Beurré Hardy
Pear
USDA Pomological Watercolor Collection
Beurré Hardy
Origin / History
A French pear, raised about 1820 by M. Bonnet of Boulogne-sur-Mer, the friend of Van Mons. Hedrick's Cyclopedia places it in Bonnet's seed-beds. Hedrick says it was acquired in 1830 by M. Jean-Laurent Jamin, a nurseryman near Paris, at Bourg-la-Reine by the Herefordshire Pomona's account. Jamin named and dedicated it in honor of the late M. Hardy, director of the gardens of the Luxembourg. Hedrick adds that Hardy was also Professor of Arboriculture there. Jamin first distributed it. Bunyard gives about 1840 for its introduction, and Hedrick says Jamin propagated, made known, and distributed it between 1840 and 1845. The American Pomological Society added Beurré Hardy to its list of recommended fruits in 1862.
The Herefordshire Pomona calls it "this fine pear" and "worthy of general cultivation." Bunyard rates it "quite one of the best and hardiest pears." To Hedrick it is "one of the good autumn pears," of which "both fruit and tree commend it," with flesh and flavor "exceptionally fine." He says it does especially well in New York and the eastern United States.
Tree
Tree vigorous, a strong grower that grows freely. Bunyard calls the growth very vigorous, and Hedrick's Cyclopedia rapid-growing. At Agassiz, British Columbia, it was planted in spring 1890 and proved a vigorous grower. Tree medium in size, not large, upright, dense-topped; trunk stocky (Hedrick). Branches smooth, dull brown overspread with gray, marked more or less with scarf-skin, with very numerous large, elongated lenticels. Branchlets thick, greenish-brown, glossy, smooth, glabrous, with numerous small, raised, conspicuous lenticels. Young wood dark grayish olive brown (Downing). Leaf-buds conical, pointed, plump, usually free; leaf-scars prominent.
Leaves stiff, 2½ in. long and 1 in. wide in Hedrick's Pears of New York, 2¾ in. long and 1½ in. wide in his Cyclopedia. Apex abruptly pointed; margin finely serrate, tipped with small glands; petiole 1½ in. long. Bunyard calls the leaf large, round, much down-curved, upfolded, nearly entire, turning orange-red. Flower-buds small, short, conical, pointed, plump, free, borne singly or in small clusters on short spurs. Flowers 1¼ in. across, well distributed, with an average of 9 buds in a cluster in the Pears of New York and 7 in the Cyclopedia. Pedicels 1 in. long, pubescent, reddish-green.
Productive; bears well, of excellent fertility, a fine bearer, prolific. Hardy, "perfectly hardy" in the Herefordshire Pomona. Healthy except for being a little susceptible to blight (Hedrick). Succeeds on quince or pear. The Herefordshire Pomona says it forms a very handsome pyramid on either. Hedrick calls it a favorite with nurserymen to bud or graft on the quince, on Japanese pear stocks, or on other stocks, since it makes a perfect union with any of those in common use, and calls it one of the best dwarfs for its own crop. The George Bunyard catalog recommends it for both open and walled gardens.
Fruit
Size: Large; usually large and uniform (Hedrick). The Veitch and George Bunyard nursery catalogs call it medium. The Herefordshire Pomona measures it at three inches wide and three and three-quarters inches long. Hedrick gives 3 in. long by 2½ in. wide in the Pears of New York, and 3¼ in. long by 2¼ in. wide in the Cyclopedia. The specimen on the Herefordshire Pomona's colored plate (Plate XIII), grown on a cordon tree at Holme Lacy, is "perhaps rather above the medium size."
Form: Obovate to obtuse-pyriform, with a rather long to long neck; long obovate, sometimes obscurely pyriform (Thomas); oblong obovate or pyramidal (Herefordshire Pomona). Handsome, symmetrical, "even in its outline" (Herefordshire Pomona). Bunyard instead describes it as round conical and uneven.
Stem: About an inch long, stout and thick. It is fleshy, with fleshy folds at the base (Herefordshire Pomona). Downing describes it as a little swollen at its insertion and set at an inclination. Hedrick gives it as ¾ in. long, slightly curved to curved.
Cavity: Small, shallow to very shallow, narrow, rather uneven and oblique. Hedrick describes it as obtuse, russeted, often uneven and gently furrowed, and lipped. The Herefordshire Pomona says the stalk is "inserted without depression."
