JARGONELLE

Origin / History

JARGONELLE is one of the oldest pear varieties in cultivation. Its precise origin is nowhere given, and the period of its introduction into England is not known. According to Hedrick, some accounts date it back to before the time of Christ. Bunyard records it as known in France before 1600. The first mention of it in English literature is by Switzer, and it has been figured by Lindley in his Pomologia Britannica, Pl. 108, and in many other works.

Lindley states that the name "Jargonelle" is derived, according to Ménage and Duchat, from Jargon, anciently Gergon, in Italian Gergo, in Spanish Gerçona — all corruptions of Græcum. From this, Merlet infers that the Jargonelle was the Pyrum Tarentinum of Cato and Columella, the Numidianum Græcum of Pliny, and the Græcum of Macrobius. If this conjecture is well founded, the variety is one of the most ancient in cultivation. It was certainly brought from France to England, though the French Jargonelle is a distinct variety and must not be confused with this one (noted by both Herefordshire Pomona and Bunyard).

By the time of Coxe (1817), the pear had not been much cultivated in America, and almost always under false names. By Hedrick's era (1922), it was little grown in America, having been crowded out by native varieties. In Britain it remained widely cultivated: at the St. John's Nurseries in Worcester, 3,000 plants were produced annually by budding — 1,500 trained for walls or espaliers, and the remainder equally divided between pyramids and standards. In the city of Perth the variety was so beloved that "never did Bourgeois of Rheims exhibit more partiality for his favorite Rousselet, than does the citizen of Perth for his adopted Jargonelle."

Tree

The tree is large, strong, vigorous, healthy, rapid-growing, hardy, long-lived, and very productive — though described as a coarse, untidy bearer that is sometimes uncertain in bearing (Hedrick). The growth habit is straggling or straggly, spreading and open-topped, with long pendent or spreading shoots; Downing calls the habit "rather straggling, pendent." Rivers' catalogue notes "very productive, in a most remarkable growth." The Central Experimental Farm catalogue (trees planted Spring 1893) simply records "Tree a strong grower."

Trunk shaggy; branches reddish-brown, with large lenticels (Hedrick).

Leaves are large, pale green, leathery, 3¼ inches long and 1¼ inches wide, little upfolded, coarsely or finely serrate (Bunyard: "coarsely serrate"; Hedrick: "finely serrate"), with the margin tipped with a few small black glands and an apex taper-pointed; the leaves are down-hanging and turn lemon yellow with very faint red in autumn (Bunyard). Petiole 1½ inches long, slender, tinged with red, glabrous (Hedrick).

Flowers late, showy, 1¼ inches across, in dense clusters of 8 to 14 buds per cluster (Hedrick).

Cultural placement: it succeeds well as a standard, but in northern climates requires a wall. It grows too freely to form a nice pyramid (both Herefordshire Pomona and Bunyard agree on this). Its best place is on a wall with plenty of space to extend itself, where there is no part of the kingdom in which it will not grow in the greatest perfection. As a standard the fruit is smaller, but it ripens thoroughly even in the north if the situation is sheltered. Bunyard adds that it does well on a north wall and succeeds in Scotland.

Fruit

Size: Sources broadly agree the fruit is large to medium-large. Coxe calls it "tolerably large… of the size of a middling Beurree." Herefordshire Pomona says "large." Downing says "pretty large." Bunyard says "medium." Hedrick gives "above medium in size, 3¼ inches long, 2 1/16 inches wide." The Central Experimental Farm catalogue records "medium size."

Form: Pyriform / long pyriform / very long conical, even (Bunyard); oblong-ovate-pyriform, with an acute neck (Hedrick); tapering into the stalk (Downing); long, with a neck somewhat curved and diminishing to a small point (Coxe). Unique in shape (Hedrick).

Stem / Stalk: Characteristically long and curved (Hedrick: 1¼ inches; Herefordshire Pomona: about two inches long, slender, and obliquely inserted without depression; Downing: nearly two inches long, rather slender, curved, obliquely set; Coxe: long, fleshy towards its junction with the fruit; Bunyard: long and slender).

Cavity: Lacking — the flesh holds up around the base of the stem, russeted, and lipped (Hedrick). Herefordshire Pomona and Downing describe the stem as set "without depression" or "obliquely set" (i.e., effectively no cavity).

Calyx / Eye: Large and open, with short, stout, blunted segments set in a shallow basin (Herefordshire Pomona); open with quite long projecting segments (Downing); open, in a shallow basin (Bunyard); open, lobes separated at the base, long, broad, acute (Hedrick).

