Doyenne White
Pear
Doyenne White
Origin / History
Doyenne White is one of the oldest of all pear varieties. Hovey and Downing call it French, Downing an old French variety in cultivation over two hundred years. Bunyard calls it possibly Italian, recorded in the seventeenth century by Merlet. Hedrick holds it impossible to state whether it originated in France or was brought to that country from Italy, "so confused is its identity."
Hedrick reports that Henri Manger, a German who studied the origin of fruits, stated in his Systematische Pomologie (1780) that the variety originated with the Romans, and took it for their Sementinum. Agostino Gallo in 1559 called it Pera Ghiacciuola. Claude Saint-Etienne described a Poire de Neige in 1660. Hedrick takes both descriptions to represent Doyenne White.
In the sixteenth century and for part of the seventeenth, the name Ghiacciuola was accepted for it in France, with the synonym Saint-Michel. According to Leroy, Le Lectier changed the name to Giaccole de Rome in his catalog of the fruit trees he grew at Orléans in 1628. Nicholas de Bonnefonds modified it to Giacciola di Roma in the first edition of his Jardinier Français (1652). English pomologists have mentioned it under a variety of names since early in the seventeenth century. Hedrick's earliest English citation is Parkinson, 1629, under the name Warwicke, and Langley gives it as Doyenné in 1729. The names Poire Doyenné and White Doyenné have been most generally applied. Downing says "Doyenné" is pronounced "dwoy-annay" and means literally "deanship," probably in allusion to the Dean by whom it was first brought into notice.
The date of its introduction to America is not known. Hedrick thinks it was probably brought by the earliest French settlers. Hovey, writing in 1852, calls it one of the first good dessert pears brought to this country, nearly a century before. The first American catalogs mentioned it; Hedrick cites Prince's catalog of 1771 under the name Virgalieu. It was extensively grown about New York and Long Island, where it was commonly called the Virgalieu pear. Around Boston it was the St. Michael, and around Philadelphia the Butter Pear.
Coxe (1817) described it as the Yellow Butter, or St. Michael's Pear, "the same with the Doyenne', or Deans pear." He wrote that it was "very erroneously called the Virgouleuse in New-York, and East Jersey," the Virgouleuse being a late winter pear. Downing urged that the local names be laid aside for White Doyenné. He warned that Virgalieu, which seems an American name, is always liable to be confounded with the Virgouleuse, a very different fruit. By Hedrick's account the variety has for nearly a century been most generally known in America as White Doyenné. It was included in the short list of pears recommended for general cultivation by the Convention of Fruit-Growers held in New York in 1848. Since then it has held a place in the American Pomological Society's fruit-catalog.
Coxe called it "probably more extensively cultivated than any pear in our country." Hovey calls it "the world-renowned pear," one that has been, "if it is not at the present time," more extensively cultivated than any other. He says that as the St. Michael, Virgalieu, or Butter pear it was familiar to all who knew anything of a pear in the Eastern or Middle States. Every new pear was judged by comparison with it, "nor were the older pomologists mistaken in their estimate." Hovey, Downing, and Hedrick each take the great number of names given it as proof of its popularity, Hedrick "at home and abroad." Elliott calls it "everywhere esteemed when well grown." Downing calls it "unquestionably, one of the most perfect of autumn Pears." Budd and Hansen report it "grown across the continent."
Hovey writes that for a long time it had failed to perfect its fruit in many parts of the country, more particularly in New England, and that its cultivation had been neglected for other and more certain sorts. In New York and the Western States it still matured "its superb fruit in abundance and perfection." "Whether it will ever be restored to its original excellence in localities heretofore affected remains to be seen."
Hedrick (1921) calls it "this ancient and world-renowned pear." He writes that in the middle of the nineteenth century, "when there was almost a mania for the best of the European pears, when fruits were judged by the palate rather than the eye as now," Doyenne White was one of the most commonly planted varieties. By his time it was rarely planted in America. Its faults, small and comparatively unattractive fruit, scab, and blight, had "made the variety an outcast." He held that it "should still receive attention for the superb quality of its fruits where scab and blight can be controlled." Bunyard calls it "now seldom grown, but in good seasons it is quite first class." The Central Experimental Farm at Agassiz, British Columbia, planted it in spring 1890.
Tree
Large, vigorous, upright, vasiform, hardy, very productive (Hedrick); a strong grower at Agassiz. Coxe alone calls the tree of small size. Hovey gives an upright, regular habit, with erect branches forming a fine pyramidal head and long, straight, erect annual shoots. Downing's branches are strong and upright. Bunyard alone calls the growth rather spreading. Elliott also calls it hardy. Hovey says it grows freely under favorable conditions.
