bruxelles of Downing, 1846), French Jargonelle (Vermilion d'ete), Wurtemburg (Vermillion d'ete), etc.