Beurré d'Anjou
Pear
USDA Pomological Watercolor Collection
Beurré d'Anjou
[NOTE: Source text may be incorrect — the appended entries "Colmar Neill" (Elliott; Hedrick, Pears of New York) and "Niell" (Downing; Thomas) describe a pear that those authors treat as a separate variety. It has white flesh, a late-September or October season, and in Downing a stalk about an inch long. Their details are kept apart under Other.]
Origin / History
Beurré d'Anjou is an old French pear of obscure origin, supposed by Hedrick to have arisen in the vicinity of Angers. Hovey reports that some French catalogues place its origin "in the vicinity of Angers, near Paris," which he had no means of verifying. Downing calls it "said to be of French origin." Thomas, Budd and Hansen, and the Stark catalogue give France. Bunyard calls it a seedling of Van Mons and holds that "the name Beurré d'Anjou, though wrong, is now so firmly rooted in this country that it must remain."
Elliott identifies it with an old pear in Loudon's select list of 1834, "recently introduced under a new name." Hovey found notice of it in no pomological work except Kenrick's American Orchardist (3d ed., 1841), and credits Kenrick with bringing it to the notice of American cultivators. The Catalogue of the London Horticultural Society (3d ed., 1842) set it down as a synonym of the Brown Beurré. Hovey judged that either the true variety had never been in the Society's collection or "a great error must have been committed," the two pears being too distinct to be considered identical. He found it "somewhat remarkable" that the pear was not among the many proved in Mr. Manning's very extensive pomological garden, whose fruits were described in the Magazine of Horticulture.
Hedrick says Thomas Rivers, "noted author and pomologist," introduced it into England early in the nineteenth century. He has Colonel Wilder of Boston introduce it into the United States about 1842, while his footnote on Wilder gives 1844. It first fruited in Wilder's collection at Dorchester in 1845. In 1852 Hovey found its cultivation "yet mostly confined to amateur collections." The American Pomological Society added it to its list of fruits recommended for general cultivation in 1852.
Hedrick's references trace it through Kenrick (1841), Downing (1845, and 1869 with figure), Hovey (1851, with plate), the American Pomological Society Report (1852), Florist and Pomologist (1866, with plate) and Hogg (1884). It appears under the name "Anjou" in the American Pomological Society Catalogue of 1883. Under other names it appears in Lucas (1894, with figure), the Guide Pratique (1895) and Baltet (1908, with figure). The Central Experimental Farm station at Agassiz, British Columbia, planted it in the spring of 1890.
Hovey called it "not a very new variety" but "of quite recent addition to American collections of pears." He judged it "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." From "its productiveness, size, beauty, and other superior qualities," he wrote, it "must become an indispensable addition to all good collections of pears."
Elliott found it "of the highest excellence," and Downing called it "a noble fruit." Thomas held that "the hardiness, uniformity, reliability, excellence, and long-keeping qualities of the Anjou render it one of the most valuable of all pears." Budd and Hansen report it "popular and doubled-starred in many States across the continent." Stark Bros. (1910) called it "a very superior pear." Hedrick writes that "as an early winter pear, it has no superior and few equals in appearance and quality of fruit." He recommends it for New York, "where, possibly, it is more at home than in any other part of America."
Tree
Vigorous, hardy, healthy, and a rapid grower; Stark calls it "true hardy, hardy and vigorous growth." Hedrick gives the tree as large and spreading and fairly free from blight. Bunyard alone rates its growth moderate.
Hovey describes strong shoots thrown out horizontally at first, afterward turning upward with the ends quite erect. As the tree grows older, the weight of fruit gives the branches a diverging habit. It forms a fine pyramid in five or six years.
Trunk smooth. Branches slightly zigzag, covered with gray scarf-skin over reddish brown, with few small lenticels (Hedrick). Old wood grayish olive (Hovey). Hovey gives the young wood as stout and short-jointed, while Hedrick gives branchlets long, with long internodes, smooth and glabrous, with many conspicuous raised lenticels. Shoot color is recorded as yellowish olive dotted with pale gray specks (Hovey), yellowish brown (Downing), light green (Thomas), and reddish brown tinged with green (Hedrick).
