Henry the Fourth
PearHenry the Fourth
Origin / History
A pear of foreign origin. Downing calls it "this French Pear." Hedrick, "on the authority of Diel," states that it was originated by M. de Witzthumb before 1815 and was afterward described by the Vicomte Vilain XIV, mayor of Ghent under Napoleon I. Hedrick enters it under the name "Henri Quatre." He cites its description in the Magazine of Horticulture (12:173, 175, 1846) and in Leroy's Dictionnaire de Pomologie (2:277, with figure, 1869). He also cites Downing's Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (p. 782, 1869), where it appears under the name Henry the Fourth.
Tree
Hardy, a good grower, a good bearer, productive to very productive (Thomas). Young shoots diverging or spreading, yellowish brown. Downing describes the young wood as dull yellow brown, with many specks.
Fruit
Size: Small to below medium.
Form: Roundish pyriform. Thomas calls it round-obovate, somewhat turbinate. Hedrick calls it obtuse-pyriform, rather variable, often contorted, and always with one side larger than the other.
Stem: Long, slender, swollen at the base. Downing gives it as rather more than an inch long. Thomas gives an inch and a fourth, "usually fleshy at insertion."
Cavity: Stalk not sunk (Thomas).
Calyx: Small. Thomas calls it closed.
Basin: Shallow, abrupt.
Skin: Greenish yellow to pale greenish yellow, somewhat russeted. Thomas says it is often somewhat russeted, sometimes with a dark reddish-brown cheek. Hedrick describes it as greenish white, becoming deep lemon-yellow as it reaches maturity, much covered with fine cinnamon-russet.
Dots: Small, gray. Hedrick describes small greenish dots on the russet.
Flesh and flavor: Flesh whitish, rather coarse or not very fine-grained, juicy, "unusually juicy" (Downing). Downing and Thomas call it melting. Hedrick calls it yellowish, coarse or semi-fine, breaking, and gritty at the center. Flavor rich and perfumed: "a rich, delicately perfumed flavor" (Downing); "very rich, sweet, juicy and with an aromatic flavor" (Hedrick). Quality "good" (Elliott, Hedrick) to "Good to very good" (Downing). Thomas credits it with "mostly first-rate flavor."
Core and seeds: Not described in source.
Season
Early autumn, early September into October. Most authors give early September; Hedrick gives October. Downing and Thomas say it should be ripened in the house; Downing says "always."
Uses
Not described in source.
Subtypes / Variants
Not described in source.
Other
Thomas illustrates the fruit (Fig. 679).
Book Sources
Described in 4 period pomological works
Nursery Catalog Sources
Found in 2 catalogs (1845–1849) from Massachusetts
- Winship's Nursery (Brighton Nurseries , operated by the Winship family), Brighton (Boston) , Massachusetts — 1845 — listed as Henry IV
- Hovey & Co. , Cambridge , Massachusetts — 1849 — listed as Henry IV
View original book sources (4)
— F.R. Elliott, The Western Fruit Book (1865)Henry the Fourth. Ananas, | Beurre Ananas, | Jaquin. Poire Ananas; | Henri Quatre, | Foreign. Tree, hardy, good bearer, young shoots diverging, yellowish brown. Fruit, small, roundish pyriform, greenish yellow, with small gray dots : stem, long, slender, swollen at base ; calyx, small ; flesh, whitish, rather coarse, juicy ; " good." Early September.
— A.J. Downing, The Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900)Henry the Fourth
Henri Quatre. Jaquin. Favori Musqué du Conseiller. Beurre Ananas. Ananas.
The tree of this French Pear is a good grower, hardy and productive, young wood dull yellow brown, with many specks.
Fruit below medium size, roundish pyriform, pale greenish yellow, dotted with small gray specks. Stalk rather more than an inch long, slender. Calyx small, placed in a shallow abrupt basin. Flesh whitish, not very fine-grained, but unusually juicy and melting, with a rich, delicately perfumed flavor. It should always be ripened in the house.
Good to very good. Early in September.
— John J. Thomas, The American Fruit Culturist (1903)Henry IV. (Ananas, Henri Quatre.) Rather small, round-obovate, somewhat turbinate; surface greenish-yellow, often somewhat russeted, sometimes a dark reddish-brown cheek; stalk an inch and a fourth long, slender, usually fleshy at insertion, not sunk; basin shallow, abrupt; calyx closed; flesh juicy, melting, rich, perfumed, mostly first-rate flavor. Needs house-ripening. Early in autumn. Shoots diverging or spreading, yellowish-brown. Very productive. Fig. 679.
[Additional entry in this volume: "Henri Quatre", pp. 793–793]
Henri Quatre. See Henry IV.
— U.P. Hedrick, The Pears of New York (1921)Henri Quatre.
- Mag. Hort. 12:173, 175. 1846.
- Leroy Dict. Pom. 2:277, fig. 1869.
Henry the Fourth. 3. Downing Fr. Trees Am. 782. 1869.
On the authority of Diel it appears that this pear was originated by M. de Witzthumb before 1815, and was afterward described by the Vicomte Vilain XIV, mayor of Ghent under Napoleon I. Fruit below medium, obtuse-pyriform, rather variable, often contorted and always has one side larger than the other, greenish-white, becoming deep lemon-yellow as it reaches maturity, much covered with fine cinnamon-russet on which are small greenish dots; flesh yellowish, coarse or semi-fine, breaking, gritty at center, very rich, sweet, juicy and with an aromatic flavor; good; Oct.