Garber
Pear
USDA Pomological Watercolor Collection
Garber
Origin/History
Garber is one of many seedlings of the Chinese Sand pear, raised by J. B. Garber, Columbia, Pennsylvania, sometime previous to 1880. It is supposed to be of hybrid origin (and was historically distributed under the name "Garber's Hybrid"). The variety was added to the American Pomological Society's list of recommended fruits in 1891, where it has since remained. Budd-Hansen lists its provenance simply as Pennsylvania.
A few trivial differences separate Garber from Kieffer — the fruits of both are poor. The pears ripen a week or two earlier than those of Kieffer, are a little rounder, flatter at the ends, and some say are a little better in quality — certainly they are no worse to eat out of hand. Hedrick notes the variety might be sparingly planted in New York as an ornamental.
Tree
Tree medium in size, vigorous, upright-spreading, hardy (to both heat and cold), productive with age; much planted in the southern states and in the Mississippi Valley, North and South. Branches smooth, zigzag, reddish-brown partly covered with grayish scarf-skin; branchlets thick, with long internodes, smooth, glabrous, sprinkled with small, round, very conspicuous, raised lenticels. Leaf-buds small, short, pointed and with curved tips, appressed. Leaves 3½ in. long, 2½ in. wide, thick; apex taper-pointed; margin with very minute and reddish tips, finely serrate; petiole 2¼ in. long, thick. Flower-buds small, conical, sharply pointed, free.
Fruit
Size
Large.
Form
Sources vary in the form ascribed to the fruit. Hedrick (Pears of New York) describes it as usually roundish-oblong and tapering toward both ends. Budd-Hansen describe it as large, roundish oblong, pyriform. Thomas describes it as large, irregular oblate.
Stem
Stem 1 in. long, stout, obliquely set.
Cavity
Cavity small, narrow, often deep and furrowed.
Calyx
Calyx variable in size, partly open; lobes slender.
Basin
Basin broad, abrupt, deep, furrowed.
Skin
Color pale yellow, often with a brownish-red blush on the exposed cheek (Hedrick); Budd-Hansen describe the color as brownish yellow with red on sunny side; Thomas describes the color as russet brown. Dots small, numerous, russet.
Flesh/Flavor
Flesh white (Hedrick), granular, crisp but tender, juicy. Hedrick describes the flavor as "neither sweet nor sour but with a peculiar, pleasant flavor"; quality inferior. Budd-Hansen describe the flesh as firm, granular, juicy, acid, poor.
Core/Seeds
Not described in source.
Season
Fruit ripe September to October. Ripens a week or two earlier than Kieffer.
Uses
No worse than Kieffer to eat out of hand, though quality is inferior. Budd-Hansen note it is grown commercially in large quantity and shipped in barrels for culinary use. Hedrick suggests it might be sparingly planted as an ornamental.
Subtypes/Variants
Not described in source.
Other
Not described in source.
Book Sources
Described in 4 period pomological works
Nursery Catalog Sources
Found in 26 catalogs (1891–1916) from Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oregon, Washington
- Missouri Nursery Co. , Louisiana , Missouri — 1891
- Glen St. Mary Nurseries (G.L. Taber , Proprietor), Glen St. Mary , Florida — 1893
- Knox Nurseries (H.M. Simpson Co. , Proprietors), Vincennes , Indiana — 1894
- The Vineland Nurseries (Kelsey & Co. , Proprietors), St. Joseph, Missouri (Office: 13th and Atchison Sts., 2 Blocks East of the Citizens St. Car Line) — 1894
- J.V. Cotta (Cotta Nursery) , Carroll County , Illinois — 1898
- Stark Bros. Nurseries & Orchards Co. , Louisiana , Missouri — 1898
- Alabama Nursery Co. , Huntsville , Alabama — 1900
- Central Experimental Farm , Dominion Department of Agriculture, Agassiz, British Columbia (under test; Bulletin No. 3, Second Series) — 1900
- Washington Nursery Co. , Toppenish , Washington — 1901
- Benjamin Buckman (personal inventory) , Farmingdale , Illinois — 1901
- Mountain Grove Nurseries (Tippin & Moore , Proprietors; Geo. T. Tippin, J. W. Tippin, J. C. Moore), Mountain Grove , Missouri — 1901
- Yarbrough Bros. , Stephens , Arkansas — 1901