Leaf-buds large, short, ovate, diverging, with rather prominent shoulders in Hovey; small, short, obtuse, nearly free in Hedrick. Flower-buds large: bluntly obovate (Hovey), long, conical, plump, free (Hedrick).
Leaves large, oblong to elongated-oval or narrow oval, rounded at the base and tapering regularly to a taper-pointed apex. They are recurved on the midrib, folded inward or upfolded, undulated or wavy, smooth, and pale to light green. Hedrick gives them thin and leathery, 3½ in. long and 1¾ in. wide; his Cyclopedia gives 1½ in. wide. Margin nearly entire or crenate, though Bunyard alone calls it regularly serrate. Bunyard also describes the leaf as down-hanging, turning pale yellow, occasionally red. Petiole stout and rather long, nearly 2 in. (Hovey) or 2 in. (Hedrick), though the Cyclopedia gives ⅝ in.
Flowers medium-sized, the petals with a long claw and much cupped (Hovey). Hedrick gives them 1¾ in. across, showy, in dense clusters of 8 to 12 buds, on very thick, pubescent, green pedicels ¾ in. long. His Cyclopedia gives 1¼ in. across and 7 to 9 buds in a cluster.
The fruit is borne on the ends of the shoots. When every branch is so terminated with well-grown specimens, "the tree presents a highly beautiful appearance" (Hovey). It comes into bearing early. Downing calls it very productive, "bearing abundantly and evenly," and Hovey's tree, upwards of ten feet high though only six years planted out on quince, bore upwards of sixty pears in one season. Bunyard rates its fertility only fair, and Hedrick finds it an uncertain bearer, with "the serious fault of being uncertain croppers."
It thrives on quince or pear stock. Hovey says it "succeeds admirably upon the quince." Elliott says it succeeds equally well on pear or quince, "but largest on Quince." Hedrick writes that in Europe and America the trees thrive on the quince, and the variety "is rated by all as a splendid one for dwarfing." Stark calls it "a good sort to plant among others, as improves them."
Fruit
Size: Large, about 3½ in. long and 3 in. in diameter, very uniform in size. Thomas calls it rather large, and Bunyard fairly large, "4 by 3." Some specimens from Hovey's quince-grown tree weighed half a pound.
Form: Oblong-obovate-pyriform to obtuse pyriform or turbinate pyriform, long, full and rounded at the crown, narrowing to an obtuse point at the stem. Thomas calls it of an "obtuse Doyenné-form"; Bunyard alone calls it round oval. Regular and very even in general shape, though the surface is irregular in outline and the sides slightly unequal. Hedrick counts uniformity of shape a "marked and constant" character of "distinct type," and writes that "a fruit of this variety can never be mistaken for that of another."
Stem: Short to very short, about ½ in. long (Hovey, Thomas), "always stout and thick" (Hovey), curved, obliquely inserted, lightly sunk. Downing and Bunyard call it fleshy; Hedrick calls it very thick and woody and gives it ¾ in. long in The Pears of New York, ½ in. in the Cyclopedia.
Cavity: Shallow, obtuse, uneven, formed by uneven swellings and projections of the fruit (Hovey). It is russeted or surrounded by russet, furrowed, usually lipped (Hedrick).
Calyx: Open, laid back (Bunyard), depressed in the basin (Hovey). Hovey calls the eye medium-sized, Downing the calyx very small and stiff. Segments thick, reflexed. Hovey calls them connected, while Hedrick has the lobes separated at the base, long, narrow, acuminate. Calyx tube short, wide, conical (Hedrick).
Basin: Small to exceedingly small, shallow or not deep, narrow, round, obtuse, smooth, even, symmetrical and regularly formed, russeted or surrounded by russet. Bunyard has the eye almost on a level.
Skin: Thin, tender, smooth, dull; Hovey calls it fair. Ground color greenish to greenish yellow, yellowish, pale yellow or yellow; the Cyclopedia has it "greenish becoming quite yellow." The sunny side carries a dull red cheek or dull blush, very broadly marked in Hovey, sometimes shaded with dull crimson (Downing), faint in Hedrick. Bunyard gives only an occasional slight brown flush.
