THE BEURRÉ D'ANJOU PEAR.

Beurré d'Anjou. Kenrick's American Orchardist, 3d Ed. 1841. Ne Plus Meuris, of some French Collections.

The Beurré d'Anjou, though not a very new variety, is of quite recent addition to American collections of pears; and it proves to be one of the most beautiful as well as one of the largest and most valuable sorts we now possess. It comes in at a season when we have but a limited supply of excellent varieties, and, from its productiveness, size, beauty, and other superior qualities, must become an indispensable addition to all good collections of pears.

The origin of the Beurré d'Anjou is unknown to us. In some of the French Catalogues it is stated to have originated in the vicinity of Angers, near Paris; but whether this is correct or not, we have no means of ascertaining, as we cannot find any notice of it in any pomological work except that of Mr. Kenrick, who introduced it to the notice of American cultivators. In the Catalogue of the London Horticultural Society, 3d Ed., 1842, it is set down as a synonyme of the Brown Beurré; but either the true variety could never have existed in the society's collection, or a great error must have been committed; for the two pears are too distinct to have been considered identical.

It is somewhat remarkable that, in the large number of pears proved in the very extensive collection in the pomological garden of Mr. Manning, and principally described in the Magazine of Horticulture, the Beurré d'Anjou should not have been found among them. It first fruited in the collection of Col. Wilder, of Dorchester, in 1845, and its cultivation is yet mostly confined to amateur collections.

The Beurré d'Anjou is a rapid growing and healthy tree, forming a fine pyramid in five or six years. The fruit is borne on the ends of the shoots, and when every branch is terminated with well grown specimens the tree presents a highly beautiful appearance. It succeeds admirably upon the quince, our tree being upwards of ten feet high, though only six years planted out; and last season it produced upwards of sixty pears, some of which weighed half a pound. The fruit ripens freely and keeps well.

Tree. — Vigorous, with strong shoots, thrown out horizontally at first, but afterwards turning upwards with the ends quite erect; as it becomes older, from the weight of fruit, the branches assume a diverging habit.

Wood. — Yellowish olive, dotted with pale gray specks, stout, and short-jointed; old wood, grayish olive; buds large, short, ovate, diverging, with rather prominent shoulders: Flower-buds large, bluntly obovate.

Leaves. — Large, oblong, rounded at the base, and tapering regularly to the point, recurved on the midrib, smooth, pale green, undulated, folded inwards, and nearly entire on the edge; petioles rather long, nearly two inches in length, stout.

Flowers. — Medium size; petals with a long claw and much cupped.

Fruit. — Large, about three and a half inches long, and three in diameter: Form, oblong-obovate, full and rounded at the crown, narrowing to an obtuse point at the stem: Skin, fair, smooth, yellowish, very broadly marked on the sunny side with dull red, much russetted around the eye, and regularly covered with minute russety specks: Stem, short, about half an inch long, always stout and thick, curved, and obliquely inserted in a shallow cavity, formed by uneven swellings and projections of the fruit: Eye, medium size, open, and depressed in a small, round, regularly formed basin; segments of the calyx connected, thick, reflexed: Flesh, yellowish white, rather coarse, melting, and very juicy: Flavor, rich, sprightly, vinous, highly perfumed, and delicious: Core, small: Seeds, large, long, and pointed.

Ripe in October and November, and keeps well.

— C.M. Hovey, The Fruits of America (1852)

Beurre d'Anjou.

Niell, | Poire Niell, | Colniac Bosc, Beurre Niell, | Ne Plus Meuris, of some catalogues, | Fondante du Bois, erroneously.

Foreign. An old pear in Loudon's select list of 1834, recently introduced under a new name, and grown on Quince. It is found of the highest excellence. It succeeds equally well on Pear or Quince, but largest on Quince.

Fruit, large, long, oblong obovate pyriform, obtuse at stem : color, pale yellow, dull blush, and numerous small specks of faint russet ; calyx, open, segments thick, reflexed : basin, round, not deep, russeted ; stem, short, curved, and obliquely inserted in a shallow cavity ; seeds, long pointed : flesh, yellowish white, melting, juicy, vinous, sprightly, delicious to the core. October and November.

[Additional entry in this volume: "Colmar Neill", pp. 378–378]

COLMAR NEILL. Marie Louise the Second, Marie Louise Nova. Foreign. Fruit, large, obovate, pale yellow; flesh, white, buttery, melting; "good." October.