Trunk stocky, somewhat smooth (Hedrick). Branches strong, thick, yellowish gray or light brown (Downing); dark gray, with many large lenticels (Hedrick). Branchlets thick, reddish brown, smooth, glabrous, with small, very slightly raised lenticels (Hedrick). Wood yellowish brown, dotted with roundish gray specks, moderately stout, short-jointed; old wood yellowish olive (Hovey). Leaf-buds small, short, ovate, diverging, with small shoulders (Hovey); obtuse, pointed, appressed (Hedrick). Flower-buds medium size, dark brown, with grayish scales (Hovey); large, long, conical or pointed, free (Hedrick).
Leaves medium size, rather narrow, tapering to each end, light green, folded inward, recurved on the midrib, with fine, regular serratures (Hovey). Bunyard gives them narrow oval, lanceolate, upfolded, down-curved, regularly serrate. Hedrick measures them 2⅜ inches long by 1⅝ inches wide, flattened, leathery, with a taper-pointed apex and finely serrate margin. Petiole slender, of medium length, about an inch to 1¼ inches long.
Flowers early, small, with ovate, neatly cupped petals, in compact or dense clusters of 7 or 8 buds. Hedrick gives them 1⅜ inches across, on slender, pubescent, light green pedicels ⅝ inch long.
Bears at an early age (Coxe), even upon the pear (Hovey). Coxe calls it "a never failing and abundant bearer." Hovey says it "produces immense crops" under favorable conditions. Others call it productive, a good bearer, of good fertility, productive on either pear or quince (Elliott). Hovey says it flourishes admirably as a pyramid on the quince and is one of the few sorts that make large vigorous trees on that stock. He held that the quince lets the grower obviate its defects "in some degree." After several years' experience he found it produced the finest specimens on the quince, while trees on the pear growing side by side bore "nothing but spotted, cracked, and worthless fruit."
Prefers a rich, deep, warm soil, on which it will rarely fail to mature the finest fruit (Hovey). Hedrick names a rich clay, heavy rather than light, on which tree and fruit attain perfection. Except in susceptibility to scab, he calls the trees nearly perfect there. Fruit and foliage are inviting prey to the scab fungus, which often cracks and scabs the pears and defoliates the trees. The trees are ravaged by blight when that disease is epidemic. In a light soil with scab unchecked, the fruits are "small, green, cracked, and cankered—intolerable to sight and taste" (Hedrick).
Fruit
Size: Medium in most accounts. Downing gives medium or large, and Coxe and Bunyard call it large. The span runs from 3½ by 3¼ inches (Bunyard) and about three inches long by 2¾ in diameter (Hovey) down to Hedrick's 2⅝ inches long by 2⅜ wide. Hedrick calls the fruits small compared with market sorts.
Form: Obovate, regular, full at the crown, tapering to the stem, where it ends obtusely (Hovey). Obovate-pyriform (Elliott); obovate-obtuse-pyriform, uniform, symmetrical (Hedrick). Coxe gives round and rather oblong, somewhat diminished toward the stem; Bunyard round, tapering a little to the stem, even. Varies considerably in different soils, and often shorter or longer on the same tree (Downing).
Stem: Brown or brownish, moderately stout to thick, curved or slightly curved, ¾ to 1¼ inches long. Medium in Hovey's and Elliott's accounts. Coxe calls it short and thick, Bunyard short and very stout.
Cavity: Small and round, very small and rounded in Hovey's words. Obtuse, shallow, narrow, russeted, usually symmetrical (Hedrick). Bunyard alone calls it rather deep.
Calyx: Small, with small, short segments or lobes, narrow and obtuse in Hedrick's account. Closed (Hovey, Elliott, Downing, the last "always very small, closed"). Hedrick gives it open or closed. Bunyard calls the eye half open, with tips of the sepals reflexed. Calyx-tube short, wide, conical (Hedrick).
Basin: Shallow, very shallow and open in Hovey's words. Smooth to slightly or delicately plaited. Obtuse, nearly smooth, symmetrical (Hedrick). Bunyard alone calls it moderately deep.
Skin: Fair, smooth, clear pale yellow when mature, often with a fine red cheek (Elliott, Downing), tinged with a beautiful red on the sunny side in Hovey's words. Hedrick gives a small, bright red blush on the exposed cheek and calls the skin thick, tough, dull. Coxe gives bright yellow, "sometimes with a blush, at other times covered with a bright russet." Bunyard gives pale green fading to pale yellow, with a little cinnamon russet. A handsome fruit at its best.
Dots: Small, many, regularly sprinkled; russet specks (Hovey); numerous, small, russet, conspicuous (Hedrick).
Flesh and flavor: Flesh white, yellowish-white in Hedrick's account. Fine-grained, melting, very buttery, juicy. Hedrick calls it granular, firm at first but becoming melting when fully ripe. Bunyard calls it very melting, not gritty. Coxe calls it "singularly cold."
