Harvest
PearOrigin/History
An American variety. Downing (1900) lists it under the synonyms Early Sugar, Sugar Pear, and tentatively Wolcott's Early. Hedrick (1921) cites Downing's Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1869) as the primary reference.
Tree
Upright, with a round spreading head. A good grower and good bearer. Young wood is olive yellow-brown. (Hedrick does not describe the tree.)
Fruit
Size: Below medium, or small (Downing); below medium (Hedrick).
Form: Roundish (Downing); globular (Hedrick).
Stem: Not described in source.
Cavity: Not described in source.
Calyx: Not described in source.
Basin: Not described in source.
Skin: Pale yellow ground. Both sources agree on brown and green dots. Regarding the red-tinged cheek, the sources conflict: Downing states the brown tinge of red appears in the sun (i.e., the sun-exposed side), while Hedrick states the fruit is tinged with brown-red on the reposed side (i.e., the shaded side).
Flesh/Flavor: Whitish, not very juicy, not melting, but sweet. Hedrick adds the qualifier "pleasant." Both rate quality as Good.
Core/Seeds: Not described in source.
Season
July.
Uses
Not described in source.
Subtypes/Variants
Not described in source.
Other
Not described in source.
Book Sources
Described in 2 period pomological works
View original book sources (2)
— A.J. Downing, The Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900)Harvest.
Early Sugar. Sugar Pear. Wolcott's Early?
An American variety. Tree an upright round spreading head, a good grower and bearer. Young wood olive yellow brown.
Fruit below medium, or small, roundish, pale yellow, brown tinge of red in the sun, and sprinkled with brown and green dots. Flesh whitish, not very juicy or melting, but sweet. Good. July.
— U.P. Hedrick, The Pears of New York (1921)Harvest, 1. Downing Fr. Trees Am. 779. 1869.
An American variety. Fruit below medium, globular, pale yellow, tinged with brown-red on reposed side, brown and green dots; flesh whitish, not very juicy or melting, but sweet, pleasant; good; July.