— F.R. Elliott, The Western Fruit Book (1865)

Beurré d'Anjou.

Ne Plus Meuris of the French.

A noble fruit, said to be of French origin. Tree vigorous. Young shoots yellowish brown, very productive.

Fruit large, obtuse pyriform. Stem short, thick, and fleshy, inserted in a cavity, surrounded by russet. Calyx very small, open, stiff, in an exceedingly small basin, surrounded by russet. Skin greenish, sprinkled with russet, sometimes shaded with dull crimson, and sprinkled thickly with brown and crimson dots. Flesh whitish, not very fine, melting, juicy, with a brisk vinous flavor, pleasantly perfumed. Very good to best. October, November.

This is one of the most profitable varieties for orcharding, bearing abundantly and evenly, whether grown on quince or pear stocks.

[Additional entry in this volume: "Niell", pp. 844–844]

NIELL.

Beurré Niell. Colmar Bosc. Poire Niell. Fondante du Bois, incorrectly. Colmar Niel.

A large and handsome Belgian variety, raised by Van Mons, from seeds sown in 1815, and named in honor of Dr. Niell, of Edinburgh, a distinguished horticulturist and man of science. The tree bears plentifully.

Fruit large, obovate, inclining to pyriform, rather shortened in figure on one side and enlarged on the other, tapering to the stalk, which is about an inch long, obliquely planted, with little or no cavity, pale yellow, delicately marked with thin russet, finely dotted, and sometimes marked with faint red. Flesh white, buttery, sweet, with a plentiful and agreeable juice. Good to very good. Last of September.

— A.J. Downing, The Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900)

Anjou.* Rather large, obtuse Doyenné-form, regular; surface greenish-yellow, a dull red cheek to the sun, clouded with russet; stalk quite short, or half an inch long, lightly sunk; cavity uneven, basin shallow, round, smooth; flesh yellowish-white, fine-grained, buttery, melting, with a high, rich, vinous, excellent flavor. Shoots light green, leaves recurved, wavy. Begins to ripen in the middle of autumn, and keeps long, sometimes into midwinter. The hardiness, uniformity, reliability, excellence, and long-keeping qualities of the Anjou render it one of the most valuable of all pears. French. Fig. 711.

[Additional entry in this volume: "Niell", pp. 799–799]

Niell. Large, obovate, slightly pyriform, pale yellow; juicy, sweet, agreeable. Late September. Belgian.

— John J. Thomas, The American Fruit Culturist (1903)

Anjou (Beurre d'Anjou). — Large, oblong, turbinate pyriform, regular; color greenish yellow with dull red cheek and clouding of russet; stalk one-half inch long, stout, in shallow uneven cavity; basin shallow, even. Flesh yellowish white, fine-grained, melting; flavor rich and vinous; quality best. Season, late. Popular and doubled-starred in many States across the continent. France.

— J.L. Budd & N.E. Hansen, American Horticultural Manual, Part II: Systematic Pomology (1914)

BEURRE D'ANJOU. F. Nec Plus Meuris. G. Winter Meuris. Dessert, November to January, fairly large, 4 by 3, round oval, very even. Skin, smooth with a few feathery russet patches. Colour, pale yellow with occasional slight brown flush. Flesh, white, melting, flavour most delicious. Eye, open, laid back, almost on level. Stem, short and stout, fleshy. Growth, moderate ; fertility, fair. Leaf, narrow oval, upfolded, down hanging, undulated, regularly serrate, light green turning pale yellow, occasionally red. Origin, a seedling of Van Mons ; the name Beurré d'Anjou, though wrong, is now so firmly rooted in this country that it must remain.

— E.A. Bunyard, A Handbook of Hardy Fruits (1920)

BEURRÉ D'ANJOU

1. Kenrick Am. Orch. 136. 1841.
2. Downing Fr. Trees Am. 360. 1845.
3. Hovey Fr. Am. 1:61, Pl. 1851.
4. Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt. 53. 1852.
5. Flor. & Pom. 5:1, Pl. 1866.
6. Downing Fr. Trees Am. 679, fig. 1869.
7. Hogg Fruit Man. 510. 1884. Anjou. 8. Am. Pom. Soc. Cat. 36. 1883. Winter Meuris. 9. Lucas Tafelbirnen 171, fig. 1894. Nee plus Meuris. 10. Baltet Cult. Fr. 321, fig. 214. 1908.
8. Guide Prat. 49, 282. 1895.