Flavor "rich, sugary, sprightly, delicately perfumed, and delicious" (Hovey); rich and high-flavored; sweet, with a rich, aromatic flavor (Hedrick); "delicately flavoured" (Coxe).
Quality ranges from "very good" (Hedrick) to "best" (Downing). Veitch calls it "excellent," Bunyard "quite first class" in good seasons, and Hedrick "the most delectable of any that come from a pear orchard." Hovey writes that when ripened in perfection it is "unrivalled by few, and surpassed by none, of more recent introduction." Coxe reports that "in the opinion of many good judges" it is "on a par for excellence of flavour with the Seckle."
Core and seeds: Core medium size (Hovey); closed, with clasping core-lines (Hedrick). Seeds medium size (Hovey); wide, plump, obtuse (Hedrick).
Season
The recorded season runs from September into December. Most authors give September or early October through October or the first part of November. Hovey has it ripe in October and keeping three or four weeks. Downing says that if picked early from the tree it will often ripen gradually till December.
To have it in perfection, Coxe advises gathering before fully ripe, when it begins to turn yellow, and keeping it some time in the house; otherwise it loses much of its juicy and melting qualities. Gathered by hand in dry weather and carefully preserved, it lasts from the beginning of September to the first part of November.
Uses
A dessert pear. Veitch calls it fine for the table and for culinary purposes. Hedrick says it is being discarded because the small and comparatively unattractive fruits fail to satisfy commercial demands.
Subtypes / Variants
The Doyenne Panachee, or Striped Dean, is a sub-variety (Elliott, Downing). More pyriform, rather more narrowing to the stalk. Skin prettily striped with yellow, green, and red, dotted with brown. Flesh juicy, melting, not high-flavored. October.
Other
The Tea pear was raised by Mrs. Ezra Merchant of Milford, Conn., from seed found in a pound of tea she purchased at the store, hence the name (Downing, Hedrick). Elliott gives it as American, a native of New Haven County, Conn. Hedrick calls it "similar to White Doyenne, if not identical with it." Tree vigorous and productive. Young wood olive yellow (Downing); bright yellow wood and deep green foliage (Hedrick).
Fruit medium, below medium in Elliott's account. Obovate, inclining to pyriform; roundish-obovate (Thomas); roundish oval (Elliott); obtuse-pyramidal, with often a suture on one side (Hedrick). Skin lemon yellow to clear rich yellow, or yellowish green becoming blushed in the sun (Hedrick). Numerous small brown dots, and sometimes a reddish cheek. Netted and patched with russet (Downing).
Stalk rather stout, inserted obliquely under a lip in a very small cavity (Downing); short, fleshy at the base (Hedrick). Calyx half closed; open in Elliott's and Hedrick's accounts, Elliott's with short segments even with the surface. Basin shallow. Core small (Elliott). Flesh white to whitish, fine, juicy, melting, vinous.
Quality "good to very good" (Downing) to "very good to best" (Hedrick), "very good," nearly "best" in Elliott's words. Ripens from the last of August through September.
Book Sources
Described in 9 period pomological works
- Hovey, The Fruits of America (1852)
- Hedrick, The Pears of New York (1921) — listed as WHITE DOYENNÉ
- Bunyard, A Handbook of Hardy Fruits (1920) — listed as DOYENNE BLANC
- Downing, Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900) — listed as Tea
- Hedrick, Cyclopedia of Hardy Fruits (1922) — listed as White Doyenne
- Elliott, The Western Fruit Book (1865)
- Budd & Hansen, Systematic Pomology (1914) — listed as White Doyenne
- Thomas, The American Fruit Culturist (1903) — listed as Tea
- Coxe, A View of the Cultivation of Fruit Trees (1817)
Nursery Catalog Sources
Found in 36 catalogs (1845–1965) from California, England, Massachusetts, Oregon, Washington
- Winship's Nursery (Brighton Nurseries , operated by the Winship family), Brighton (Boston) , Massachusetts — 1845
- Hovey & Co. , Cambridge , Massachusetts — 1849 — listed as Bonne Ente
- Hovey & Co. , Cambridge , Massachusetts — 1849
- Hovey & Co. , Cambridge , Massachusetts — 1849 — listed as Poire Seigneur
- Azell Bowditch (Nursery / Fruit Catalog) , Boston , Massachusetts — 1850
- St. Helena Nursery , Howell Prairie, Marion County, OR (Marion Co., Ogn.) — 1864 — listed as white Doyenné
- W.R. Strong & Co. , Capital and Orange Hill Nurseries (Robert Williamson, prop.), Sacramento , California — 1886
- Puyallup & Yakima Nurseries , Puyallup, Washington (Lock Box 191) and North Yakima , Washington — 1892
- Oregon Wholesale Nurseries , Salem , Oregon — 1893
