THE FLEMISH BEAUTY PEAR.

Flemish Beauty. Pomological Magazine, vol. iii. pl. 128. La Belle de Flandres, Bouche Nouvelle, Brilliant, Impératrice de France, Joséphine, } Hort. Soc. Cat. 3d Ed. 1842. Josephine, } Fondante du Bois, Bosc Sire, Bosch, Beurré Spence, Van Mons, in Revue des Revues, 1830, p. 180. Barnard, of some collections around Boston.

When Dr. Van Mons was asked, "if his own taste was called upon to decide the question, to which of all his new pears he would give the preference," he immediately replied, "the Beurré Spence," and added, "This fruit, to my taste, is inestimable, and has no competitor." Such would be our reply to the same question, substituting the name of Flemish Beauty for that of Beurré Spence ; for, if large size, beautiful appearance, and delicious flavor, constitute a fine fruit, the former variety possesses them all in a remarkable degree.

Under the name of the Barnard pear, the Flemish Beauty has been known in Dorchester, Mass., for nearly twenty years, before we have any knowledge of its introduction under the latter name, and the inference is, from its answering in every particular to Dr. Van Mons's description of the Beurré Spence, that it is identical with that celebrated variety. Under that name we have received it from English and French collections, and we have ventured to place it among the synonymes above.

There is one peculiarity of the Flemish Beauty which should always be borne in mind by cultivators. If the fruit remains upon the tree until fully ripe, it loses most of its flavor. It should always be gathered while it adheres firmly to the tree ; it then becomes extremely melting and luscious.

The Flemish Beauty, from its vigorous growth, does not come into bearing very early, — about the fifth or sixth year, — but, when it begins to bear, it produces the most abundant crops of large fruit, often measuring twelve inches in circumference. It does not succeed very well upon the quince.

Tree. — Vigorous, with a spreading habit ; in old trees sometimes slightly drooping.

Wood. — Clear reddish brown, with rather numerous whitish specks ; annual shoots long, rather slender, and short-jointed ; buds pointed, prominent, with rather stout shoulders : Flower-buds medium size.

Leaves. — Medium size, ovate, tapering to the point, smooth, deep glossy green, slightly and obtusely serrated, the younger ones flat, the older somewhat folded, and slightly recurved on the midrib ; petioles long, from one and a half to two inches, and rather slender.

Flowers. — Medium size ; petals, obovate, cupped.

Fruit. — Large, about three inches and a half long, and three inches in diameter : Form, oblong-obovate, largest about one third from the crown, and tapering to an obtuse point at the stem : Skin, fair, slightly rough, dull yellow, more or less traced with a rich deep russet, clouded with green, beautifully mottled with crimson in the sun, and covered with russet specks : Stem, medium length, about one inch long, moderately stout, curved, and inserted in a small cavity, rather highest on one side : Eye, small, open, and slightly sunk in a smooth, shallow basin ; segments of the calyx short, pointed : Flesh, white, little coarse, very melting and juicy : Flavor, rich, sugary and delicious, with a high aroma : Core, large : Seeds, small, pale brown.

Ripe the last of September and beginning of October.

— C.M. Hovey, The Fruits of America (1852)

Flemish Beauty.

Belle de Flandres, Boesche Nouvelle, Bosch, Fondante du Bois, erroneously, Bosc Sire, Impératrice de France, Beurré Spence, of some, Poire Davy.

Foreign. This variety is deserving of far more general cultivation than it has yet received. It succeeds most admirably on the Quince, and on the rich soils of Illinois, we have seen it far surpass even the most highly nursed specimens of Boston amateur gardens. The tree is vigorous, with upright, dark brown shoots.

Fruit, large, oblong obtuse obovate; color, pale yellow, mostly covered with marblings and patches of light russet, and in sun, rich reddish brown: stem, one to one and a half inch long; cavity, narrow, deep; calyx, short, open; basin, round, small; core, medium, with oblong capsules; seeds, oblong pyriform; flesh, yellowish white, not very fine-grained, juicy, melting, sugary. Last of September. Does not keep long.

