Leaf-buds small, short, pointed, appressed; leaf-scars prominent. Leaves 3¼ in. long, 1⅞ in. wide, leathery; apex taper-pointed; margin very finely serrate; petiole 2 in. long, glabrous. Flower-buds small, short, conical, plump, free, singly on short spurs; flowers late, 13⁄16 in. across, white or tinged with pink, in dense clusters, average 7 buds in a cluster; pedicels ½ in. long, pubescent.
Fruit ripe in late August; large, 2¾ in. long, 2⅜ in. wide, oblong-pyriform, symmetrical; stem ¾ in. long, very thick; cavity acute, narrow, russeted and with rays of russet extending over the sides, slightly compressed, rarely lipped; calyx large, open; lobes separated at the base, long, narrow, acuminate; basin very shallow, narrow, obtuse, wrinkled; skin thin, tender, smooth, dull; color pale lemon-yellow, with a pinkish blush on the exposed cheek often deepening to dark pink; dots characteristically distinct, very numerous, small, russet or russet-red; flesh white, stringy, tender and melting, buttery, moderately juicy, sweet, faintly aromatic; quality good. Core small, closed, with clasping core-lines; calyx-tube long, narrow, conical; seeds long, narrow, acute.
WINTER BARTLETT
1. Ore. Bd. Hort. Rpt. 42. 1895. 2. Ore. Nur. Cat. 19. 1903. 3. Am. Pom. Soc. Cat. 41. 1909. 4. Cal. Com. Hort. Pear Grow. Cal. 7: No. 5, 278, fig. 94. 1918.
Winter Bartlett is heralded from the Pacific Coast as a winter variety bearing fruits similar to those of Bartlett. As the fruits grow in New York there is a suggestion of Bartlett in the shape, color, and flavor of the fruits, but in size, as the color-plate shows, the newcomer falls far short of the older pear. The season is December and January, a time when there are a half-dozen other good pears, and since this one has no outstanding characters to make it notable, it is doubtful if it will outlive a brief period of probation in eastern orchards. The westerners say that the tree is very resistant to blight, a statement neither proved nor disproved in the East as yet. The variety is worth trying in a small way in New York.
This pear seems to have originated at Eugene, Oregon, some time prior to 1880, and to have been introduced by D. W. Coolidge of Eugene, although it must have been grown to some extent before Mr. Coolidge brought it to the front. Because of its resemblance to Bartlett, it is assumed that it is a seedling of that variety. The American Pomological Society added Winter Bartlett to its catalog of fruits in 1909.
Tree large, vigorous, upright, scraggly, open-topped, hardy, productive; branches stocky, smooth, light-brown overlaid with gray scarf-skin, with few lenticels; branchlets thick, curved, long, with long internodes, brownish-red, streaked with gray scarf-skin, glossy, smooth, glabrous, sprinkled with conspicuous, raised lenticels.