- Felix Gillet , Barren Hill Nursery, Nevada City , California — 1894
- Multnomah Nurseries , Russellville , Oregon — 1894
- Woodburn Nurseries , Woodburn, Marion Co. , Oregon — 1894
- Felix Gillet , Barren Hill Nursery, Nevada City , California — 1895
- Central Experimental Farm , Dominion Department of Agriculture, Agassiz, British Columbia (under test; Bulletin No. 3, Second Series) — 1900
- Washington Nursery Co. , Toppenish , Washington — 1901
- Pacific Nursery Company (W. O. Hudson & A. D. Hudson) , Tangent , Oregon — 1903
- Russellville Nursery Co. , Russellville, OR (three miles east of Portland, one mile from Montavilla car line) — 1903
- Henderson Luelling / Traveling Nursery (historical recall) , Oregon — 1904
- The Dalles Nurseries , The Dalles , Oregon — 1906
- Russellville Nursery Co. , Montavilla Station, Portland, OR (three miles east of Portland, one mile from Montavilla car line) — 1907
- Carlton Nursery Co. , Carlton , Oregon — 1909
- Milton Nursery Co. (A. Miller & Sons , Proprietors), Milton , Oregon — 1909
- Washington Nursery Company , Toppenish , Washington — 1909
- 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
- Pacific Nursery Company , Portland , Oregon — 1912
- Washington Nursery Company , Toppenish , Washington — 1912
- Vineland Nurseries Company , Clarkston , Washington — 1912
- Van Holderbeke Nursery Co. , Incorporated, Spokane, Washington (nurseries at Otis Orchards WA, Pasadena WA, Kennewick WA) — 1913
- 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
- Island Nurseries & Fruit Farm , Vashon (Vashon Island) , Washington — 1917
- Hudson's Wholesale Nurseries , Tangent , Oregon — 1936
- OSU Mid-Columbia Experiment Station — 1965
View original book sources (11)
— William Coxe, A View of the Cultivation of Fruit Trees (1817)
- YELLOW BUTTER, OR BEURREE DOREE, OR ST. MICHAEL'S PEAR.
This pear in the opinion of many good judges, is on a par for excellence of flavour with the Seckle—it is large, fair, handsome, melting, juicy, and delicately flavoured; to have it in perfection, it should be gathered before fully ripe when it begins to turn yellow, and be kept some time in the house, or otherwise it will lose much of its juicy and melting qualities; it is round and rather oblong in shape, somewhat diminished towards the stem, which is short and thick; the flesh white and singularly cold, the skin a bright yellow, sometimes with a blush, at other times covered with a bright russet—it is in season from the beginning of September to the first part of November, when carefully preserved, by gathering with the hand in dry weather; it is a never failing and abundant bearer, and produces fruit at an early age—the tree is of small size; this is the same with the Doyenne', or Deans pear, and is probably more extensively cultivated than any pear in our country—this fruit is very erroneously called the Virgouleuse in New-York, and East Jersey; the Virgouleuse is a late winter pear: see No. 38.
[Additional entry in this volume: "27. Yellow Butter, Or Beurree Doree', Or St. Michael's Pear", pp. 296–297]
- YELLOW BUTTER, OR BEURREE DOREE', OR ST. MICHAEL'S PEAR.
This pear in the opinion of many good judges, is on a par for excellence of flavour with the Seckle—it is large, fair, handsome, melting, juicy, and delicately flavoured; to have it in perfection, it should be gathered before fully ripe when it begins to turn yellow, and be kept some time in the house, or otherwise it will lose much of its juicy and melting qualities; it is round and rather oblong in shape, somewhat diminished towards the stem, which is short and thick; the flesh white and singularly cold, the skin a bright yellow, sometimes with a blush, at other times covered with a bright russet—it is in season from the beginning of September to the first part of November, when carefully preserved, by gathering with the hand in dry weather; it is a never failing and abundant bearer, and produces fruit at an early age—the tree is of small size; this is the same with the Doyenne', or Deans pear, and is probably more extensively cultivated than any pear in our country—this fruit is very erroneously called the Virgouleuse in New-York, and East Jersey; the Virgouleuse is a late winter pear: see No. 38.
— C.M. Hovey, The Fruits of America (1852)THE WHITE DOYENNE' PEAR.
White Doyenne'. Pomological Magazine, vol. ii. pl. 60. St. Michael, of Boston. Virgalieu, of New York. Butter Pear, of Philadelphia. Doyenne' Blanc, of French authors White Beurre', Snow Pear, Poire de Limon, According to Cat. of Lon. Hort. Soc. Poire Niege, Poire de Seigneur, Bonne Ente, Beurre' Blanc, Pine Pear, A Courte Queue, Dean's, &c., &c., According to Cat. of Lon. Hort. Soc.
