Colonel Wilder.

A new seedling raised by B. S. Fox, San Jose, California, and is said to be a valuable late variety.

Fruit medium to large, roundish obtuse pyriform; skin light yellow, a shade of light orange red in the sun, slight nettings of russet, and numerous small russet and brown dots; stalk rather short; cavity small; calyx small, open, or nearly so; basin rather shallow, slightly plaited; flesh whitish yellow, a little coarse around the core, juicy, melting, very sweet, with a peculiar slight musky and slightly aromatic flavor. December, January.

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

Colonel Wilder. Above medium, obovate pyriform, yellow with some russet, juicy, melting, sweet. Early winter. Origin, Cal.

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

COLONEL WILDER

1. Mass. Hort. Soc. Rpt. Pt. 2. 119. 1875. 2. Downing Fr. Trees Am. 2nd App. 146, fig. 1876. 3. Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt. 23. 1881. 4. Me. Pom. Soc. Rpt. 114. 1891.

Colonel Wilder originated in California and was once a favorite there, but is now reported as being little planted. At one time it was prominent in eastern orchards because of its late season and large, handsome, well-flavored fruits. The variety came in competition with Beurré d'Anjou, however, the season and fruits of the two being similar, but the trees of Colonel Wilder were so greatly outmatched by those of Beurré d'Anjou that this variety is less and less planted in the East. Perhaps it is worth preserving in pear collections for the sake of variety.

This pear originated from seed sown by Bernard S. Fox, San Jose, California, about 1870. It was named after Marshall P. Wilder, Boston, Massachusetts. Just prior to his death Mr. Fox, in a letter to the editor of the Rural Press, wrote of three pears, P. Barry, Fox, and Colonel Wilder, as follows: "The list of pears is already large, and, unless something extremely good is offered, there is no use adding to it. But, after many years of trial here and elsewhere, I claim now, that, at their respective times of ripening, there are no large pears superior to them in size, flavor, and good shipping qualities."

Tree medium in size, spreading and drooping, open-topped, hardy, an uncertain bearer; trunk shaggy; branches stocky, roughish, reddish-brown nearly covered with gray scarfskin, marked with many lenticels; branchlets slender, willowy, light brown, with a slight reddish tinge, smooth, glabrous, with few small, slightly raised, obscure lenticels.

Leaf-buds small, short, sharply pointed, free or slightly appressed. Leaves 2½ in. long, 1½ in. wide, narrow, short, oval, leathery; apex abruptly pointed; margin glandless, finely serrate; petiole 2½ in. long, slender, pale green or yellowish, sometimes with a tinge of pink; stipules light greenish-yellow, with a pink tinge. Flower-buds small, short, conical, plump, free, arranged singly on very short spurs; blossoms open very late; flowers 1¼ in. across, in dense clusters, 7 or 8 buds in a cluster; pedicels ½ in. long, pubescent, greenish.

Fruit in season, late December to February; large, 3 in. long, 2½ in. wide, uniform in size, ribbed, oblong-obovate-pyriform, with unequal sides; stem ¾ in. long, thick, curved; cavity small, obtuse, shallow, narrow, furrowed, occasionally lipped; calyx large, open; lobes separated at the base, narrow, acute; basin shallow, narrow, abrupt, usually smooth, symmetrical; skin thick, tough, rough, dull; color light yellow, often with a faint orange-red blush on the exposed cheek, with nettings and markings of russet; dots numerous, small, grayish and russet-colored, conspicuous; flesh yellowish-white, granular around the core, melting, buttery, very juicy, sweet, aromatic, with a musky flavor; quality good. Core large, closed, with clasping core-lines; calyx-tube short, wide, conical; seeds wide, plump, acute.

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

COLONEL WILDER. Colonel Wilder originated in California and was once a favorite there, but is now little planted. At one time it was prominent in eastern orchards because of its late season and large, handsome, well-flavored fruits. The variety came in competition with Beurré d'Anjou, however, the season and fruits of the two being very similar, but the trees of Colonel Wilder were so greatly outmatched by those of Beurré d'Anjou that the new variety is less and less planted in the East. Perhaps it is worth preserving in pear collections for the sake of variety. This pear was raised by Bernard S. Fox of San Jose, California, about 1870. Tree medium in size, spreading and drooping, open-topped, an uncertain bearer; trunk shaggy; branches stocky, very rough, reddish-brown, marked with many lenticels. Leaves 2¼ inches long, 1¼ inches wide, narrow, short, oval, leathery; apex abruptly pointed; margin glandless, finely serrate; petiole 2⅝ inches long, slender, pale green or yellowish, sometimes with a tinge of pink. Blossoms open very late; flowers 1¼ inches across, in dense clusters, or buds in a cluster. Fruit in season late December to February; large, 3¼ inches long, 2⅝ inches wide, uniform in size, ribbed, oblong-obovate-pyriform, with unequal sides; stem ⅜ inch long, thick, curved; cavity small, obtuse, shallow, narrow, furrowed, occasionally lipped; calyx large, open; lobes separated at the base, narrow, acute; basin shallow, narrow, abrupt, usually smooth, symmetrical; skin thick, tough, rough, dull; color light yellow, often with a faint orange-red blush on the exposed cheek, with nettings and markings of russet; dots numerous, small, grayish and russet-colored, conspicuous; flesh yellowish-white, granular around the core, melting, buttery, very juicy, sweet, aromatic, with a musky flavor; quality good; core large, closed, with clasping core-lines; calyx-tube short, wide, conical; seeds wide, plump, acute.

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