— F.R. Elliott, The Western Fruit Book (1865)

5. FLEMISH BEAUTY.

[Syn: Belle de Flandres; Belle des Bois; Beurré des Bois; Beurré de Bourgogne; Beurré Davy; Beurré Davis; Beurré d'Effingham; Beurré d'Elberg; Beurré Foidard; Beurré St. Amour; Beurré Spence; Bosch Peer; Mouille Bouche Nouvelle; Brilliante; Fondante des Bois; Gagné à Heuze; Impératrice des Bois.]

This excellent pear was discovered by Van Mons, in the village of Deftinge, in Flanders, in 1810; and he brought it into notice by distributing grafts among his friends.

Description.—Fruit, large, and obovate. Skin, pale yellow, almost entirely covered with yellowish brown russet on the shaded side, and reddish brown on the side next the sun. Eye, open, set in a small shallow basin. Stalk, an inch long, inserted in a rather deep cavity. Flesh, yellowish white; buttery, melting, rich, and sugary.

A first-rate pear, ripe in September, but it requires to be gathered before it is ripe, or it will be inferior in quality. Best grown as a pyramid on the quince or pear stock.

— Woolhope Naturalists Field Club, The Herefordshire Pomona (1885)

Flemish Beauty.

Belle de Flandres. Bosch Nouvelle. Bosch. Bosc Sire. Poire Davy. Imperatrice de France. Fondante du Bois. Boschpeer. Beurré Spence (erroneously). Brilliant. Brillante.

Bergamotte de Flandre. Beurre Foidard. Petersilie Peer. Beurre de Bourgogne. Beurre St. Amour. Belle des Bois. Beurre de Deftinge. Beurre Deftinghem. Beurre Davy. Poire de Persil. Molle Bouche Nouvelle.

An old Pear, supposed of Belgian origin, although foreign authors conflict in regard thereto. The tree is very luxuriant, hardy and bears early and abundantly; the young shoots upright, reddish olive brown.

The fruit requires to be gathered sooner than most pears, even before it parts readily from the tree. If it is then ripened in the house it is always fine, while, if allowed to mature on the tree, it usually becomes soft, flavorless, and decays soon.

Fruit large, obovate obtuse pyriform. Surface a little rough, the ground pale yellow, but mostly covered with marblings and patches of light russet, becoming reddish brown at maturity, on the sunny side. Stalk rather short, from an inch to an inch and a half long, and pretty deeply planted in a peculiarly narrow, round cavity. Calyx short, open, placed in a small round basin. Flesh yellowish white, not very fine-grained, but juicy, melting, very saccharine and rich, with a slightly musky flavor. Very good. Last of September.

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

Flemish Beauty.* (Belle de Flandres.) Large, obovate, often obscurely tapering to the crown, very obtuse; surface slightly rough, with some reddish-brown russet on pale yellow ground; stalk an inch and a quarter long, rather slender; cavity round, deep, narrow, often acuminate, rim obtusely rounded; basin small, round; flesh juicy, melting, often with a very rich, sweet, and excellent flavor, but variable, and sometimes not high-flavored; needs house-ripening. Early fall. Shoots dark brown, diverging, and ascending; growth vigorous. The fruit often cracks badly unless the trees are sprayed. Belgium. Fig. 715.

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

Flemish Beauty.— Large, obovate, obtuse, slightly pyriform; skin a little rough, pale yellow, mostly covered with marblings and areas of light russet becoming reddish brown at maturity; stalk one to one and one-half inches long, quite stout, curved, and inserted in very narrow, deep, regular cavity. Flesh yellowish white, a little coarse but juicy, melting, sweet, rich, and highest in flavor, very good. Season, September. Starred across the continent. Belgium.

— J.L. Budd & N.E. Hansen, American Horticultural Manual, Part II: Systematic Pomology (1914)

FLEMISH BEAUTY. Her. Pom., I., 9. F. Belle des Bois, G. Holzfarbige Butterbirne. (Belle des Bois, Beurré Spence, Belle de Flandres, etc.) Dessert, October to November, large, 3½ by 3½, oval, a little flattened each end, a little uneven. Skin, smooth. Colour, dull greenish yellow with dull red brown flush, russeted around eye. Flesh, white, juicy, a little gritty, pleasantly flavoured. Eye, open or closed in a deep, irregular basin. Stem, medium, stout, in a slight cavity. Growth, strong, vigorous ; fertility great. Origin, found by M. Chatillon, of Alost, Belgium, in a wood, and introduced to notice by Van Mons about 1818. A hardy and vigorous variety making a good standard. It must be gathered before it parts readily from the tree.