Calyx: Large and open. Bunyard says it is open or nearly closed. Segments long, recurved (Downing); lobes broad, acute (Hedrick). Calyx-tube short, wide, conical (Hedrick).
Basin: Shallow. Hedrick calls it narrow, obtuse, and gently furrowed, whereas Downing calls it broad and Bunyard even.
Skin: Greenish, light green, yellowish green, or dull greenish-yellow, covered or overspread with thin, light brown russet, with a coat of brown russet round the stalk and the eye (Herefordshire Pomona). Bunyard gives the color as russet bronze, and the George Bunyard catalog as medium yellow with russet of a golden shade. Downing has it considerably shaded with brownish red, and Bunyard and the Agassiz catalog give a faint or dull red cheek, but Hedrick says it is without blush. The Herefordshire Pomona calls the skin shining, against Bunyard's rough. Hedrick calls it granular and tender. Handsome in appearance.
Dots: Numerous, russet or brown, very conspicuous. The Herefordshire Pomona describes the skin as thickly covered with large russet dots, whereas Hedrick calls them small.
Flesh and flavor: White. Bunyard adds a faint pink tinge and calls the flesh very tender and transparent. Buttery, melting, juicy to very juicy; Thomas calls it "somewhat melting." Granular (Hedrick), though he says only "a little granular at the core" in his introductory remarks. The flavor is sweet, sugary, rich, richly aromatic, brisk, somewhat vinous to vinous, and highly perfumed. The Herefordshire Pomona notes "a rose water aroma," and Bunyard "a rose water flavour." Thomas calls it slightly sub-acid, and the Agassiz catalog "brisk, pleasant." Slightly astringent, near or under the skin (Downing). Hedrick says "there is always a smack of astringency," and that poorly grown or improperly ripened pears are "sometimes a little astringent," which his Cyclopedia gives as "quite astringent." Hedrick calls the flesh and flavor "exceptionally fine," "as truly luscious as in any other pear," and the Veitch catalog calls it "delicious."
Quality runs from "good" to "best." Most rate it high: "very good" (Downing), "very good to best" (Hedrick), "of the first quality" (Herefordshire Pomona), "first class" (George Bunyard catalog), and "Excellent" (Veitch catalog). Thomas and the Agassiz catalog rate it "good."
Core and seeds: Core large, closed, with clasping core-lines (Hedrick). Seeds large, wide, long, plump, acute.
Season
Early autumn, September into November. Most authors give September and October or October alone, Hedrick narrowing it to late September and early October. Bunyard gives mid to end of October, just before Marie Louise, and the Herefordshire Pomona October and November.
The fruit does not keep well, tending to soften at the core as maturity advances (Hedrick). The Herefordshire Pomona advises gathering it before it is ripe, at intervals, to prevent its getting mealy and to keep it fit for the table longer. Bunyard advises gathering it a little before it parts readily from the tree to have it in the best condition.
Uses
A dessert pear: "a dessert pear of the first quality" (Herefordshire Pomona), "Fine desert pear" (George Bunyard catalog). Hedrick calls it a good dessert sort wherever pears are grown and a valuable fruit for commerce in many regions.
Subtypes / Variants
Not described in source.
Other
Hedrick's references include Barry's Fruit Garden (1851), Downing's Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1857), and the American Pomological Society Report (1862). They also include Pomologie de la France (1864), Mas's Le Verger (1866–73), Leroy's Dictionnaire de Pomologie (1867), and the Gardeners' Chronicle (1863). The rest are Hogg's Fruit Manual (1884), the American Pomological Society Catalogue (1883), Gaucher's Pom. Prak. Obst. (1894), and the Pomologie of the Société Nationale d'Horticulture de France (1904). Bunyard cites the Herefordshire Pomona (I., 13).
