Reeder is a seedling raised about 1855 by Dr. Henry Reeder, Varick, New York, from seed of Winter Nelis. The parent tree stood near a Seckel and it is considered that Reeder is a cross between the two varieties. The American Pomological Society added the variety to its fruit-catalog in 1871 under the name Doctor Reeder, but in 1883 changed the name to Reeder.
Tree medium in size, vigorous, spreading, drooping, open-topped, productive; branches zigzag, reddish-brown partly overspread with gray scarf-skin, sprinkled with numerous lenticels; branchlets slender, willowy, long, reddish-brown mingled with gray, the new growth reddish-green, dull, smooth, glabrous except near the tips of the new growth, with few very small, inconspicuous lenticels.
Leaf-buds small, short, pointed, appressed. Leaves 2¾ in. long, 1¼ in. wide, leathery; apex taper-pointed; margin crenate to nearly entire; petiole 2 in. long, tinged with red; stipules few, very small, reddish-green. Flower-buds small, short, conical, free, singly on short spurs; flowers 1¼ in. across, in dense clusters, average 9 buds in a cluster; pedicels ¾ in. long, slender.
Fruit ripe in October and November; small, 1¾ in. long, 1⅞ in. wide, globular-obtuse-pyriform, slightly ribbed and irregular; stem 1¼ in. long, slender, curved; cavity a very small depression in which is inserted the base of the stem, symmetrical; calyx large, open; lobes separated at the base, long, narrow, reflexed, acuminate; basin very shallow and narrow, smooth; skin thick, smooth, tender; color dull greenish-yellow, mottled and streaked with russet, blushed faintly on the exposed cheek with brownish-red; dots few, small, obscure, greenish or russet; flesh white, granular toward the center but fine-grained near the skin, tender, somewhat stringy, very juicy, aromatic; quality good. Core large, closed, with clasping core-lines; calyx-tube long, narrow, funnel-shaped; seeds unusually large, wide, long, plump, acute.
RIEHL BEST
1. Stark Bros. Cat. 18. 1912. 2. Ibid. 55. 1916.
Riehl Best is described among the major varieties because it is as nearly blight-proof as any other European pear. It might well be tried in localities where standard sorts cannot be raised because of blight, and is worth growing in breeding work as a parent to obtain blight-resistant varieties. The pears are rather unattractive in appearance, but are excellent in quality. The flesh is juicy, tender, vinous, free from grittiness and seldom rots at the core. The trees, besides being nearly free from blight, are hardy to heat and cold, and bear annually. The fruits fall far short of those of standard varieties in New York.
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. Trees of other varieties are ruined by blight while Riehl Best is in perfect health and bears every season.” From this history it is probable that Riehl Best is an old European pear renamed.