— E.A. Bunyard, A Handbook of Hardy Fruits (1920)

FLEMISH BEAUTY

1. Pom. Mag. 3:128, Pl. 1830. 2. Lindley Guide Orch. Gard. 373. 1831. 3. Downing Fr. Trees Am. 386, fig. 167. 1845. 4. Proc. Nat. Con. Fr. Gr. 51. 1848. 5. Hovey Fr. Am. 1:51, Pl. 1851. 6. Downing Fr. Trees Am. 760, fig. 1869. 7. Hogg Fruit Man. 578. 1884.

Belle de Flanders. 8. Kenrick Am. Orch. 172. 1832.

Fondante des Bois. 9. Ann. Pom. Belge 6:41, Pl. 1858. 10. Pom. France 1: No. 25, Pl. 25. 1863. 11. Mas Le Verger 3: Pt. 2, 55, fig. 124. 1866-73. 12. Leroy Dict. Pom. 2:166, fig. 1869. 13. Guide Prat. 58, 272. 1876. 14. Soc. Nat. Hort. France Pom. 412, fig. 1904.

Holzfarbige Butterbirne. 15. Mathieu Nom. Pom. 235. 1889. 16. Gaucher Pom. Prak. Obst. No. 49, Pl. 38. 1894.

At one time Flemish Beauty was a leading commercial variety in the pear regions of eastern America, but it has been supplanted by other varieties because the toll of blighted trees is too great, and the fruits are too often disfigured by the scab fungus. Perhaps the latter is the greater fault as in some seasons no applications of spray give the pears a clean cheek, and they are blackened, scabbed, cracked and malformed with this fungus. Not infrequently the scab-infected foliage drops before the crop matures. To offset these defects, the trees have to their credit great vigor, unusual fruitfulness and as great hardihood to cold as those of any other variety. The trees do not come in bearing early, and are not suitable for dwarfing as they overgrow the quince stock. The fruits are nearly perfect if scab-free and properly matured. To make sure of perfect maturity, the pears must be picked as soon as they attain full size and be permitted to ripen under cover. So treated, a bright-cheeked Flemish Beauty is as handsome as any pear, and is almost unapproachable in quality; the flavor is nicely balanced between sweetness and sourness, very rich, and has a pleasing muskiness. Blight and scab condemn tree and fruit for commercial orchards, but a lover of good pears should combat these troubles for the sake of the choice fruits.

The parent tree of this variety is said to have been a wilding found in a wood near Alost, East Flanders, Belgium, about the beginning of the nineteenth century. It was cultivated under the Flemish name of Bosc Peer or Pear of the Woods. About 1810, the propagation of the variety was taken up by Van Mons who introduced it a few years later under the name Fondante des Bois by which name it was known in Europe for many years. Lindley, writing in 1831, described this variety under the name Flemish Beauty, and it appeared then to be in pretty general cultivation in England. Styling it Barnard, Hovey wrote, in 1851, that Flemish Beauty "had been known in Dorchester, Massachusetts, for nearly twenty years," so that it is to be inferred that the variety was introduced to this country prior to 1830 and possibly by some one by the name of Barnard. The rapid distribution of this pear was promoted by Van Mons who gave numerous grafts of it to his friends and correspondents. The fact that the variety has over sixty synonyms may be taken as some testimony to its popularity and excellence. At the first meeting of the American Pomological Society held in 1848, Flemish Beauty was placed in the list of pears recommended for general cultivation, a place it has since retained.

Tree medium in size, vigorous, spreading, with drooping branches, hardy, productive; trunk smooth; branches thick, shaggy, bright reddish-brown, with dull gray scarf-skin, large lenticels; branchlets thick, short, with short internodes, reddish-brown, smooth, glabrous, with many large, raised lenticels.

Leaf-buds large, long, obtuse, pointed, nearly free; leaf-scars prominent. Leaves 3½ in. long, 1⅝ in. wide, oval, thick, leathery; apex taper-pointed; margin finely serrate; petiole 2 in. long, usually slender. Flower-buds very large, long, conical or pointed, very plump, free; flowers 1⅛ in. across, in dense clusters, usually 7 buds in a cluster; pedicels 1¼ in. long, slender, slightly pubescent, light green.