- Phoenix Nursery Company (W. E. Rossney , President; Sidney Tuttle, Vice-President), Bloomington , Illinois — 1904
- Stark Bros. Nurseries & Orchards Co. , Louisiana , Missouri — 1906
- Carlton Nursery Co. , Carlton , Oregon — 1909
- Washington Nursery Company , Toppenish , Washington — 1909
- Stark Bros. Nurseries & Orchards Co. , Louisiana , Missouri — 1910
- Galbraith Nursery Co. (DeWitt Hansen , Pres.-Mgr.), Fairbury , Nebraska — 1911
- Stark Bros. Nurseries & Orchards Co. , Louisiana , Missouri — 1911
- Pacific Nursery Company , Portland , Oregon — 1912
- Stark Bros. Nurseries & Orchards Co. , Louisiana , Missouri — 1912
- Vineland Nurseries Company , Clarkston , Washington — 1912
- Washington Nursery Company , Toppenish , Washington — 1912
- Van Holderbeke Nursery Co. , Incorporated, Spokane, Washington (nurseries at Otis Orchards WA, Pasadena WA, Kennewick WA) — 1913
- Benjamin Buckman (personal inventory) , Farmingdale , Illinois — 1913
- Holsinger Bros. Nurseries (Holsinger Brothers Nursery) , Rosedale , Kansas — 1916
View original book sources (4)
— U.P. Hedrick, The Pears of New York (1921)GARBER
- Am. Pom. Soc. Cat. 48. 1891. 2. Budd-Hansen Am. Hort. Man. 2:247. 1903. 3. Chico Nur. Cat. 12. 1904. 4. Cornell Sta. Bul. 332:481. 1913.
Garber's Hybrid. 5. Black Cult. Peach and Pear 229, 242. 1886. 6. Harcourt Fla. Fruits 255. 1886. 7. Hood Cat. 25. 1905.
A few trivial differences separate Garber from Kieffer — the fruits of both are poor. The pears ripen a week or two earlier than those of Kieffer, are a little rounder, flatter at the ends, and some say are a little better in quality — certainly they are no worse to eat out of hand. The tree is hardy to heat and cold, and is much planted in the southern states, and in the Mississippi Valley, North and South. The variety might be sparingly planted in New York as an ornamental.
Garber is one of many seedlings of the Chinese Sand pear, raised by J. B. Garber, Columbia, Pennsylvania, sometime previous to 1880. It is supposed to be of hybrid origin. The variety was added to the American Pomological Society's list of recommended fruits in 1891 where it has since remained.
Tree medium in size, vigorous, upright-spreading, hardy, productive with age; branches smooth, zigzag, reddish-brown partly covered with grayish scarf-skin; branchlets thick, with long internodes, smooth, glabrous, sprinkled with small, round, very conspicuous, raised lenticels. Leaf-buds small, short, pointed and with curved tips, appressed. Leaves 3½ in. long, 2½ in. wide, thick; apex taper-pointed; margin with very minute and reddish tips, finely serrate; petiole 2¼ in. long, thick. Flower-buds small, conical, sharply pointed, free.
Fruit ripe September to October; large, usually roundish-oblong and tapering toward both ends; stem 1 in. long, stout, obliquely set; cavity small, narrow, often deep and furrowed; calyx variable in size, partly open; lobes slender; basin broad, abrupt, deep, furrowed; color pale yellow, often with a brownish-red blush on the exposed cheek; dots small, numerous, russet; flesh white, granular, crisp but tender, juicy, neither sweet nor sour but with a peculiar, pleasant flavor; quality inferior.
— John J. Thomas, The American Fruit Culturist (1903)Garber. Large, irregular oblate, russet brown.
— J.L. Budd & N.E. Hansen, American Horticultural Manual, Part II: Systematic Pomology (1914)Garber. — Large, roundish oblong, pyriform; color brownish yellow with red on sunny side. Flesh firm, granular, juicy, acid, poor. Grown commercially in large quantity and shipped in barrels for culinary use. Pennsylvania.
— U.P. Hedrick, Cyclopedia of Hardy Fruits (1922)GARBER: Garber's Hybrid. A few trivial differences separate Garber from Kieffer. The pears ripen a week or two earlier than those of Kieffer, are a little rounder, flatter at the ends, and some say are a little better in quality — certainly they are no worse to eat out of hand. The tree is hardy to heat and cold, and is much planted in the Mississippi Valley, North and South. The variety might be sparingly planted as an ornamental. Garber is one of many seedlings of the Chinese Sand pear, raised by J. B. Garber, Columbia, Pennsylvania.