Beurré De Jonghe
PearBEURRÉ DE JONGHE
Origin and History
According to the French pomologist Mas, M. de Jonghe mentioned this pear in a pamphlet on new varieties published in 1865. It was described in the Magazine of Horticulture in 1857 as a new variety. In Gardener's Chronicle, 1866, M. de Jonghe stated that he first saw this pear in 1852 at Uccle, Belgium, where the seedling had been planted two years prior (i.e., circa 1850).
Known also as De Jonghe's Butterbirne.
Tree
Medium in size and vigor, spreading, slow-growing, hardy, and very productive. Trunk slender and shaggy. Branches reddish-brown overspread with thick scarf-skin. Branchlets thick, curved, short, with very short internodes, smooth except for raised, conspicuous lenticels. Leaf-buds small and short; leaf-scars with prominent shoulders. Leaves 2½ inches long, 1½ inches wide, thick, with abruptly pointed apex and finely serrate, glandular margin; petiole 1½ inches long, reddish-green. Flower-buds large, long, very plump, and free; flowers 1½ inches across, borne 7 or 8 buds in a cluster; pedicels ⅝ inch long and thick.
The variety is slow in coming into bearing. Trees are reported by many to do better on quince stocks than on pear stocks. Trees are not self-assertive and must be coddled somewhat.
Fruit
Size and Form: Medium in size, 3 inches long, 2¼ inches wide, obovate-obtuse-pyriform, very regular.
Stem, Cavity, Calyx, and Basin: Stem short, thick, inserted obliquely. Cavity very shallow or none, with the flesh often drawn up in a lip on one side of the stem. Calyx small and open. Basin shallow.
Skin and Color: Skin thin. Color dull yellow, thickly overspread with pale, brownish-russet, often with traces of russet-red blush. Dots numerous, small, and dull russet.
Flesh and Flavor: Flesh nearly white, fine-grained, melting, buttery, pleasant flavored, and aromatic. Sweet. Quality very good. The fruits are wholly free from astringency in the after-taste and are so sweet and rich that they are nearly as delectable as those of Seckel, the standard of excellence in pear quality. This freedom from astringency is noted as a prime requisite and a distinguishing characteristic, as almost all other winter pears have more or less astringency in the after-taste.
Season and Storage
Fruit ripens December to January. Pears may be kept for one to six weeks at a season when few other sweet, rich pears are available, the fruits of nearly all other pears of this season being vinous and piquant.
Uses and Suitability
The variety is desirable only for the amateur, as trees are slow in coming into bearing and are small and unproductive in the sense that they require special care. The hardiness and productivity of the tree, combined with the exceptional quality of the fruit, make it attractive for those willing to provide the necessary cultivation.
Subtypes and Variants
Not described in source.
Book Sources
Described in 1 period pomological work
Nursery Catalog Sources
Found in 6 catalogs (1897–1917) from England
- Kelway & Son , Langport, Somerset , England — 1897
- George Bunyard & Co. , Royal Nurseries, Maidstone, Kent , England — 1900
- James Veitch & Sons , Ltd., Royal Exotic Nursery, Chelsea, London (also Coombe Wood, Langley, and Feltham) , England — 1911
- Thomas Rivers & Son , Sawbridgeworth, Hertfordshire , England — 1913
- George Bunyard & Co. , Royal Nurseries, Maidstone, Kent , England — 1914
- George Bunyard & Co. , Royal Nurseries, Maidstone, Kent , England — 1917
View original book sources (1)
— U.P. Hedrick, The Pears of New York (1921)BEURRÉ DE JONGHE
- Mag. Hort. 28:258. 1857. 2. Gard. Chron. 147, fig. 1866. 3. Mas Le Verger 1:73, fig. 43. 1866-73. 4. Downing Fr. Trees Am. 683. 1869. 5. Jour. Hort. N. S. 32:408. 1877. 6. Hogg Fruit Man. 522. 1884. 7. Guide Prat. 64, 232. 1895. 8. Garden 49:225. 1896.
De Jonghe's Butterbirne. 9. Mathieu Nom. Pom. 201. 1889.
A prime requisite in any pear of best quality is that there be no disagreeable after-taste in the flesh. The fruits of almost none of the winter pears meet this requirement. Almost all have more or less astringency in the after-taste. But the fruits of this variety are wholly free from this astringency and are, moreover, so sweet and rich that they are nearly as delectable as those of Seckel, the standard of excellence in quality. The pears ripen at Geneva in January and may be kept for a month or six weeks at a season when there are few other sweet, rich pears, the fruits of nearly all other pears of this season being vinous and piquant. The trees are hardy and productive, but are slow in coming in bearing, rather small, and not at all self-assertive and must be coddled somewhat. They are reported by many to do better on quince than on pear stocks. The variety is desirable only for the amateur.
According to Mas, the French pomologist, M. de Jonghe mentioned this pear in a pamphlet on new varieties published in 1865. It was described in the Magazine of Horticulture in 1857 as a new variety. In Gardener's Chronicle, 1866, M. de Jonghe said that he saw this pear first in 1852 at Uccle, Belgium. The seedling had been planted there two years before.
Tree medium in size and vigor, spreading, slow-growing, hardy, very productive; trunk slender, shaggy; branches reddish-brown overspread with thick scarf-skin; branchlets thick, curved, short, with very short internodes, smooth except for the raised, conspicuous lenticels. Leaf-buds small, short; leaf-scars with prominent shoulders. Leaves 2½ in. long, 1½ in. wide, thick; apex abruptly pointed; margin glandular, finely serrate; petiole 1½ in. long, reddish-green. Flower-buds large, long, very plump, free; flowers 1½ in. across, 7 or 8 buds in a cluster; pedicels ⅝ in. long, thick.
Fruit ripe December to January; medium in size, 3 in. long, 2¼ in. wide, obovate-obtuse-pyriform, very regular; stem short, thick, inserted obliquely; cavity very shallow or none, the flesh often drawn up in a lip on one side of the stem; calyx small, open; basin shallow; skin thin; color dull yellow, thickly overspread with a pale, brownish-russet, often with traces of a russet-red blush; dots numerous, small, dull russet; flesh nearly white, fine-grained, melting, buttery, pleasant flavored, aromatic, sweet; quality very good.