Note: Herefordshire Pomona describes the segments as "short, stout, blunted," while Downing describes them as "quite long projecting" and Hedrick as "long, broad, acute" — sources disagree on segment length and shape.

Basin: Shallow (Herefordshire Pomona, Bunyard); small and furrowed (Downing); very shallow and narrow, obtuse, gently furrowed, compressed (Hedrick).

Skin: Smooth. Color: greenish yellow (Herefordshire Pomona, Downing, Bunyard, Central Experimental Farm) or light green with small cloudy spots blended with russet, particularly near the stem (Coxe); yellow (Hedrick). The sunny cheek bears a tinge of dark brownish red (Herefordshire Pomona), a faint brownish-red flush (Bunyard), a little brownish color (Downing), a little dull red (Central Experimental Farm), a frequently brownish red color (Coxe), or a bright reddish-pink blush laid thinly over the exposed cheek in streaks and splashes (Hedrick — and noting that when poorly grown the fruit is without blush). Dots numerous, greenish-russet, very small, obscure (Hedrick).

Flesh and Flavor: Yellowish white (Downing, Herefordshire Pomona, Central Experimental Farm, Hedrick) or pale yellow (Bunyard). Tender, melting, and very juicy (Herefordshire Pomona, Bunyard); juicy, highly flavoured, and sprightly (Coxe); juicy, with a sprightly refreshing flavor (Downing); juicy (Central Experimental Farm); melting, very juicy (Hedrick). Rich vinous flavour with a slight musky aroma (Herefordshire Pomona); sweet with a touch of musky flavour (Bunyard); subacid, aromatic, vinous (Hedrick). Rivers' catalogue describes it as "remarkably juicy and excellent flavour."

Texture: Downing calls the flesh "rather coarse-grained." Central Experimental Farm says "not fine grained." Hedrick is most detailed: "granular under the skin, gritty at the center, melting, very juicy." Hedrick offers a critical commercial assessment: "The quality leaves much to be desired. The flesh is coarse, rather gritty, and the flavor lacks the rich sugary taste on the one hand, or the refreshing piquancy on the other hand, of good pears." Quality "very good" by Hedrick's overall rating; Downing rates it "Good."

Note: Herefordshire Pomona and Bunyard emphasize tender, melting, fine flavor; Downing, Central Experimental Farm, and Hedrick note coarse or gritty texture. The discrepancy may reflect variability in cultivation, climate, or harvest timing.

Core / Seeds: Core large, open, with clasping core-lines; calyx-tube long, narrow, conical; seeds large, wide, long, plump, acute (Hedrick). The fruit is "liable to rot" at the core (Coxe), "decays at the core soon after maturity" (Downing), "apt to rot at the core" (Central Experimental Farm), and "rot at the core, and the season is short" (Hedrick). All sources urge gathering early and ripening in the house — "best when picked before fully ripe, and matured in the house" (Coxe); "If gathered early is very good" (Downing); "The crop should be picked early and ripened in the house" (Hedrick).

Season

Ripe in August (Herefordshire Pomona, Downing, Bunyard, Central Experimental Farm). Coxe places it in perfection about the latter part of July. Hedrick: ripe in late August, with the crop ripening two or three weeks before that of Bartlett.

Uses

Dessert (Bunyard). One of the finest and best of early pears (Herefordshire Pomona). At one time the best second early pear in America (Hedrick). The fruits are as attractive as any of their season (Hedrick). Best picked before fully ripe and matured in the house.

Subtypes / Variants

The French Jargonelle is a distinct variety and must not be confused with this English Jargonelle (Herefordshire Pomona and Bunyard both note this explicitly).

Other

Coxe's volume contains an additional entry under the name "Epargne" (one of the historical synonyms of JARGONELLE), describing: "a pear of a long shape, below the ordinary size, diminishing gradually towards the stem, which is about an inch in length, large, and planted rather on one side; the crown is not hollowed; the skin is of a greenish cast, blotched with spots of a fawn colour, and sometimes with a little blush; the flesh is melting; the juice sprightly and agreeable; it ripens about the beginning of August." This description differs notably from Coxe's JARGONELLE entry (size below ordinary vs. tolerably large; stalk about an inch vs. long; ripening early August vs. late July), suggesting Coxe treated them as distinct fruits even though later authorities catalog Epargne as a synonym.