Sprinkled and clouded with russet, "much russetted around the eye" (Hovey) and around the basin, occasionally in very fine russet lines and markings. Bunyard gives "a few feathery russet patches," the Agassiz station "a little russet." Hedrick ranks the smooth skin, with uniformity of shape, as a marked and constant character. A handsome, beautiful fruit.
Dots: Many, numerous, small to minute, regularly distributed, russet, conspicuous; Elliott calls them faint russet. Downing gives them thickly sprinkled, brown and crimson.
Flesh and flavor: Yellowish white, whitish, or white. Melting, buttery, juicy to very juicy. Hovey calls it rather coarse and Downing "not very fine," while Thomas calls it fine-grained. Hedrick describes it as firm but tender, slightly granular; the Cyclopedia says "firm but granular."
Flavor rich, high, sprightly, brisk, vinous, sweet and spicy, aromatic, highly or pleasantly perfumed, "delicious to the core" (Elliott), "most delicious" (Bunyard), "a fine flavour" (Agassiz). Hedrick writes that "the internal characters are scarcely less notable than the external ones."
Quality "very good to best" (Downing), the range spanning Hedrick's "very good" and Budd and Hansen's "best." Hedrick adds that "in common with all varieties, the fruits of this pear are not always up to their best, but they are never poor in quality." Stark calls it of "fine quality, having slight peculiarities."
Core and seeds: Core small (Hovey), or large and closed, with clasping core lines (Hedrick). Seeds large, long, pointed, and, in Hedrick, wide, plump, acuminate, tufted at the tips.
Season
The recorded season runs from October into January. The earlier authors and the Agassiz station give October or October and November. The later authors give November to December or early January, a pear of late fall and early winter, or simply late. It begins to ripen in the middle of autumn, ripens freely, and keeps well and long, "sometimes into midwinter," lasting "until well into January even in common storage" (Hedrick).
Uses
A dessert pear (Bunyard) and a market pear. Hedrick calls it "a standard market pear," and writes that "of all winter pears, none is more valuable for commercial or home orchards." Downing counts it "one of the most profitable varieties for orcharding." Stark writes that "in many localities" it "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."
Subtypes / Variants
Not described in source.
Other
Stark Bros. claimed their strain of trees to be "of extra fine quality." Figures appear in Thomas (Fig. 711) and Hedrick's Cyclopedia (Fig. 72).
Hedrick dedicates The Pears of New York to Marshall P. Wilder, whose likeness forms its frontispiece. Wilder was born in New Hampshire in 1798 and died in Boston in 1886, having lived upwards of half a century in Dorchester, which Hedrick calls a suburb of Boston. By vocation he was a merchant. He was a founder of the American Pomological Society and its president from the first meeting in 1850 until his death, excepting a single two-year term. In his last years as president he worked on the Society's reform of pomological nomenclature.
He was a member of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society for fifty-six years and its president from 1841 to 1848. He was a founder of the Massachusetts Board of Agriculture, the Massachusetts Agricultural Society, and the United States Agricultural Society. He was a trustee of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, colonel and commander of a military company, and president of the New England Historic and Genealogical Society from 1868 until his death.
He collected camellias, azaleas, orchids, and roses, and a rose bearing his name was still a garden favorite. He tested the many new American grapes of the mid-century. He tried to grow every promising native pear, tested over 1200 varieties, exhibited more than 400 varieties in 1873, and originated several new pears. He left the American Pomological Society $1000 for Wilder medals for new fruits and $4000 for general purposes, and the Massachusetts Horticultural Society $1000 to encourage the introduction of new American pears and grapes.
Elliott names Niell and kindred names among the names of Beurré d'Anjou, but he and the other authors describe Colmar Neill or Niell separately. Downing calls it a large and handsome Belgian variety raised by Van Mons from seeds sown in 1815, named for Dr. Niell of Edinburgh, "a distinguished horticulturist and man of science"; the tree bears plentifully.
