ALTHORP CRASANNE

Origin/History

ALTHORP CRASANNE was raised by Mr. Thomas Andrew Knight, and the seedling first bore fruit in 1830. Knight considered it one of the hardiest of his seedlings. Writing in 1836, Knight noted that "the original tree has borne well in all the last six years, and I believe it to be greatly more hardy than any of the Belgic varieties, and not less hardy than the Swan's Egg." The variety was bred in comparison to the Crasanne, which it was thought to improve upon: "it possesses all the richness of the Crasanne with less grittiness, being perfectly melting." Knight himself described the distinguishing character of its flavour thus: "its rose-water flavour will please where musk offends." Mr. Thompson, superintendent of the Royal Horticultural Society's garden, writing of this pear in 1836 (Trans. Hort. Soc. Vol. II, 2nd Series, p. 119) after it had been grown to greater perfection, considered that ALTHORP CRASANNE would bear competition with the first of the introduced varieties, and called it one of the very best pears.

Tree

The tree is hardy, vigorous, and an excellent bearer. It succeeds best as a standard, and is found to produce fruit of a superior quality even in soils that are unfavourable to the growth of pears generally. Knight believed it to be as hardy as the Swan's Egg Pear and greater in hardiness than any of the Belgic varieties. Bunyard records growth as vigorous and fertility as regular.

Fruit

Size

The Herefordshire Pomona describes the fruit as rather above medium size, measuring two inches and three quarters wide and two inches and a half high. Bunyard gives the size as medium. Thompson's 1836 observations note that specimens grown on a wall are very large and obovate, while fruit from standards is large. The discrepancy likely reflects both training method and degree of cultural perfection.

Form

Roundish obovate, widest in the middle, and tapering gradually to the apex, which is somewhat flattened but rounding towards the stalk (Herefordshire Pomona, main description). Thompson (1836) describes wall-grown specimens as obovate, and standard-grown fruit as large and roundish-obovate. The variety first appeared fully equal to the Crasanne in size and approaches it in its globular shape. Bunyard describes the form as round, tapering to stem, even.

Stem

The Herefordshire Pomona main description gives the stalk as an inch and a half long, slender, curved, and not deeply inserted. Thompson's 1836 observations present a more complex picture depending on training method: from wall-grown specimens the stalk is usually less than an inch and a half in length, or sometimes considerably shorter, and is thicker than that of the Crasanne; from standards the stalk differs markedly, being only half an inch or an inch in length — notably shorter than in the Crasanne, which runs to one and a half or two inches. Bunyard describes the stem as moderate, curved, rather slender, and continued (i.e., running into the fruit without an abrupt shoulder change).

Cavity

Not deeply inserted (Herefordshire Pomona). No further cavity description provided in sources.

Calyx and Basin

The Herefordshire Pomona main description gives the eye as rather large and open, placed in a shallow and slightly plaited basin. Thompson (1836) provides more differentiated observations: in wall-grown fruit the eye occupies a moderately deep depression with the segments of the calyx somewhat collapsing; in standard-grown fruit the eye is in a tolerably even-formed hollow, open, with the segments of the calyx forming tubercles and inclining to collapse. Bunyard describes the eye as rather large, open, in a shallow basin.

Skin

The Herefordshire Pomona main description gives the skin as pale green with a slight tinge of brown on the side exposed to the sun, and covered with minute russety dots. Thompson's 1836 observations record variation by training method: wall-grown fruit had skin of yellowish green with a faint brownish blush next the sun, and some russet near the stalk; standard-grown fruit had skin of greenish brown, interspersed with a russet-grey, not unlike the Crasanne in colour. The texture of the skin is described as the same colour and texture as the Crasanne (Herefordshire Pomona, additional entry). Bunyard describes the skin as rough and the colour as greenish yellow covered with fine russet.

Flesh and Flavor

White, buttery, and juicy, with a rich and slightly perfumed flavour (Herefordshire Pomona, main description). The variety's defining character is its rose-water flavour, which Knight distinguished from the musky note of the Crasanne. Thompson (1836) describes wall-grown flesh as white, melting, and buttery, with very little grit, rich and excellent, but noted that it was not equal to those from standards in point of high flavour; standard-grown flesh was described as buttery, rich, and very high flavoured. The flesh is described in the additional Herefordshire Pomona entry as less gritty than the Crasanne, and perfectly melting, possessing all the richness of the Crasanne with less grittiness. Bunyard records the flesh as white, melting, juicy, and pleasantly flavoured.

Core and Seeds

Not described in sources.

Season

October and November. Thompson (1836) specifies the end of October and November.

Uses

Dessert pear of the finest quality. ALTHORP CRASANNE is described in the Herefordshire Pomona as, in Knight's own estimation, the better of the two varieties when compared with the Crasanne; Thompson considered it one of the very best pears, capable of bearing competition with the first of the introduced varieties.

Subtypes/Variants

Thompson's 1836 observations explicitly distinguish between fruit grown on a wall and fruit grown as a standard. Wall-grown specimens are very large, obovate, with a moderately deep eye depression, a stalk of less than one and a half inches (sometimes considerably shorter) and thicker than in the Crasanne, and skin of yellowish green with a faint brownish blush next the sun and some russet near the stalk; the flesh, though white, melting, buttery, and with very little grit, was judged not equal to standard-grown fruit in high flavour. Standard-grown fruit is large, roundish-obovate, with the eye in a tolerably even hollow and open, the calyx segments forming tubercles inclining to collapse, the stalk only half an inch to one inch in length, the skin greenish brown interspersed with russet-grey, and the flesh buttery, rich, and very high flavoured. The contrast in stalk length between wall and standard is thus substantial and may be a useful identification marker when training method is known.

Other

The Herefordshire Pomona notes a coloured figure in Vol. II, 2nd Series, p. 119. Bunyard's entry cites the reference as Her. Pom. I., 4. The Herefordshire Pomona's additional entry observes that ALTHORP CRASANNE "has much the appearance of the Crasanne," with skin of the same colour and texture, and recommends comparison with that variety when identifying the fruit.