Beau Présent d'Artois
PearBeau Présent d'Artois
Origin / History
A foreign variety. Prévost, who died at Rouen in 1849, considered Beau Présent d'Artois identical with the Present royal de Naples. That name is said to come from the King of Naples, who about the end of the eighteenth century sent a number of these pears to Prince Charles of Wurttemberg to remind him to forward a promised white stag (Hedrick). The variety was noticed in the Magazine of Horticulture in 1838 as Present Royal of Naples, and was later described by Leroy (1867) and Mas (1872). Elliott's account derives from Hovey's Magazine. Downing calls it "by some persons highly esteemed."
Tree
Vigorous, with long branches. Young wood dull brown, with white oblong specks (Downing).
Fruit
Size: Large. By error classed by some as a Pound pear (Hedrick).
Form: Oblong pyriform, obtuse. Elliott gives oblong obovate pyriform.
Stem: Rather stout to large, inclined (Downing). Downing calls it long; Elliott calls it short.
Cavity: Little or no depression (Downing).
Calyx: Short, broad (Elliott), partially closed (Downing).
Basin: Shallow, uneven (Downing).
Skin: Greenish yellow to yellow, dotted and patched with russet. Hedrick describes it as covered with patches and dots of brown russet. Elliott describes it as gray and green spotted.
Dots: Russet (Downing), brown russet (Hedrick).
Flesh and flavor: Flesh white, with green lines (Elliott). Tender, buttery, melting, juicy, sweet and sugary, agreeably flavored and perfumed. Thomas calls it granular. Downing rates it "good to very good"; Hedrick rates it "first."
Core and seeds: Not described in source.
Season
September; Hedrick gives August and September. Thomas notes that it rots at the core.
Uses
Not described in source.
Subtypes / Variants
Not described in source.
Other
Not described in source.
Book Sources
Described in 4 period pomological works
Nursery Catalog Sources
Found in 1 catalog (1900)
- Central Experimental Farm , Dominion Department of Agriculture, Agassiz, British Columbia (under test; Bulletin No. 3, Second Series) — 1900
View original book sources (4)
— F.R. Elliott, The Western Fruit Book (1865)Beau Present d'Artois.
Foreign. Fruit large, oblong obovate pyriform, gray and green spotted; stem, large, short; calyx, short, broad; flesh, white, with green lines, tender, juicy, sugary. September. (Hov. Mag.)
— A.J. Downing, The Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900)Beau Present d'Artois.
Present Royal de Naples. Present Royal de Nantes.
A foreign variety, by some persons highly esteemed. Tree vigorous, with long branches. Young wood dull brown, with white oblong specks.
Fruit large, oblong pyriform, greenish yellow, dotted and patched with russet. Stalk long, rather stout, inclined, little or no depression. Calyx partially closed. Basin shallow, uneven. Flesh buttery, juicy, melting. Good to very good. September.
— John J. Thomas, The American Fruit Culturist (1903)Beau Present d'Artois. Large, pyriform, yellow; granular, sweet; rots at core. September.
— U.P. Hedrick, The Pears of New York (1921)Beau Présent d'Artois.
- Leroy Diet. Pom. 1:185, fig. 1867. 2. Mas Pom. Gen. 1:175, fig. 88. 1872. Present Royal of Naples. 3. Mag. Hort. 4:395. 1838.
Prévost, who died at Rouen in 1849, wrote of this pear that he considered it identical with the Present royal de Naples which it is said obtained its name from the fact that the King of Naples about the end of the eighteenth century sent a number of these pears to Prince Charles of Wurttemberg to remind him to forward a promised white stag. Fruit large, by error classed by some as a Pound pear, oblong-obtuse-pyriform, greenish-yellow, covered with patches and dots of brown russet; flesh melting, juicy, sweet, and agreeably flavored and perfumed; first; Aug. and Sept.