Fruit large to very large, obovate, inclining to pyriform, rather shortened on one side and enlarged on the other, tapering to the stalk. The stalk is about an inch long, obliquely planted, with little or no cavity (Downing). Skin smooth and glossy (Hedrick), pale yellow, finely sprinkled with russety dots, marked with thin or cinnamon-colored russet, and sometimes with faint red. Flesh white, buttery, melting, sweet, juicy, vinous, with a plentiful and agreeable juice; Hedrick adds a musky flavor. Elliott rates it "good," and Downing "good to very good." Season the last of September (Downing) or October (Elliott, Hedrick).
Book Sources
Described in 8 period pomological works
- Hedrick, The Pears of New York (1921)
- Downing, Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900)
- Budd & Hansen, Systematic Pomology (1914) — listed as Anjou (Beurre d'Anjou)
- Bunyard, A Handbook of Hardy Fruits (1920)
- Elliott, The Western Fruit Book (1865)
- Hedrick, Cyclopedia of Hardy Fruits (1922)
- Thomas, The American Fruit Culturist (1903) — listed as Anjou
- Hovey, The Fruits of America (1852)
Nursery Catalog Sources
Found in 99 catalogs (1845–1955) from Alabama, Arkansas, California, England, Florida, Illinois, Kansas, Maryland, Massachusetts, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Washington
- Winship's Nursery (Brighton Nurseries , operated by the Winship family), Brighton (Boston) , Massachusetts — 1845 — listed as Neplus Meuris
- Hovey & Co. , Cambridge , Massachusetts — 1849 — listed as Fondante de Bois
- Hovey & Co. , Cambridge , Massachusetts — 1849
- Hovey & Co. , Cambridge , Massachusetts — 1849 — listed as Ne Plus Meuris
- Hovey & Co. , Cambridge , Massachusetts — 1849 — listed as Niell
- Azell Bowditch (Nursery / Fruit Catalog) , Boston , Massachusetts — 1850
- Joseph Breck & Co. , Boston , Massachusetts — 1855 — listed as Ne Plus Meuris
- St. Helena Nursery , Howell Prairie, Marion County, OR (Marion Co., Ogn.) — 1864
- Hutchison Nursery , James Hutchison, Oakland , California — 1881
- Felix Gillet , Barren Hill Nursery, Nevada City , California — 1884
- Fancher Creek Nursery , Fresno , California — 1886
- Huntsville Wholesale Nurseries (Jessie S. Moss , Proprietor; W.F. Heikes, Manager), Huntsville , Alabama — 1886
- W.R. Strong & Co. , Capital and Orange Hill Nurseries (Robert Williamson, prop.), Sacramento , California — 1886
- Felix Gillet , Barren Hill Nursery, Nevada City , California — 1888
- Felix Gillet , Barren Hill Nursery, Nevada City , California — 1889
- Felix Gillet , Barren Hill Nursery, Nevada City , California — 1890
- William H. Moon Co. , Morrisville, Bucks County , Pennsylvania — 1890
- Felix Gillet , Barren Hill Nursery, Nevada City , California — 1891
- Puyallup & Yakima Nurseries , Puyallup, Washington (Lock Box 191) and North Yakima , Washington — 1892 — listed as Anjou
- Puyallup & Yakima Nurseries , Puyallup, Washington (Lock Box 191) and North Yakima , Washington — 1892
- Glen St. Mary Nurseries (G.L. Taber , Proprietor), Glen St. Mary , Florida — 1893
- Milwaukie-Canby Nurseries , Canby, OR (and Milwaukie, OR) — 1893
- Oregon Wholesale Nurseries , Salem , Oregon — 1893
- Rogers Nursery Co. , Moorestown , New Jersey — 1893
- The Vineland Nurseries (Kelsey & Co. , Proprietors), St. Joseph, Missouri (Office: 13th and Atchison Sts., 2 Blocks East of the Citizens St. Car Line) — 1894 — listed as Beurre d' Anjou
- Woodburn Nurseries , Woodburn, Marion Co. , Oregon — 1894 — listed as Beurre d' Anjou
- Green's Nursery Co. (Charles A. Green) , Rochester , New York — 1894
- Multnomah Nurseries , Russellville , Oregon — 1894