The White Doyenne is the world-renowned pear, and one that has been— if it is not at the present time — more extensively cultivated than any other. The proof of its popularity is the great number of names that have been given to it, both in Europe and this country. As the St. Michael, Virgalieu or Butter pear, it is familiar to all who know anything of a pear in the Eastern or Middle States. So strong are our early associations connected with it, that we form our opinion of every new pear by a comparison with this; nor were the older pomologists mistaken in their estimate of the White Doyenne; for it still is, when ripened in perfection, unrivalled by few, and surpassed by none, of more recent introduction.
Unfortunately, the White Doyenne for a long time has failed to perfect its fruit in many parts of the country, more particularly in New England, and its cultivation has been neglected for other and more certain sorts; but in New York and the Western States it still matures its superb fruit in abundance and perfection. Whether it will ever be restored to its original excellence in localities heretofore affected remains to be seen; but luckily we have it in our means to obviate its defects in some degree; after an experience of several years we have found it to produce the finest specimens upon the quince stock, when other trees upon the pear, growing side by side, have borne nothing but spotted, cracked, and worthless fruit.
The White Doyenne is of French origin, and was one of the first good dessert pears brought to this country nearly a century ago. Under favorable conditions it grows freely, and produces immense crops. It prefers a rich, deep, warm soil, and if it can always have such a location it will rarely fail to mature the finest fruit. It flourishes admirably as a pyramid on the quince, and is one of the few sorts that make large vigorous trees on that stock. It bears at an early age, even upon the pear.
Tree. — Vigorous, with an upright regular habit, and erect branches, forming a fine pyramidal head; annual shoots long, straight, erect.
Wood. — Yellowish brown, dotted with roundish gray specks, moderately stout, and short-jointed; old wood, yellowish olive; buds, small, short, ovate, diverging, with small shoulders: Flower-buds, medium size, dark brown, with grayish scales.
Leaves. — Medium size, rather narrow, tapering to each end, light green, folded inwards, recurved on the midrib, with fine, regular serratures; petioles, medium length, about an inch long, rather slender.
Flowers. — Small; petals ovate, neatly cupped; clusters compact.
Fruit. — Medium size, about three inches long, and two and three quarters in diameter: Form, obovate, regular, full at the crown, tapering to the stem, where it ends obtusely: Skin, fair, smooth, clear pale yellow when mature, tinged with a beautiful red on the sunny side, and regularly sprinkled with small russet specks: Stem, medium length, about three quarters of an inch long, moderately stout, curved, and inserted in a very small rounded cavity: Eye, small, closed, and sunk in a very shallow, open basin; segments of the calyx, small and short: Flesh, white, fine, melting, very buttery, and juicy: Flavor, rich, sugary, sprightly, delicately perfumed, and delicious: Core, medium size: Seeds, medium size.
Ripe in October, and keeps three or four weeks.
— F.R. Elliott, The Western Fruit Book (1865)Doyenne White.
White Dean, White Beurré, St. Michael, Virgalieu, White Autumn Beurré, Doyenne, Butter Pear, Regnier, Doyenne Blanc, St. Michael, Dean's, Beurré Blanc, Virgaloo, Warwick Bergamotte, Reigner, Bergaloo, Snow Pear, And twelve others of Yellow Butter, Pine Pear, French and Dutch.
An old variety, everywhere esteemed when well grown. Trees, hardy, productive either on Pear on Quince.
Fruit, medium, obovate pyriform; color, clear pale yellow, regularly sprinkled with small dots, often a fine red cheek; stem, medium, brownish; cavity, small, round; calyx, small, closed; basin, shallow, slightly plaited; flesh, white, fine-grained, melting, juicy, buttery, delicious. September to November.
The Doyenne Panachee is a sub-variety, differing from this in its more pyriform shape, and its color being yellow, green and red striped. It is juicy not high flavored. October.
[Additional entry in this volume: "Tea", pp. 416–416]
Tea.
American, Native of New Haven Co., Conn. Fruit, below medium, roundish oval, clear rich yellow, blush in sun ; calyx, with short open segments, even with surface : core, small ; flesh, whitish, melting, juicy : "very good," nearly "best." Last September.
— A.J. Downing, The Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900)Tea.
Raised by Mrs. Ezra Merchant, of Milford, Conn. The seed was found in a pound of tea, which she purchased at the store, hence its name. Tree vigorous and productive. Young wood olive yellow.
Fruit medium, obovate, inclining to pyriform. Skin lemon yellow, with numerous small brown dots, and sometimes a reddish cheek, netted and patched with russet. Stalk rather stout, inserted obliquely under a lip in a very small cavity. Calyx half closed. Basin shallow. Flesh white, fine, juicy, melting, and vinous. Good to very good. Ripens last of August to middle of September.
[Additional entry in this volume: "White Doyenné", pp. 903–904]
White Doyenné.