Book Sources
Described in 7 period pomological works
- Bunyard, A Handbook of Hardy Fruits (1920)
- Downing, Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900)
- Hedrick, The Pears of New York (1921)
- Hedrick, Cyclopedia of Hardy Fruits (1922)
- Budd & Hansen, Systematic Pomology (1914) — listed as Hardy (Beurre Hardy)
- The Herefordshire Pomona (1876–1885)
- Thomas, The American Fruit Culturist (1903)
Nursery Catalog Sources
Found in 38 catalogs (1849–1921) from Alabama, California, England, Illinois, Massachusetts, Missouri, Oregon, Washington
- Hovey & Co. , Cambridge , Massachusetts — 1849
- Hutchison Nursery , James Hutchison, Oakland , California — 1881
- Felix Gillet , Barren Hill Nursery, Nevada City , California — 1884
- Fancher Creek Nursery , Fresno , California — 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
- California Nursery Co. , Niles , California — 1889
- Felix Gillet , Barren Hill Nursery, Nevada City , California — 1889
- Felix Gillet , Barren Hill Nursery, Nevada City , California — 1890
- Felix Gillet , Barren Hill Nursery, Nevada City , California — 1891
- Missouri Nursery Co. , Louisiana , Missouri — 1891
- Puyallup & Yakima Nurseries , Puyallup, Washington (Lock Box 191) and North Yakima , Washington — 1892
- Sherwood Hall Nursery Co. , Timothy Hopkins (Menlo Park Nurseries), San Francisco / Menlo Park , California — 1893
- Woodburn Nurseries , Woodburn, Marion Co. , Oregon — 1894
- Felix Gillet , Barren Hill Nursery, Nevada City , California — 1895
- Felix Gillet , Barren Hill Nursery, Nevada City , California — 1897
- Kelway & Son , Langport, Somerset , England — 1897
- J.V. Cotta (Cotta Nursery) , Carroll County , Illinois — 1898
- Alabama Nursery Co. , Huntsville , Alabama — 1900
- George Bunyard & Co. , Royal Nurseries, Maidstone, Kent , England — 1900
- Central Experimental Farm , Dominion Department of Agriculture, Agassiz, British Columbia (under test; Bulletin No. 3, Second Series) — 1900
- 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
- Forestville Nurseries , T.J. True, Forestville , California — 1902
- J.B. Pilkington , Portland , Oregon — 1907
- C.F. Lansing , Salem , Oregon — 1910
- Island Nurseries & Fruit Farm , Vashon (Vashon Island) , Washington — 1910
- Island Nurseries & Fruit Farm , Vashon (Vashon Island) , Washington — 1911
- 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
- Island Nurseries & Fruit Farm , Vashon (Vashon Island) , Washington — 1914
- Island Nurseries & Fruit Farm , Vashon (Vashon Island) , Washington — 1915
- Island Nurseries & Fruit Farm , Vashon (Vashon Island) , Washington — 1916
- George Bunyard & Co. , Royal Nurseries, Maidstone, Kent , England — 1917
- Island Nurseries & Fruit Farm , Vashon (Vashon Island) , Washington — 1917
- Fancher Creek Nurseries , George C. Roeding, Fresno , California — 1918
- Island Nurseries & Fruit Farm , Vashon , Washington — 1921
View original book sources (10)
— Woolhope Naturalists Field Club, The Herefordshire Pomona (1885)Plate XIII.
- BEURRE HARDY.
[Syn : Bonnet de Boulogne.]
This fine pear was raised by M. Bonnet of Boulogne, the friend of Van Mons, about the year 1820. It was first distributed by M. Jamin, of Bourg-la-Reine, near Paris, who dedicated it to the late M. Hardy, director of the gardens of the Luxembourg.
Description.—Fruit, large, three inches wide and three inches and three-quarters long ; oblong obovate or pyramidal, handsome and even in its outline. Skin, shining, yellowish green, thickly covered with large russet dots, and a coat of brown russet round the stalk and the eye. Eye, large and open, set in a shallow basin. Stalk, an inch long, stout and fleshy, with fleshy folds at the base, and inserted without depression. Flesh, white, melting, and very juicy, sweet, and perfumed with a rose water aroma.
A dessert pear of the first quality ; in season in October and November. It forms a very handsome pyramid on the Pear, or on the quince stock. It is perfectly hardy, grows freely and bears well, and is worthy of general cultivation. The fruit should be gathered before it is ripe, at intervals, to prevent its getting mealy and to keep it fit for the table for a longer period.
The specimen represented on the coloured plate is perhaps rather above the medium size. It was grown on a Cordon tree at Holme Lacy.
— A.J. Downing, The Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900)Beurré Hardy.
Tree vigorous, productive. Young wood dark grayish olive brown.