- Felix Gillet , Barren Hill Nursery, Nevada City , California — 1895
- The Lovett Company , Little Silver , New Jersey — 1896
- Felix Gillet , Barren Hill Nursery, Nevada City , California — 1897
- Stark Bros. Nurseries & Orchards Co. , Louisiana , Missouri — 1898 — listed as Anjou
- J.V. Cotta (Cotta Nursery) , Carroll County , Illinois — 1898 — listed as Anjou
- Arthur J. Collins & Sons , Moorestown , New Jersey — 1898
- Reading Nursery , Jacob W. Manning, Proprietor, Reading , Massachusetts — 1898
- Brown Brothers Co. , Continental Nurseries, Rochester, NY (also operated from Toronto, Canada) — 1899
- Alabama Nursery Co. , Huntsville , Alabama — 1900 — listed as Anjou
- Central Experimental Farm , Dominion Department of Agriculture, Agassiz, British Columbia (under test; Bulletin No. 3, Second Series) — 1900
- George Bunyard & Co. , Royal Nurseries, Maidstone, Kent , England — 1900 — listed as Ne Plus Meuris
- Central Experimental Farm , Dominion Department of Agriculture, Agassiz, British Columbia (under test; Bulletin No. 3, Second Series) — 1900 — listed as Ne Plus Meuris
- Benjamin Buckman (personal inventory) , Farmingdale , Illinois — 1901 — listed as Anjou
- The Dalles Nurseries , The Dalles , Oregon — 1901
- Washington Nursery Co. , Toppenish , Washington — 1901
- Brown Brothers Co. , Continental Nurseries, Rochester, NY (also operated from Toronto, Canada) — 1901
- Mountain Grove Nurseries (Tippin & Moore , Proprietors; Geo. T. Tippin, J. W. Tippin, J. C. Moore), Mountain Grove , Missouri — 1901
- S.L. Watkins , Grizzly Flats, El Dorado County , California — 1901
- Yarbrough Bros. , Stephens , Arkansas — 1901
- Benjamin Buckman (personal inventory) , Farmingdale , Illinois — 1901
- Forestville Nurseries , T.J. True, Forestville , California — 1902
- Pacific Nursery Company (W. O. Hudson & A. D. Hudson) , Tangent , Oregon — 1903
- Phoenix Nursery Company (W. E. Rossney , President; Sidney Tuttle, Vice-President), Bloomington , Illinois — 1904
- Stark Bros. Nurseries & Orchards Co. , Louisiana , Missouri — 1906 — listed as Anjou
- J.B. Pilkington , Portland , Oregon — 1907
- Russellville Nursery Co. , Montavilla Station, Portland, OR (three miles east of Portland, one mile from Montavilla car line) — 1907
- Carlton Nursery Co. , Carlton , Oregon — 1909
- Milton Nursery Co. (A. Miller & Sons , Proprietors), Milton , Oregon — 1909
- Wm. J. Corse (successor to Robert Sinclair / Sinclair Nurseries) , Baltimore , Maryland — 1909
- Washington Nursery Company , Toppenish , Washington — 1909
- Island Nurseries & Fruit Farm , Vashon (Vashon Island) , Washington — 1910 — listed as Anjou
- Stark Bros. Nurseries & Orchards Co. , Louisiana , Missouri — 1910 — listed as Anjou
- C.F. Lansing , Salem , Oregon — 1910
- A. Holaday , Monte Vista Nursery, Scappoose , Oregon — 1910
- Quaker Nurseries (Patterson/Lansing) — 1910
- Galbraith Nursery Co. (DeWitt Hansen , Pres.-Mgr.), Fairbury , Nebraska — 1911 — listed as Anjou
- Island Nurseries & Fruit Farm , Vashon (Vashon Island) , Washington — 1911 — listed as Anjou
- Stark Bros. Nurseries & Orchards Co. , Louisiana , Missouri — 1911 — listed as Anjou
- James Veitch & Sons , Ltd., Royal Exotic Nursery, Chelsea, London (also Coombe Wood, Langley, and Feltham) , England — 1911
- James Veitch & Sons , Ltd., Royal Exotic Nursery, Chelsea, London (also Coombe Wood, Langley, and Feltham) , England — 1911 — listed as Ne Plus Meuris
- Stark Bros. Nurseries & Orchards Co. , Louisiana , Missouri — 1912 — listed as Anjou
- Ballygreen Nurseries , Hanford , Washington — 1912 — listed as Anjou
- Ballygreen Nurseries , Hanford , Washington — 1912
- Pacific Nursery Company , Portland , Oregon — 1912