Doyenné White. Virgalieu, of New York. St. Michael, of Boston. Butter Pear, of Philadelphia, Virgaloo. Bergoloo. Yellow Butter. White Beurré. White Autumn Beurré. Dean's. Warwick Bergamot. Pine Pear. St. Michel. Reigner. Doyenné. Doyenné blanc. Beurré blanc. Poire de Limon. Valencia. Citron de Septembre. Bonne-ente. A courte queue. Kaiserbirne. Kaiser d'Automne. Weisse Herbst Butterbirne. Dechantsbirne. Nouvelle d'Ouef. Edwige. Carlisle. White or Autumn Butter. Valentia or Valencia. Poire du Doyen. Garner or Gardner. Sublime Garnotte.
The White Doyenné is, unquestionably, one of the most perfect of autumn Pears. Its universal popularity is attested by the great number of names by which it is known in various parts of the world. As the Virgalieu in New York, Butter Pear in Philadelphia, and St. Michael's in Boston, it is most commonly known; but all these names, so likely to create confusion, should be laid aside for the true one, White Doyenné.* It is an old French variety, having been in cultivation over two hundred years. The branches are strong, upright, yellowish gray or light brown.
Fruit of medium or large size, regularly formed, obovate. It varies considerably in different soils, and is often shorter or longer on the same tree. Skin smooth, clear pale yellow, regularly sprinkled with small dots, and often with a fine red cheek. Stalk brown, from three-fourths to an inch and a fourth long, a little curved, and planted in a small, round cavity. Calyx always very small, closed, set in a shallow basin, smooth or delicately plaited. Flesh white, fine-grained, very buttery, melting, rich, high-flavored and delicious. Best. September — and, if picked early from the tree, will often ripen gradually till December.
The Doyenné Panaché, or Striped Dean, is a variety rather more narrowing to the stalk, the skin prettily striped with yellow, green, and red, and dotted with brown. Flesh juicy, melting, but not high-flavored. October.
- Virgalieu seems an American name, and is always liable to be confounded with the Virgouleuse, a very different fruit. The Doyenné (pronounced dwoy-annay), literally deanship, is probably an allusion to the Dean by whom it was first brought into notice.
— John J. Thomas, The American Fruit Culturist (1903)Tea. Medium, roundish-obovate, approaching pyriform; yellow, numerously dotted; stalk rather stout, cavity small, calyx half closed; basin shallow; flesh white, juicy, melting, vinous, very good. First of September. Milford, Conn.
[Additional entry in this volume: "White Doyenné", pp. 806–806]
White Doyenné, p. 534.
— J.L. Budd & N.E. Hansen, American Horticultural Manual, Part II: Systematic Pomology (1914)White Doyenne. — Medium to large, obovate, regular, but variable in length of specimens; color pale yellow, with red cheek and many small dots; stalk three-quarters to one and one-quarter inches long, brown, a little curved, and inserted in small round cavity; basin shallow, smooth, or very finely plaited. Flesh white, fine-grained, buttery, melting, high-flavored; quality best. Season, autumn. Grown across the continent. France.
— E.A. Bunyard, A Handbook of Hardy Fruits (1920)DOYENNE BLANC. Lind. Pom. Brit. II., 60. G. Weisse Herbst Butterbirne. (Doyenné, St. Michel, Citron, White Doyenné, etc., etc.) Dessert, September to October, large, 3½ by 3¼, round, tapering a little to stem, even. Skin, smooth. Colour, pale green fading to pale yellow, with a little cinnamon russet. Flesh, white, very melting, juicy, not gritty, of delicious flavour. Eye, half open, tips of sepals reflexed, in a moderately deep basin. Stem, short, very stout, in a rather deep cavity. Growth rather spreading; fertility good. Leaf, narrow oval, lanceolate, upfolded, down curved, regularly serrate. Origin, an old variety which is possibly Italian, but has been recorded in the seventeenth century by Merlet. It is now seldom grown, but in good seasons it is quite first class.
— U.P. Hedrick, The Pears of New York (1921)WHITE DOYENNÉ
- Pom. Mag. 2:60, Pl. 1829. 2. Lindley Guide Orch. Gard. 385. 1831. 3. Prince Pom. Man. 2:43. 1831. 4. Downing Fr. Trees Am. 378, fig. 162. 1845. 5. Proc. Nat. Con. Fr. Gr. 51. 1848. 6. Hovey Fr. Am. 2:85, Pl. 1851. 7. Horticulturist N. S. 4:158, Pl. 1854. 8. Ibid. N. S. 6:406. 1856. 9. Downing Fr. Trees Am. 880, fig. 1869. 10. Hogg Fruit Man. 663. 1884.
Warwicke. 11. Parkinson Par. Ter. 592. 1629.