Fruit large, obovate obtuse pyriform. Skin greenish, covered with light russet, considerably shaded with brownish red, and sprinkled with brown dots. Stalk about an inch long, a little swollen at its insertion, at an inclination, in a small, rather uneven cavity. Calyx open. Segments long, recurved in a broad, shallow basin. Flesh buttery, melting, juicy, brisk, vinous, and highly perfumed, slightly astringent near the skin. Very good. September and October.
— John J. Thomas, The American Fruit Culturist (1903)Hardy.* Large, long obovate, sometimes obscurely pyriform; skin greenish, with thin brown russet; stalk an inch long, cavity small, uneven, oblique; basin shallow; buttery, somewhat melting, rich, slightly sub-acid, good. October. Tree a strong grower, succeeds well on quince.
— J.L. Budd & N.E. Hansen, American Horticultural Manual, Part II: Systematic Pomology (1914)Hardy (Beurre Hardy). — Large, obovate, obtuse pyriform; color light green covered with light russeting and shaded with brownish red; dots numerous; stalk one inch long, inclined, stout, inserted in small quite uneven cavity. Flesh buttery, melting, juicy, vinous, perfumed, with slight astringency under the skin; very good. Season, early autumn. Europe.
— E.A. Bunyard, A Handbook of Hardy Fruits (1920)BEURRE HARDY. Her. Pom. I., 13. G. Gellert's Butterbirne. (Hardy, Beurré Gellert.) Dessert, mid to end October, large round conical, uneven. Skin, rough. Colour, russet bronze with faint red cheek. Flesh, white, faint pink tinge, very tender, transparent with a rose water flavour. Eye, open or nearly closed in a shallow even basin. Stem, stout, fairly long, in a very shallow cavity. Growth, very vigorous; fertility excellent. Leaf, large, round, much down curved, upfolded, nearly entire, turns orange red. Origin, raised by M. Bonnet, a friend of Van Mons at Boulogne, about 1820. Named after M. Hardy, the director of the Luxembourg gardens. Introduced about 1840. Quite one of the best and hardiest pears, in season just before Marie Louise. It should be gathered a little before it parts readily from the tree to have it in the best condition. Does well on quince or pear.
— U.P. Hedrick, The Pears of New York (1921)BEURRÉ HARDY
- Barry Fr. Garden 314. 1851. 2. Downing Fr. Trees Am. 466. 1857. 3. Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt. 66. 1862. 4. Pom. France 2: No. 46, Pl. 46. 1864. 5. Mas Le Verger 3: Pt. I, 11, fig. 4. 1866-73. 6. Leroy Dict. Pom. 1:379, fig. 1867. 7. Hogg Fruit Man. 521. 1884. 8. Soc. Nat. Hort. France Pom. 378, fig. 1904.
Hardy. 9. Gard. Chron. 463. 1863. 10. Am. Pom. Soc. Cat. 38. 1883.
Gellert's Butterbirne. 11. Gaucher Pom. Prak. Obst. No. 38, Pl. 78. 1894.
Beurré Hardy is one of the good autumn pears. Both fruit and tree commend it. The fruits are usually large; are handsome in appearance; and the flesh and flavor are exceptionally fine. Thus, the flesh, while a little granular at the core, is melting, juicy, and richly aromatic,—as truly luscious as in any other pear. Unfortunately the fruits do not keep well, having a tendency to soften at the core as maturity advances. When poorly grown or not properly ripened, the pears are sometimes a little astringent, and there is always a smack of astringency. The trees, while not large, are vigorous, hardy, productive, and healthy except in being a little susceptible to blight. This is a favorite pear with nurserymen to bud or graft on the quince, Japanese pear stocks, or other stocks, since it makes a perfect union with any of those in common use. The tree is one of the best dwarfs, also, for its own crop. Wherever pears are grown, this is a good dessert sort, and in many regions it is a valuable fruit for commerce. Beurré Hardy does especially well in New York and in eastern United States.
This is a French pear raised about 1820 by M. Bonnet, Boulogne-sur-Mer, France. In 1830, it was acquired by M. Jean-Laurent Jamin, a nurseryman near Paris, who named it in honor of M. Hardy, Director and Professor of Arboriculture at the Garden of the Luxembourg. It was propagated, made known, and distributed by M. Jamin between 1840 and 1845. The American Pomological Society added Beurré Hardy to its list of recommended fruits in 1862.