Beurre d'Anjou is a standard market pear for late fall and early winter, its season lasting until well into January even in common storage. As an early winter pear, it has no superior and few equals in appearance and quality of fruit. In appearance, the pear is of distinct type large, very uniform, the sides slightly unequal, smooth of skin, yellow, marked and dotted with russet, faintly blushed, and borne on a very short, thick stem. A fruit of this variety can never be mistaken for that of another. The internal characters are scarcely less notable than the external ones. The yellowish-white flesh is firm but tender, slightly granular, very juicy, sweet, spicy, with a rich, vinous flavor. Uniformity of shape and the smooth skin are marked and constant characters. In common with all varieties, the fruits of this pear are not always up to their best, but they are never poor in quality. The trees are vigorous, hardy, fairly free from blight, grow rapidly and come in bearing early, but have the serious fault of being uncertain croppers. In Europe and America, the trees thrive on the quince, and the variety is rated by all as a splendid one for dwarfing. Of all winter pears, none is more valuable for commercial or home orchards than Beurre d'Anjou. In particular, it is recommended for New York, where, possibly, it is more at home than in any other part of America.

Beurré d'Anjou is an old French pear the origin of which is obscure, although it is supposed to have originated in the vicinity of Angers. Early in the nineteenth century it was introduced into England by Thomas Rivers, noted author and pomologist. The variety was introduced into this country by Colonel Wilder¹ of Boston about 1842, and first fruited with him in 1845. The American Pomological Society added Beurre d'Anjou to its list of fruits recommended for general cultivation in 1852.

Tree large, vigorous, spreading, hardy, an uncertain bearer; trunk smooth; branches slightly zigzag, covered with gray scarf-skin over reddish-brown, with few small lenticels; branchlets long, with long internodes, reddish-brown tinged with green, smooth, glabrous, with many conspicuous, raised lenticels. Leaf-buds small, short, obtuse, nearly free. Leaves 3½ in. long, 1¾ in. wide, elongated-oval, thin, leathery; apex taper-pointed; margin nearly entire or crenate; petiole 2 in. long. Flower-buds large, long, conical, plump, free; flowers 1¾ in. across, showy, in dense clusters, from 8 to 12 buds in a cluster; pedicels ¾ in. long, very thick, pubescent, green.

Fruit ripe November to early January; large, 3½ in. long, 3 in. wide, uniform in size, oblong-obovate-pyriform, with surface irregular in outline, sides slightly unequal, uniform in shape; stem ¾ in. long, short, very thick and woody; cavity obtuse, shallow, russeted and furrowed, usually lipped; calyx open; lobes separated at the base, long, narrow, acuminate; basin shallow, narrow, obtuse, smooth, symmetrical and regular; skin thin, tender, smooth, dull; color yellow, clouded with russet around the basin and occasionally with very fine russet lines and markings; dots many, small, russet, conspicuous; flesh yellowish-white, firm, but slightly granular, tender, buttery, very juicy, sweet and spicy, with a rich, aromatic flavor; quality very good. Core large, closed; core-lines clasping; calyx-tube short, wide, conical; seeds large, wide, long, plump, acuminate, tufted at the tips.

¹ Marshall P. Wilder contributed to all fields of American horticulture as an ardent amateur grower and as a most generous patron. But it was as a pomologist and especially as a grower of grapes and pears that he established a permanent place for himself in the horticulture of the country. He was born in New Hampshire in 1798 and died in Boston in 1886, having lived in Dorchester, a suburb of Boston, for upwards of a half century. By vocation a merchant, he was a captain of industry in his day, yet most of his life, especially after the prime had been passed, was devoted to the avocation of horticulture. He was one of the founders of the American Pomological Society and had the great honor of being its president, excepting a single two-year term, from the first meeting in 1850 until his death. During the last years of his presidency, Wilder actively engaged in the reform of pomological nomenclature which the Society was then carrying on. He was an active member of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society for fifty-six years and its president from 1841 to 1848. He was also one of the founders of the Massachusetts Board of Agriculture, of the Massachusetts Agricultural Society, of the United States Agricultural Society, and was a trustee of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Besides membership and activity in these agricultural organizations, he served as colonel and commander in a military company and as president of the New England Historic and Genealogical Society from 1868 until his death. Wilder was a zealous collector and introducer of flowers. He specialized in camellias, azaleas, orchids, and roses. A rose bearing his name is still a garden favorite. Many floral novelties of his day owe their origin or introduction to Marshall P. Wilder. He was ever enthusiastic over American grapes and tested all of the many new varieties introduced about the middle of the last century. But the pear was even more to his fancy than the grape, and he endeavored to grow every native variety of any promise whatsoever. All told, he tested over 1200 varieties, and in 1873 exhibited more than 400 varieties. He originated several new pears and to him is due the honor of having introduced the Beurre d'Anjou in 1844. At his death he left the American Pomological Society $1000 for Wilder medals for new fruits and $4000 for general purposes. To the Massachusetts Horticultural Society, he left $1000 to encourage the introduction of new American pears and grapes. Among many distinguished American pomologists who sought to improve the pear, Marshall P. Wilder deserves most of any recognition for his services and a place is therefore accorded him for his likeness in the frontispiece of The Pears of New York and the book is thereby dedicated to him.

