De Pretre
PearDe Pretre
Origin and History
A very old French pear, mentioned by the pomologist Le Lectier of Orléans. Le Lectier cultivated it in 1600 and cataloged it in 1628. For a long while it was known under the names of Caillout, Caillolet, and Caillot d'Hiver. In 1858 Decaisne coupled with it the ancient name of Carmelite.
Fruit
Size and Form: Below medium, spherical but sometimes a little elongated and narrowed toward the upper part.
Skin: Rather thick, clear brown-russet dotted all over on the side exposed to the sun with whitish points; with ash-gray points on the shaded side.
Flesh: White, semi-fine, breaking, gritty at center.
Juice: Moderate in amount, saccharine, acidulous, more or less musky.
Season
January to March.
Uses and Quality
Second or third for dessert; first for compotes.
Tree
Not described in source.
Source: U.P. Hedrick, The Pears of New York (1921), citing Duhamel Trait. Arb. Fr. (1768); Magazine of Horticulture (1843); Leroy Dict. Pom. (1869).
Book Sources
Described in 1 period pomological work
View original book sources (1)
— U.P. Hedrick, The Pears of New York (1921)De Pretre.
- Duhamel Trait. Arb. Fr. 2:190. 1768.
- Mag. Hort. 9:131. 1843.
- Leroy Diet. Pom. 2:550, fig. 1869.
A very old French pear just mentioned by the pomologist Le Lectier of Orléans and for a long while known under the names of Caillout, Caillolet and Caillot d'Hiver. Le Lectier cultivated it in 1600 and cataloged it in 1628. In 1858 Decaisne coupled with it the ancient name of Carmelite. Fruit below medium, spherical but sometimes a little elongated and narrowed toward the upper part; skin rather thick, clear brown-russet dotted all over on the side exposed to the sun with whitish points, but with ash-gray points on the other side; flesh white, semi-fine, breaking, gritty at center; juice moderate in amount, saccharine, acidulous, more or less musky; second or third for dessert, first for compotes; Jan. to Mar.