Tree medium in size, vigorous, upright, dense-topped, hardy, productive; trunk stocky; branches smooth, dull brown overspread with gray, marked more or less with scarf-skin, with very numerous large, elongated lenticels; branchlets thick, greenish-brown, glossy, smooth, glabrous, with numerous small, raised, conspicuous lenticels.
Leaf-buds conical, pointed, plump, usually free; leaf-scars prominent. Leaves 2½ in. long, 1 in. wide, stiff; apex abruptly pointed; margin tipped with small glands, finely serrate; petiole 1½ in. long. Flower-buds small, short, conical, pointed, plump, free, singly or in small clusters on short spurs; flowers 1¼ in. across, well distributed, average 9 buds in a cluster; pedicels 1 in. long, pubescent, reddish-green.
Fruit in season, late September and early October; large, 3 in. long, 2½ in. wide, uniform, obtuse-pyriform, with a rather long neck, symmetrical; stem ¾ in. long, thick, slightly curved; cavity obtuse, very shallow and narrow, russeted, often uneven and gently furrowed, lipped; calyx large, open; lobes broad, acute; basin shallow, narrow, obtuse, gently furrowed; skin granular, tender, russet; color dull greenish-yellow, overspread with thin, brownish-russet, without blush; dots numerous, russet, small, very conspicuous; flesh granular, melting, buttery, very juicy, sweet, richly aromatic and somewhat vinous; quality very good to best. Core large, closed, with clasping core-lines; calyx-tube short, wide, conical; seeds large, wide, long, plump, acute.
— U.P. Hedrick, Cyclopedia of Hardy Fruits (1922)BEURRE HARDY. Fig. 76. Hardy.
Beurre Hardy is one of the good autumn pears. The fruits are usually large, handsome, and the flesh and flavor are exceptionally fine. Thus, the flesh, while a little granular at the core, is melting and juicy—in this case, as truly luscious as in any other pear. Unfortunately, the fruits do not keep well, having a tendency to soften at the core. When poorly grown the pears are quite astringent, and there is always a smack of astringency. The trees, while not large, are vigorous, hardy, productive and healthy except in being a little susceptible to blight. This is a favorite pear with nurserymen to bud or graft on the quince, since it makes a perfect union with any of the stocks in common use. Beurre Hardy does especially well in eastern United States. This is a French pear raised about 1820 by M. Bonnet in his seed-beds at Boulogne-sur-Mer.
Tree medium in size, vigorous, upright, dense-topped, rapid-growing, hardy, productive; branches smooth, dull brown overspread with gray, with very numerous, large, elongated lenticels. Leaves 2¾ inches long, 1½ inches wide, stiff; apex abruptly pointed; margin tipped with small glands, finely serrate; petiole 1½ inches long. Flowers 1¼ inches across, well distributed, average 7 buds in a cluster. Fruit in season late September and early October; large, 3¼ inches long, 2¼ inches wide, uniform, obtuse-pyriform, with a long neck, symmetrical; stem ¾ inch long, thick, curved; cavity obtuse, shallow and narrow, russeted, often uneven and gently furrowed, lipped; calyx large, open; lobes, broad, acute; basin shallow, narrow, obtuse, gently furrowed; skin granular, tender, russet; color dull greenish-yellow, overspread with thin, brownish-russet, without blush; dots numerous, russet, small, very conspicuous; flesh granular, melting, buttery, very juicy, sweet, richly aromatic and somewhat vinous; quality very good to best; core large, closed, with clasping core-lines; calyx-tube short, wide, conical; seeds large, wide, long, plump, acute.
— 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 light russet, and a dull red cheek. Flesh buttery, juicy, with a brisk, pleasant flavour, slightly astringent, quality good. Season October.
— James Veitch & Sons, Veitch's Fruit Trees (1911) (1911)medium size, melting and delicious, sugary flavour. Fine bearer Excellent Sept. & Oct.
— George Bunyard & Co., George Bunyard Catalog of Fruit Trees (1914) (1914)Oct.; medium, medium yellow with russet of golden shade; flesh white, very juicy, buttery and sweet; medium size; prolific; first class. Fine desert pear. Hardy; suitable for both open and walled gardens.