The pears of New York

by U. P. Hedrick

BEURRÉ CLAIRGEAU

1. Hovey Fr. Am. 2:73, Pl. 1851. 2. Ann. Pom. Belge 2:103, Pl. 1854. 3. Gard. Chron. 805. 1854. 4. Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt. 337. 1860. 5. Pom. France 1: No. 11, Pl. 11. 1863. 6. Mas Le Verger 1:39, fig. 26. 1866-73. 7. Jour. Hort. N. S. 12:211. 1867. 8. Leroy Dict. Pom. 1:335, fig. 1867. 9. Downing Fr. Trees Am. 678. 1869. 10. Gard. Chron. 1271. 1873. 11. Hogg Fruit Man. 517. 1884.

Clairgeau’s Butterbirne. 12. Dochnahl Führ. Obstkunde 2:127. 1856. 13. Lauche Deut. Pom. II: No. 7, Pl. 7. 1882. 14. Deut. Obstsorten 3: Pt. 9, Pl. 1907.

Clairgeau. 15. Am. Pom. Soc. Cat. 36. 1883.

Beurré Clairgeau is one of the mainstays in American pear-growing, and is an especially valuable variety in New York. It maintains its place among standard varieties chiefly because of splendid tree-characters, as the fruits, while handsome, are not of the best quality. The tree is second only to that of Buffum in vigor, health, and productiveness, and is nearly as handsome as an ornamental. It does equally well on quince or pear stock, although the Europeans maintain that the product is better on the dwarfing stock. On either stock, the trees bear young and annually. The fruits are large, smooth, symmetrical, and uniform in shape, with a handsome ground color of rich yellow at maturity and a bright crimson cheek. But here praises end, for the “deceptive cheek of the Clairgeau” is proverbial in pear-growing, the handsome coat covering rather coarse, granular flesh which is sometimes very good but more often commonplace. The core is very large, and the flesh surrounding it often rots or softens prematurely. The fruit is more suitable for cookery than dessert. The pears are heavy and often drop before maturity, and the trees should not be set in wind-swept situations. Despite these demerits of the fruits, the variety is well worth planting in commercial orchards for late markets.

The original tree of Beurré Clairgeau appears to have grown by chance about 1830 with Pierre Clairgeau, Nantes, France. M. Clairgeau’s first account of it was given in 1848 when he exhibited fruit. The reputation of the variety seems to have been at once established, for J. de Jonghe and others combined and purchased the stock of about 300 trees grafted on quince. Together with the parent tree, these were the same year removed to Brussels, and in 1852 the pear was placed on the market. Thus it happened that a French pear was first distributed by Belgian growers. The variety was introduced in America about 1854. The American Pomological Society placed it upon its list of recommended fruits in 1860.

Tree medium in size, vigorous, unusually upright, dense, slow-growing, hardy, productive, a regular bearer; trunk slender, shaggy; branches smooth, slightly zigzag, ashgray almost completely overspreading reddish-brown, with many lenticels; branchlets thick, short, with short internodes, greenish-brown, smooth, glabrous, with slightly raised lenticels.

Leaf-buds conical, pointed, appressed; leaves very numerous, 3 in. long, 2 in. wide, broadly oval, leathery; apex abruptly pointed; margin glandless, finely serrate; petiole 2 in. long, glabrous; stipules rudimentary or lacking. Flower-buds medium to long, conical, pointed; flowers 1½ in. across, showy, in dense clusters, averaging 7 buds to a cluster; pedicels ⅝ in. long, thick, pubescent, greenish.

Fruit in season, late October and November; large, 3⅝ in. long, 2⅝ in. wide, uniform in size, roundish-acute-pyriform, with a long, tapering neck, symmetrical, uniform in shape; stem ½ in. long, short, very thick and fleshy; cavity obtuse, very shallow and narrow, fleshy around the base of the stem, russeted, lipped; calyx open, large; lobes separated at the base, long, broad, acute or acuminate; basin shallow, narrow, obtuse, furrowed, often compressed; skin thick and granular, tough, smooth, glossy; color yellow, with bright red blush; dots many, small, russet, conspicuous; flesh white, quite granular, firm at first but becoming at maturity tender and melting, buttery, very juicy, sweet, aromatic, with a rich, vinous flavor; quality variable, good to best. Core large, closed, with clasping core-lines; calyx-tube short, wide, conical; seeds large, wide, long, plump, acute.