Fruit ripe in late September and early October; large, nearly 2½ in. long, 2⅜ in. wide, uniform in size and shape, roundish or obovate-obtuse-pyriform, symmetrical, with nearly equal sides; stem 1¼ in. long, thick; cavity acute, shallow to deep, narrow, slightly russeted, a little furrowed; calyx open; lobes partly separated at the base, short, obtuse; basin shallow, narrow, abrupt, symmetrical; skin thick, tough, roughish, dull; color clear yellow, overspread on the exposed cheek with a dotted and marbled red blush; dots numerous, russet, small, conspicuous; flesh yellowish-white, firm, becoming melting and tender, granular, juicy, sweet, aromatic, with a slight musky flavor; quality very good. Core closed, with clasping core-lines; calyx-tube short, wide, conical; seeds rather long, plump, acute.

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

FLEMISH BEAUTY. Fig. 83. At one time Flemish Beauty was a leading commercial variety in the pear regions of eastern America, but it has been supplanted by other varieties because the toll of blighted trees is too great, and the fruits are too often disfigured by the scab fungus. Perhaps the latter is the greater fault, as in some seasons no applications of spray give the pears a clean cheek, and they are blackened, scabbed, cracked and malformed with fungus. Not infrequently the scab-infected foliage drops before the crop matures. To offset these defects, the trees are unusually fruitful, and as hardy as those of any other variety. The fruits are nearly perfect if scab-free, and properly matured. The pears must be picked as soon as they attain full size and be permitted to ripen under cover. So treated, a bright-cheeked Flemish Beauty is as handsome as any pear, and is almost unapproachable in quality, the flavor being nicely balanced between sweetness and sourness, very rich, and has a distinct muskiness that all like. Blight and scab condemn tree and fruit for commercial orchards, but a lover of pears should combat these troubles for the sake of the choice fruits. The parent tree of this variety was a wilding found in a wood near Alost, Belgium, about the beginning of the nineteenth century.

Tree medium in size, vigorous, spreading, often with drooping branches, rapid-growing, hardy, productive; trunk smooth; branches thick, shaggy, bright reddish-brown, with large lenticels. Leaves 3½ inches long, 1¾ inches wide, oval, thick, leathery; apex taper-pointed; margin finely serrate; petiole ¾ inches long, usually slender. Flowers 1¼ inches across, in dense clusters, usually 7 buds in a cluster.

Fruit ripe late September and early October; large, nearly 2½ inches long, 2¼ inches wide, uniform in size and shape, obovate-obtuse-pyriform, symmetrical, with nearly equal sides; stem 1¾ inches long, thick; cavity acute, shallow yet much deeper than in the average pear, narrow, slightly russeted, a little furrowed; calyx open; lobes partly separated at the base, short, obtuse; basin shallow, narrow, abrupt, symmetrical; skin thick, tough, roughish, dull; color clear yellow, overspread on the exposed cheek with a dotted and marbled, reddish blush; dots numerous, russet, small, conspicuous; flesh yellowish-white, firm, becoming melting and tender, granular, juicy, sweet, aromatic, with a slight musky flavor; quality very good; core closed, with clasping core-lines; calyx-tube short, wide, conical; seeds rather long, plump, acute.

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

Planted Spring 1890. Tree a strong grower, but not a free bearer. Fruit large, obtuse, pyriform. Skin pale yellow, with patches of russet. Flesh yellowish white, a little coarse, juicy, sweet and rich. Season October.

— Central Experimental Farm, Central Experimental Farm, Agassiz BC — Catalogue of Fruit Trees under Test (Bulletin No. 3, 1900) (1900)

Pale yellow, tinged maroon with light russet. Beautiful coloring, sweet, rich, and fruitful. The tree is vigorous and productive. In the North and East it is well adapted for Mexico and the Northwest - bears good crop of perfect fruit.

— Stark Bros. Nurseries & Orchards Co., Stark Bros. Year Book (1910) (1910)

Oct.; large; red; flattened form; pale greenish; and with a rosy tint; flesh white, very juicy; buttery and sweet; excellent and delicious, good for cooking. Productive. Foreign form 1852.

— George Bunyard & Co., George Bunyard Catalog of Fruit Trees (1914) (1914)