Doyenné. 12. Langley Pomona 132. 1729. 13. Duhamel Trait. Arb. Fr. 2:205, Pl. XLIII. 1768. 14. Miller Gard. Dict. 2: Pt. 1. 1807. 15. Brookshaw Pom. Brit. 2: Pl. 49. 1817. 16. Brookshaw Hort. Reposit. 2:175, Pl. 92. 1823. 17. Leroy Dict. Pom. 2:52, fig. 1869. 18. Rev. Hort. 51. 1898.
Virgalieu. 19. Prince Cat. 1771.
White Beurré. 20. Mawe-Abercrombie Univ. Gard. Bot. 1778.
Weisse Herbst Butterbirne. 21. Christ Handb. 511. 1817. 22. Liegel Syst. Anleit. 100. 1825. 23. Dochnahl Führ. Obstkunde 2:84. 1856. 24. Lauche Deut. Pom. II: No. 16, Pl. 16. 1882. 25. Mathieu Nom. Pom. 296. 1889.
Saint-Michael. 26. Coxe Cult. Fr. Trees 191, fig. 38. 1817.
Doyenné Blanc. 27. Trans. Lond. Hort. Soc. 5:135. 1824. 28. Kenrick Am. Orch. 121. 1841. 29. Pom. France 1: No. 74, Pl. 74. 1863. 30. Mas Le Verger 3: Pt. 2, 19, fig. 106. 1866-73. 31. Guide Prat. 63, 264. 1876. 32. Cat. Cong. Pom. France 236, fig. 1906.
Thorp. 33. Downing Fr. Trees Am. 553. 1857. 34. Mag. Hort. 24:516. 1858.
Bonne-Ente. 35. Noisette Man. Comp. Jard. 2:532. 1860.
This ancient and world-renowned pear, its fruits the most delectable of any that come from a pear orchard, is now rarely planted in America. It is being discarded because the small and comparatively unattractive fruits fail to satisfy commercial demands. In the middle of the last century, when there was almost a mania for the best of the European pears, when fruits were judged by the palate rather than the eye as now, White Doyenné was one of the most commonly planted varieties. Proof of its popularity at home and abroad is found in the great number of names under which it has been grown. A more serious fault than small and unattractive pears is that the fruits and foliage are inviting prey to the scab-fungus, which often cracks and scabs the pears and defoliates the trees. Except in susceptibility to scab, the trees are nearly perfect when grown in the soil which they prefer — a rich clay, heavy rather than light. On such a soil, tree and fruit attain perfection. The accompanying illustration shows this pear at its best in color and size — a handsome fruit rather than the unattractive product so often seen. Grown in a light soil, and when scab is unchecked, the fruits are small, green, cracked, and cankered — intolerable to sight and taste. Unfortunately, also, the trees are ravaged by blight when that disease is epidemic. The faults named have made the variety an outcast, but it should still receive attention for the superb quality of its fruits where scab and blight can be controlled.
This pear is one of the oldest of all varieties. It is impossible to state whether it originated in France or was brought to that country from Italy. A German, Henri Manger, who studied the origin of fruits, states in his Systematische Pomologie, 1780, that the White Doyenné originated with the Romans; he considered it to be their Sementinum. Agostino Gallo, 1559, called the variety Pera Ghiacciuola. In 1660, Claude Saint-Etienne described a Poire de Neige. Both of these descriptions represent White Doyenné. In the sixteenth century and for part of the seventeenth, the name Ghiacciuola was accepted for the variety in France with the synonym Saint-Michel. Leroy states that Le Lectier, in his catalog of the fruit trees which he grew at Orléans in 1628, changed the name to Giaccole de Rome, and Nicholas de Bonnefonds modified it in the first edition of his Jardinier Français, 1652, to Giacciola di Roma. English pomologists have mentioned this pear under a variety of names since early in the seventeenth century. The names Poire Doyenné and White Doyenné have been most generally applied to it. The date of its introduction to America is not known, but it was probably brought to this country by the earliest French settlers. The first American catalogs mentioned the variety, and it was extensively grown in the vicinity of New York and Long Island where it was commonly called the Virgalieu pear. In the neighborhood of Boston, the name Saint-Michael was applied to it; while around Philadelphia it was called the Butter Pear. For nearly a century, however, the variety has been most generally known in this country as White Doyenné. At the Convention of Fruit-Growers held in New York, in 1848, White Doyenné was included in a short list of pears recommended for general cultivation. Since that date, the American Pomological Society has given the variety a place in its fruit-catalog.
Tree large, vigorous, upright, vasiform, hardy, very productive; trunk stocky, somewhat smooth; branches thick, dark gray, with many large lenticels; branchlets thick, reddish-brown, smooth, glabrous, with small, very slightly raised lenticels.
