KOONCE

1. Ill. Hort. Soc. Rpt. 139. 1889. 2. Ibid. 55. 1895. 3. Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt. 44. 1897. 4. Budd-Hansen Am. Hort. Man. 2:251. 1903. 5. Chico Nur. Cat. 12. 1904. 6. Am. Pom. Soc. Cat. 41. 1909. 7. Ont. Dept. Agr. Fr. Ont. 168. 1914.

Koonce is a popular early variety grown rather commonly in nearly every pear region in the United States. It is listed by nearly all nurserymen. Its tree-characters are more notable than those of its fruits. The trees make a splendid showing in the nursery and are hardy and productive in the orchard, although of but medium size and rather straggling at maturity. The pears are better in quality than those of Early Harvest or Lawson, with which it often competes, but are hardly as attractive in appearance, being rather small and often irregular in shape. The color is unusually bright, especially on the red cheek. The pears decay quickly after maturity and are suitable only for home and local markets.

This pear originated in southern Illinois but no one seems to know by whom, or at what time, or in what locality in the State. The variety has been grown for more than thirty years. The American Pomological Society added Koonce to its list of fruits in 1909.

Tree medium in size and vigor, upright-spreading, scraggly, open-topped, hardy, productive; trunk shaggy; branches zigzag, dark brownish-red, covered with thick grayish scarf-skin, with few lenticels; branchlets thick, long, with long internodes, dull light brown, smooth, glabrous, sprinkled with small, raised, elongated lenticels.

Leaf-buds small, short, conical, pointed, plump, appressed; leaf-scars prominent.

Leaves 2½ in. long, 1½ in. wide, stiff; apex taper-pointed; margin glandular, finely serrate; petiole 1¼ in. long. Flower-buds short, obtuse or conical, plump, free; flowers showy, 1⅛ in. across, in dense clusters, average 5 buds in a cluster; pedicels ½ in. long, slender, pubescent.

Fruit ripens in August; medium in size, 2⅝ in. long, 2¼ in. wide, obovate-obtuse-pyriform, with unequal sides; stem 1½ in. long, thick; cavity obtuse, shallow, narrow, compressed, lipped or often drawn up in a wrinkled fold about the base of the stem; calyx open; lobes separated at the base, narrow, acuminate; basin obtuse, gently furrowed; skin thick, tough, roughish; color pale greenish-yellow, with a dull reddish-brown blush spreading over the exposed cheek; dots numerous, very small, greenish-russet, conspicuous; flesh whitish, granular especially at the center, medium tender, juicy, aromatic, sweet but vinous; quality good. Core small, closed, with clasping core-lines; calyx-tube short, wide, conical; seeds small, narrow, short, plump, acute.

— U.P. Hedrick, The Pears of New York (1921)

Koonce. — Medium, pyriform; color greenish yellow with bronze cheek, and small russet dots; stem one inch long, inserted in medium-sized regular shallow cavity. Flesh white, granular, flavor poor. Used for market and kitchen in Illinois. Illinois.

— J.L. Budd & N.E. Hansen, American Horticultural Manual, Part II: Systematic Pomology (1914)

KOONCE. Koonce is a popular early variety grown rather commonly in nearly every pear region in the United States. The trees make a good showing in the nursery and are hardy and productive in the orchard, although of but medium size and rather straggling at maturity. The pears are better in quality than those of Early Harvest or Lawson, with which it often competes, but are hardly as attractive in appearance, as they are small and often irregular in shape. The color is unusually bright, especially on the red cheek. The pears decay quickly after maturity and are suitable only for home and local markets.

This pear originated in southern Illinois, but by whom or at what time does not appear. The variety has been grown for more than thirty years.

Tree upright-spreading, scraggly, open-topped, hardy, productive; trunk shaggy; branches zigzag, dark brownish-red, with few lenticels. Leaves 2½ inches long, 1¾ inches wide, stiff; apex taper-pointed; margin glandular, finely serrate; petiole 1¾ inches long. Flowers showy, 1¼ inches across, in dense clusters, average buds in a cluster. Fruit ripens in August; medium in size, 2¾ inches long, 2¾ inches wide, obovate-obtuse-pyriform, with unequal sides; stem 1¼ inches long, thick; cavity obtuse, shallow, narrow, compressed, lipped or often drawn up in a wrinkled fold about the base of the stem; calyx open; lobes separated at the base, narrow, acuminate; basin obtuse, gently furrowed; skin thick, tough, roughish; color pale greenish-yellow with a dull reddish-brown blush spreading over the exposed cheek; dots numerous, very small, greenish-russet, conspicuous; flesh whitish, granular especially at the center, medium tender, juicy, aromatic, sweet but vinous; quality good; core small, closed, with clasping core-lines; calyx-tube short, wide, conical; seeds small, narrow, short, plump, acute.

— U.P. Hedrick, Cyclopedia of Hardy Fruits (1922)