[Additional entry in this volume: "Colmar Neill", pp. 525–525]

Colmar Neill.

1. Downing Fr. Trees Am. 821. 1869. 2. Hogg Fruit Man. 551. 1884.

From a seed bed made by Van Mons in 1815. Fruit very large, obovate, smooth, glossy, pale yellow, sprinkled all over with russety dots and stained with some markings of cinnamon-colored russet; flesh white, buttery, sweet, juicy, vinous and of a musky flavor; good to very good; Oct.

— U.P. Hedrick, The Pears of New York (1921)

BEURRE D'ANJOU. Fig. 72. Anjou. Nec plus Meuris. Beurre d'Anjou is a standard market pear for late fall and early winter, its season lasting until well into January. As an early winter pear, it has no superior and few equals in appearance and quality of fruit. The pear is of a distinct type—large, very uniform, the sides slightly unequal, smooth of skin, yellow, marked and dotted with russet, with a faint blush, and borne on a very short, thick stem. The yellowish-white flesh is firm but tender, slightly granular, very juicy, sweet and spicy, with a rich vinous flavor. Uniformity of shape and the smooth skin are marked and constant characters. The fruits of this pear are not always up to their best, but they are never poor in quality. The trees are vigorous, hardy, grow rapidly and come in bearing early, but have the serious fault of being uncertain croppers. Of all winter pears, none is more valuable for commercial or home orchards than Beurre d'Anjou. It is an old French pear, the origin of which is obscure.

Tree large, vigorous, spreading, hardy, an uncertain bearer; trunk smooth; branches slightly zigzag, with few small lenticels. Leaves 3½ inches long, 1½ inches wide, elongated-oval, thin, leathery; apex taper-pointed; margin nearly entire or crenate; petiole ⅝ inches long. Flowers 1¼ inches across, showy, in dense clusters, from 7 to 9 buds in a cluster.

Fruit ripe November-December; large, 3½ inches long, 3 inches wide, uniform in size, oblong-obovate-pyriform, with surface irregular in outline but with smooth skin, sides slightly unequal, uniform in general shape; stem ½ inch long, short, very thick and woody; cavity obtuse, shallow, slightly russeted and furrowed, usually lipped; calyx open; lobes separated at the base, long, narrow, acuminate; basin shallow, narrow, obtuse, smooth, symmetrical and regular; skin thin, tender, smooth, dull; color greenish becoming quite yellow, clouded with russet around the basin and occasionally with very fine russet lines and markings; dots many, small, russet, conspicuous; flesh white, firm but granular, tender, buttery, very juicy, sweet and spicy, with a rich aromatic flavor; quality very good; core large, closed; core-lines clasping; calyx-tube short, wide, conical; seeds large, wide, long, plump, acuminate, tufted at the tips.

— U.P. Hedrick, Cyclopedia of Hardy Fruits (1922)

Planted Spring 1890. Tree a vigorous grower. Fruit large, obtuse pyriform. Skin greenish with a little russet. Flesh white, juicy, melting, with a fine flavour. Season October.

— Central Experimental Farm, Central Experimental Farm, Agassiz BC — Catalogue of Fruit Trees under Test (Bulletin No. 3, 1900) (1900)

A very superior pear; large, fine quality, having slight peculiarities. True hardy, hardy and vigorous growth. Our strain of trees are of extra fine quality. A good sort to plant among others, as improves them. This variety in many localities has not been proved to be a good shipper and keeper. Yet on account of its quality and beauty, it is fast becoming the favorite market pear. Originated in France.

— Stark Bros. Nurseries & Orchards Co., Stark Bros. Year Book (1910) (1910)