- Vineland Nurseries Company , Clarkston , Washington — 1912
- Washington Nursery Company , Toppenish , Washington — 1912
- J. B. Pilkington , Nurseryman, Portland, OR (nurseries near Newberg, forty miles from Portland) — 1913 — listed as Anjou
- Samuel Fraser , Geneseo , New York — 1913
- Van Holderbeke Nursery Co. , Incorporated, Spokane, Washington (nurseries at Otis Orchards WA, Pasadena WA, Kennewick WA) — 1913
- Thomas Rivers & Son , Sawbridgeworth, Hertfordshire , England — 1913 — listed as Ne Plus Meuris
- Island Nurseries & Fruit Farm , Vashon (Vashon Island) , Washington — 1914 — listed as Anjou
- George Bunyard & Co. , Royal Nurseries, Maidstone, Kent , England — 1914 — listed as Ne Plus Meuris
- Island Nurseries & Fruit Farm , Vashon (Vashon Island) , Washington — 1915 — listed as Anjou
- Ornamental & Fruit Nursery Company , Wapato, County of Yakima , Washington — 1915 — listed as Anjou
- Union Nurseries , J.B. Weaver & Sons, Union , Oregon — 1915 — listed as Anjou
- Island Nurseries & Fruit Farm , Vashon (Vashon Island) , Washington — 1916 — listed as Anjou
- Holsinger Bros. Nurseries (Holsinger Brothers Nursery) , Rosedale , Kansas — 1916 — listed as Anjou
- Island Nurseries & Fruit Farm , Vashon (Vashon Island) , Washington — 1917 — listed as Anjou
- George Bunyard & Co. , Royal Nurseries, Maidstone, Kent , England — 1917 — listed as Ne Plus Meuris
- Fancher Creek Nurseries , George C. Roeding, Fresno , California — 1918
- Christopher Nurseries / John Stewart & Sons , Christopher , Washington — 1920 — listed as Anjou
- Oregon Nursery Co. , Orenco , Oregon — 1920
- Benedict Nursery Co. , Portland , Oregon — 1921 — listed as Anjou
- Island Nurseries & Fruit Farm , Vashon , Washington — 1921 — listed as Anjou
- Columbia & Okanogan Nursery Co. , Wenatchee , Washington — 1925
- OSU Bulletin 216 — 1925
- Hudson's Wholesale Nurseries , Tangent , Oregon — 1926
- Stark Bro's Nurseries , Louisiana , Missouri — 1932
- Carlton Nursery Co. , Forest Grove , Oregon — 1955
- North-Western Nurseries , Walla Walla , Washington — listed as Anjou
- Rich & Sons Nursery , Hillsboro , Oregon
View original book sources (10)
— C.M. Hovey, The Fruits of America (1852)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.
— F.R. Elliott, The Western Fruit Book (1865)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.
— A.J. Downing, The Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900)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.
— John J. Thomas, The American Fruit Culturist (1903)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.
— J.L. Budd & N.E. Hansen, American Horticultural Manual, Part II: Systematic Pomology (1914)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.
— E.A. Bunyard, A Handbook of Hardy Fruits (1920)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.
— U.P. Hedrick, The Pears of New York (1921)BEURRÉ D'ANJOU
- Kenrick Am. Orch. 136. 1841.
- Downing Fr. Trees Am. 360. 1845.
- Hovey Fr. Am. 1:61, Pl. 1851.
- Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt. 53. 1852.
- Flor. & Pom. 5:1, Pl. 1866.
- Downing Fr. Trees Am. 679, fig. 1869.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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, Cyclopedia of Hardy Fruits (1922)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.
— Central Experimental Farm, Central Experimental Farm, Agassiz BC — Catalogue of Fruit Trees under Test (Bulletin No. 3, 1900) (1900)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.
— Stark Bros. Nurseries & Orchards Co., Stark Bros. Year Book (1910) (1910)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.