Leaf-buds obtuse, pointed, appressed. Leaves 2⅜ in. long, 1⅝ in. wide, flattened, leathery; apex taper-pointed; margin finely serrate; petiole 1¼ in. long, slender. Flower-buds large, long, conical or pointed, free; flowers early, 1⅜ in. across, in dense clusters, 7 or 8 buds in a cluster; pedicels ⅝ in. long, slender, pubescent, light green.
Fruit matures in early October; medium in size, 2⅝ in. long, 2⅜ in. wide, uniform, obovate-obtuse-pyriform, symmetrical; stem ⅞ in. long, thick, slightly curved; cavity obtuse, shallow, narrow, russeted, usually symmetrical; calyx small, open or closed; lobes short, narrow, obtuse; basin shallow, obtuse, nearly smooth, symmetrical; skin thick, tough, smooth, dull; color clear pale yellow, with a small, bright red blush on the exposed cheek; dots numerous, small, russet, conspicuous; flesh yellowish-white, granular, firm at first but becoming melting when fully ripe, juicy, sweet, with a rich, aromatic flavor; quality very good. Core closed, with clasping core-lines; calyx-tube short, wide, conical; seeds wide, plump, obtuse.
[Additional entry in this volume: "Tea", pp. 741–741]
Tea.
- Mag. Hort. 16:154. 1850. 2. Ibid. 20:466, fig. 22. 1854.
Mrs. Ezra Merchant, Milford, Conn., found seed from which this pear was raised in a pound of tea which she purchased, hence the name. Similar to White Doyenne, if not identical with it. Tree vigorous, with bright yellow wood and deep green foliage. Fruit medium, obtuse-pyramidal, with often a suture on one side, yellowish-green becoming blushed in the sun; stem short, stout, fleshy at the base; calyx open; flesh whitish, melting, juicy, vinous; very good to best; Sept.
— U.P. Hedrick, Cyclopedia of Hardy Fruits (1922)WHITE DOYENNE. Fig. 98. Virgalieu. This ancient and world-renowned pear, its fruits as delectable as any that come from the pear orchard, is now rarely planted in America. It is being discarded because the small and comparatively unattractive fruits fail to satisfy commercial demands. In the middle of the last century, when there was almost a mania for the best European pears, when fruits were judged by the palate rather than the eye as now, White Doyenne was one of the most commonly planted varieties. A more serious fault than small and unattractive pears is that the fruits and foliage are inviting prey to the scab fungus which often cracks and scabs the pears and defoliates the trees. Except in susceptibility to scab, the trees are nearly flawless when grown in the soil which they prefer a rich clay which should be heavy rather than light. On such soil, tree and fruit attain perfection. Grown in a light soil, and when scab is unchecked, the fruits are small, green, cracked, and cankered intolerable to sight and taste. Unfortunately, also, the trees are ravaged by blight when that disease is epidemic. The faults named have made the variety an outcast, but it should still receive attention for the superb quality of its fruits where scab and blight can be controlled. This pear is one of the oldest of all varieties. So confused is its identity that it is impossible to state whether the variety originated in France or was brought to that country from Italy. Tree large, vigorous, upright, vasiform, hardy, very productive ; trunk stocky, somewhat smooth ; branches thick, dark gray, with many large lenticels. Leaves 2¼ inches long, 1¼ inches wide, flattened, leathery ; apex taper-pointed; margin finely serrate; petiole 1¼ inches long, slender. Flowers early, 1¼ inches across, in dense clusters, 7 or 8 buds in a cluster. Fruit matures in early October ; medium in size, 2¼ inches long, 2¼ inches wide, uniform, obovate-obtuse-pyriform, symmetrical ; stem ¾ inch long, thick, slightly curved ; cavity obtuse, shallow, narrow, russeted, usually symmetrical ; calyx small, open or closed ; lobes short, narrow, obtuse ; basin shallow, obtuse, nearly smooth, symmetrical ; skin thick, tough, smooth, dull ; color clear pale yellow with a small amount of bright red blush on the exposed cheek ; dots numerous, small, russet, conspicuous ; flesh yellowish-white, granular, firm at first but becoming melting when fully ripe, juicy, sweet, with a rich, aromatic flavor ; quality very good ; core closed, with clasping core-lines ; calyx-tube short, wide, conical ; seeds wide, plump, obtuse.
— Central Experimental Farm, Central Experimental Farm, Agassiz BC — Catalogue of Fruit Trees under Test (Bulletin No. 3, 1900) (1900)Planted Spring 1890. Tree a strong grower. Fruit of medium size, obovate. Skin smooth, pale yellow, sprinkled with small dots. Flesh white, buttery, fine grained, with a fine rich flavour. Season September and October.
— James Veitch & Sons, Veitch's Fruit Trees (1911) (1911)Excellent large, medium size melting; delicious and richly flavoured pear; fine for the table and culinary purposes as well on the orchard side; is a good bearer.