Fin-Or d'Orléans
Pear
Fin-Or d'Orléans
Origin / History
An old pear, mentioned by the earliest French writers (Hedrick). Hedrick cites Leroy, Dict. Pom. 2:160, with figure, 1869. Coxe listed a "Fine Gold of Summer" as No. 8 in 1817. Downing carried the variety under that English name in The Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (760, 1869), with "Fin Or d'Été" beside it. Hedrick, in The Pears of New York (1921), entered the variety as Fin-Or d'Orléans and referred Downing's Fine Gold of Summer to it.
Tree
Very productive (Downing).
Fruit
Size: Small.
Form: Roundish (Downing). Hedrick calls it turbinate, swelled, obtuse.
Stem: Not described in source.
Cavity: Not described in source.
Calyx: Not described in source.
Basin: Not described in source.
Skin: Yellow to golden-yellow, with a red cheek, which Downing calls "beautiful." Hedrick gives bright red on the cheek opposite the shaded side.
Dots: Carmine dots on the shaded side (Hedrick).
Flesh and flavor: Flesh greenish, semi-fine and melting, juicy, sugary, sourish, rather delicate (Hedrick). Of good flavor, but not rich (Downing). Downing rates it "Good," and Hedrick ranks it "second."
Core and seeds: Not described in source.
Season
August; middle of August (Downing).
Uses
Not described in source.
Subtypes / Variants
Not described in source.
Other
Not described in source.
Book Sources
Described in 4 period pomological works
- Hedrick, The Pears of New York (1921)
- Coxe, A View of the Cultivation of Fruit Trees (1817) — listed as Fine Gold of Summer
- Downing, Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900) — listed as Fine Gold of Summer
- Thomas, The American Fruit Culturist (1903) — listed as Fine Gold of Summer
View original book sources (4)
— William Coxe, A View of the Cultivation of Fruit Trees (1817)No. 8. Fine Gold of Summer.
— A.J. Downing, The Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900)FINE GOLD OF SUMMER.
Fin Or d'Été.
Fruit small, roundish, yellow, with a beautiful red cheek. Flesh juicy, good flavor, not rich. Very productive. Good. Middle of August.
— John J. Thomas, The American Fruit Culturist (1903)Fine Gold of Summer. Small, roundish, yellow with a red cheek; juicy, good, not rich. August.
— U.P. Hedrick, The Pears of New York (1921)Fin-Or d'Orléans.
- Leroy Dict. Pom. 2:160, fig. 1869. Fine Gold of Summer.
- Downing Fr. Trees Am. 760. 1869.
An old pear mentioned by the earliest French writers. Fruit small, turbinate, swelled, obtuse, golden-yellow, dotted with carmine on the shaded side and bright red on the other cheek; flesh greenish, semi-fine and melting, juicy, sugary, sourish, rather delicate; second; Aug.