Green Chisel
PearGreen Chisel
Origin / History
An ancient early summer pear (Hedrick). Elliott calls it foreign and Downing "an old English Pear"; Hedrick gives the origin as unknown. Under the name of Guenette it was described by Merlet in articles written in 1675 and 1690. Langley's Pomona (p. 132, 1729) records it as Green Chisel. Philip Miller mentioned it in 1734. Mawe and Abercrombie described it in 1778. Hogg's Fruit Manual (p. 588, 1884) also gives it as Green Chisel, and Leroy's Dictionnaire de Pomologie (2:261, figured, 1869) gives it under the name Guenette. Hedrick says it appears to have been well known in English and French gardens. Hogg deems Chisel to be a corruption of the French name Choiseul. Thomas records Green Chisel as an erroneous name for Madeleine, and also as the name of a small, roundish, green summer pear.
Tree
Erect; very productive, the fruit borne in clusters (Downing, Hedrick).
Fruit
Size: Small to very small, Hedrick alone extending it to very small.
Form: Roundish; roundish ovate (Downing); globular-turbinate (Hedrick).
Stem: Not described in source.
Cavity: Not described in source.
Calyx: Not described in source.
Basin: Not described in source.
Skin: Green or greenish, rarely yellowish green (Hedrick). There is a brown cheek (Elliott), or sometimes a brownish tinge next the sun (Hedrick).
Dots: Small, russet, sprinkled over the surface (Hedrick).
Flesh and flavor: Flesh white, slightly green, fine, juicy. Downing calls it melting and Hedrick semi-breaking. Slightly gritty around the center (Hedrick). Juice ample, sugary, acid, slightly aromatic (Hedrick); flavor sweet, sprightly. Downing rates it "Good" and Hedrick "second"; Thomas calls it "of a sweet but poor flavor."
Core and seeds: Not described in source.
Season
Early summer; August, Downing giving middle August. Miller in 1734 found it still "in prime" in July in England.
Uses
Not described in source.
Subtypes / Variants
Not described in source.
Other
Not described in source.
Book Sources
Described in 4 period pomological works
Nursery Catalog Sources
Found in 7 catalogs (1845–1925) from Illinois, Massachusetts, Washington
- Winship's Nursery (Brighton Nurseries , operated by the Winship family), Brighton (Boston) , Massachusetts — 1845
- Hovey & Co. , Cambridge , Massachusetts — 1849
- Central Experimental Farm , Dominion Department of Agriculture, Agassiz, British Columbia (under test; Bulletin No. 3, Second Series) — 1900
- Benjamin Buckman (personal inventory) , Farmingdale , Illinois — 1901
- Vineland Nurseries Company , Clarkston , Washington — 1912 — listed as Sugar
- Benjamin Buckman (personal inventory) , Farmingdale , Illinois — 1913
- Columbia & Okanogan Nursery Co. , Wenatchee , Washington — 1925 — listed as Sugar
View original book sources (4)
— F.R. Elliott, The Western Fruit Book (1865)Green Chisel. Sugar. Foreign. Small, roundish, green, with brown cheek. August.
— A.J. Downing, The Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900)Green Chisel.
Madeleine Vert. Guenette. Hativeau. Petit muscat batard muscade.
An old English Pear. The tree is very productive, erect, fruiting in clusters.
Fruit small, roundish ovate, greenish. Flesh white, melting, juicy, sprightly. Good. Middle August.
— John J. Thomas, The American Fruit Culturist (1903)Green Chisel. An erroneous name for Madeleine; also the name of a small, roundish, green summer pear, of a sweet but poor flavor.
— U.P. Hedrick, The Pears of New York (1921)Green Chisel,
- Langley Pomona 132. 1729.
- Hogg Fruit Man. 588. 1884. Guenette.
- Leroy Diet. Pom. 2:261, fig. 1869.
The origin of this ancient early summer variety is unknown, but it was described by Mawe and Abercrombie in 1778, and was also mentioned by Philip Miller in 1734 as being still "in prime" in July in England. Under the name of Guenette it was described by Merlet in articles written in 1675, and 1690 and appears to have been well known in English and French gardens. Hogg deems Chisel to be a corruption of the French name Choiseul.
Fruit small or very small, growing in clusters, globular-turbinate, green or rarely yellowish-green, with sometimes a brownish tinge next the sun, sprinkled with small russet dots; flesh white, slightly green, fine, semi-breaking, sweet, slightly gritty around centre; juice ample in amount, sugary, acid, slightly aromatic; second; Aug.