Bloodgood
Pear
USDA Pomological Watercolor Collection
Origin/History
The Bloodgood is an American pear originating from Long Island, New York. It was named from the circumstance of its having been brought into notice, about 1835, by the late James Bloodgood, nurseryman, Flushing, Long Island. The sort was brought to that nursery as a new variety, without a name, by some person on Long Island, unknown to Mr. Bloodgood, who was never able afterward to trace its history further (Downing). It was also known in German pomological literature as Bloodgood's Sommerbirne (Hedrick). Downing considered it the highest flavored of all early pears, deserving a place even in the smallest garden, stating it surpasses every European variety of the same season and, together with Dearborn's Seedling, another native sort, would supplant all inferior early pears.
Tree
A moderate grower, rather short-jointed, with deep reddish brown wood. Bears early and regularly. Elliott notes that it requires a rich, deep, warm soil to produce good-flavored fruit; Thomas similarly observes that on some soils the flavor becomes poor and insipid.
Fruit
Size: Medium. Elliott describes it as medium or below.
Form: Turbinate, inclining to obovate, thickening very abruptly into the stalk (Downing). Thomas describes it as turbinate, approaching obovate, with the base contracted abruptly to the stalk. Elliott describes it as ovate obovate.
Stem: Downing describes the stalk as obliquely inserted, without depression, short, dark brown, fleshy at its base. Thomas gives the stalk as fleshy at insertion, an inch and a fourth long, set on the rounded base without depression. Elliott notes it is fleshy at the base.
Cavity: No depression; the stalk is set directly on the rounded base.
Calyx: Strong, open, set almost without depression (Downing). Elliott describes it as open. Thomas describes it as scarcely sunk.
Basin: Almost without depression (Downing). Thomas describes the calyx as scarcely sunk.
Skin: Yellow, sprinkled with russet dots and network markings, giving it a russety look on one side (Downing). Elliott describes it as yellow with russet marblings and dots. Thomas describes it as yellow, touched with russet. Downing notes the thin skin has a musky aromatic perfume.
Flesh/Flavor: Yellowish white, buttery, and melting, with a rich sugary, highly aromatic flavor (Downing). Thomas describes it as yellowish white, buttery, and melting, with a fine, rich, aromatic flavor. Elliott describes the flesh as yellowish white and melting. Quality rated "very good" by both Downing and Elliott.
Core/Seeds: Core small. Thomas notes it sometimes rots at the core.
Season
Downing gives the season as from the 5th of July to the 10th of August. Thomas gives ripening at the middle of August. Elliott gives early August. Like all early pears, the fruit is better if ripened in the house (Downing, Thomas).
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 21 catalogs (1845–1912) from Alabama, California, Illinois, Massachusetts, Missouri, Oregon
- Winship's Nursery (Brighton Nurseries , operated by the Winship family), Brighton (Boston) , Massachusetts — 1845
- Hovey & Co. , Cambridge , Massachusetts — 1849
- Azell Bowditch (Nursery / Fruit Catalog) , Boston , Massachusetts — 1850
- St. Helena Nursery , Howell's Prairie, Marion County , Oregon — 1864
- 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
- Felix Gillet , Barren Hill Nursery, Nevada City , California — 1891
- The Vineland Nurseries (Kelsey & Co. , Proprietors), St. Joseph, Missouri (Office: 13th and Atchison Sts., 2 Blocks East of the Citizens St. Car Line) — 1894
- Felix Gillet , Barren Hill Nursery, Nevada City , California — 1895
- Felix Gillet , Barren Hill Nursery, Nevada City , California — 1897
- Stark Bros. Nurseries & Orchards Co. , Louisiana , Missouri — 1898
- Benjamin Buckman (personal inventory) , Farmingdale , Illinois — 1901
- Stark Bros. Nurseries & Orchards Co. , Louisiana , Missouri — 1906
- Stark Bros. Nurseries & Orchards Co. , Louisiana , Missouri — 1910
- Stark Bros. Nurseries & Orchards Co. , Louisiana , Missouri — 1911
- Stark Bros. Nurseries & Orchards Co. , Louisiana , Missouri — 1912
View original book sources (4)
— A.J. Downing, The Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900)Bloodgood.
Early Beurre.
The Bloodgood is the highest flavored of all early Pears, and deserves a place even in the smallest garden. It was named from the circumstance of its having been brought into notice, about 1835, by the late James Bloodgood, nurseryman, Flushing, L. I. The sort was brought to that nursery as a new variety, without a name, however, by some person on Long Island, unknown to Mr. B., who was never able afterward to trace its history further. The tree is rather short-jointed, with deep reddish brown wood, grows moderately fast, and bears early and regularly. The fruit, like that of all early pears, is better if ripened in the house. It surpasses every European variety of the same season, and together with the Dearborn's Seedling, another native sort, will supplant all inferior early pears.
Fruit of medium size, turbinate, inclining to obovate, thickening very abruptly into the stalk. Skin yellow, sprinkled with russet dots and network markings, giving it a russety look on one side. Calyx strong, open, set almost without depression. Stalk obliquely inserted, without depression, short, dark brown, fleshy at its base. Flesh yellowish white, buttery, and melting, with a rich sugary, highly aromatic flavor. The thin skin has a musky aromatic perfume. Very good. Core small. Ripe from the 5th of July to the 10th of August.
— U.P. Hedrick, The Pears of New York (1921)BLOODGOOD
- Mag. Hort. 3:14. 1837. 2. Manning Book of Fruits 65. 1838. 3. Mag. Hort. 9:366, fig. 31. 1843. 4. Downing Fr. Trees Am. 332, fig. 132. 1845. 5. Proc. Nat. Con. Fr. Gr. 51. 1848. 6. Mas Le Verger 2:181, fig. 89. 1866-73. 7. Leroy Dict. Pom. 1:449, fig. 1867. 8. Hogg Fruit Man. 532. 1884.
Bloodgood's Sommerbirne. 9. Mathieu Nom. Pom. 186. 1889.
— F.R. Elliott, The Western Fruit Book (1865)Bloodgood.
American. From Flushing, L. I. The tree is a moderate grower, with reddish brown, short-jointed wood : a regular bearer. We think it requires a rich, deep, warm soil to produce good-flavored fruit. Fruit, medium, or below, ovate obovate, yellow, with russet marblings and dots ; calyx, open ; stem, fleshy at base ; core, small ; flesh, yellowish white, melting ; "very good." Early August.
— John J. Thomas, The American Fruit Culturist (1903)Bloodgood.* Size medium, turbinate, approaching obovate, base contracted abruptly to the stalk; yellow, touched with russet; stalk fleshy at insertion, an inch and a fourth long, set on the rounded base without depression; calyx scarcely sunk; flesh yellowish white, buttery, and melting, with a fine, rich, aromatic flavor. Sometimes rots at the core. On some soils the flavor becomes poor and insipid. Ripens middle of August. Like all early pears, it is best if house-ripened. Origin, Long Island, N. Y. Fig. 678.