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Manning's Elizabeth

Pear
Illustration from Hovey, The Fruits of America (1852)

Hovey, The Fruits of America (1852)

Manning's Elizabeth

Origin/History

Manning's Elizabeth is a seedling pear raised by Dr. Van Mons of Louvain, Belgium, and named by Mr. Manning of Massachusetts. According to Hovey (1852), nearly twenty-five years before his account, Dr. Van Mons sent the Massachusetts Horticultural Society two collections of pear scions which were lost in transit in successive years. In 1834 Messrs. Kenrick, Manning, and Dearborn solicited Van Mons to send another collection; in the spring of 1835 the package arrived safely, with more than half saved, and in the spring of 1836 another package arrived (delayed but yielding many additional sorts). The two collections embraced nearly one hundred and fifty named varieties and upwards of one hundred unnamed or numbered seedlings, designated under the numbers by which they were known in Van Mons's nursery at Louvain; the original trees there were soon after removed or destroyed, leaving entire possession in the hands of Messrs. Kenrick and Manning.

The Elizabeth was one of these numbered varieties. Hovey gives the number as No. 158; Downing gives it as No. 154. Van Mons gave Mr. Manning permission to name any of them which might prove worthy of cultivation. Manning described and named it in the Magazine of Horticulture (vol. viii, p. 57) as the Elizabeth, Van Mons; Hovey subsequently described it more fully under the same name with an outline of the fruit; later, in recognition of Manning's zealous labors in the introduction and dissemination of various pears, it came to be called Manning's Elizabeth. Thomas (1903) and Budd & Hansen (1914) attribute its origin to Belgium. Budd & Hansen note it was productive and popular in the eastern and southeastern States.

Tree

Hovey describes the tree as vigorous, upright, with rather spreading branches that are horizontal at first but turn upward with a gentle curve; annual shoots long and moderately stout. Downing characterizes the growth as moderate, with shoots "dull reddish." Thomas calls the shoots diverging, dark reddish-brown. The Central Experimental Farm catalogue (Agassiz BC, 1900, planted Spring 1893) reports the tree as "a moderate grower." It is a most profuse bearer, literally loaded with pears (Hovey); succeeds well upon the quince and comes into bearing early (Hovey); does best on dwarf stock (Thomas); productive (Downing, Budd & Hansen).

Wood: Deep reddish brown, dotted with a few grayish specks, moderately stout, and rather short-jointed; old wood, light brown (Hovey).

Buds: Medium size, ovate, bluntly pointed, diverging; flower-buds medium size (Hovey).

Leaves: Medium size, ovate, tapering to the point, yellowish green, wavy, and entire at the edge; petioles medium length, about one and a half inches long, moderately stout (Hovey).

Flowers: Medium size; petals roundish; clusters compact (Hovey).

Fruit

Size: Sources agree the fruit is small or below medium. Hovey: small, about two inches long and two in diameter. Downing: below medium. Thomas: small. Budd & Hansen: medium. Central Experimental Farm: medium size.

Form: Obovate. Hovey: obovate, very full around the crown, tapering to and ending obtusely at the stem. Downing: obovate obtuse pyriform. Thomas: obovate, Seckel-form. Budd & Hansen: roundish obovate. Central Experimental Farm: obovate, pyriform.

Skin: Fair, little rough, rich lemon yellow, brilliantly suffused with crimson on the sunny side, through which appears deeper colored specks, becoming paler in the shade; the end next the crown often covered with thick russet (Hovey). Bright yellow with a lively red cheek, dotted with brown and red dots (Downing). Smooth; surface yellow with a lively blush (Thomas). Pale yellow with red cheek and often flecked with russet and numerous dark spots (Budd & Hansen). Greenish yellow with patches of russet and many small dots (Central Experimental Farm).

Hovey adds a distinctive observation: when about two-thirds of its size, one half of the pear — the blossom end — in most specimens assumes a thick russet covering, which usually terminates in a complete circle around the middle of the fruit, and it generally retains this color even at maturity.

Stem/Stalk: Hovey: medium length, about three quarters of an inch long, rather slender, and slightly inserted in a shallow cavity. Downing: stalk one inch long, set in a shallow, round cavity. Thomas: stalk one inch long, cavity round, shallow. Budd & Hansen: stalk one-half to one inch long, inclined, inserted in a small round cavity.

Eye/Calyx: Hovey: eye small, open, and little sunk in an open, shallow basin; segments of the calyx short. Downing: calyx open, set in a broad shallow basin.

Flesh and flavor: Hovey: flesh yellowish, coarse, melting and juicy; flavor sugary, rich, and pleasantly perfumed. Downing: flesh white, juicy, and very melting, with a saccharine but very sprightly aromatic character; "very good or best"; the variety is "a very sweet and sprightly Pear, with a peculiar flavor"; a beautiful dessert fruit. Thomas: flesh very melting, saccharine, sprightly, perfumed, excellent. Budd & Hansen: flesh white, juicy, fine-grained, buttery, sweet, very good. Central Experimental Farm: flesh white, juicy, sweet and fine grained.

(Sources disagree on flesh color and texture: Hovey calls it yellowish and coarse; Downing, Budd & Hansen, and the Central Experimental Farm call it white; Budd & Hansen specifically call it fine-grained and buttery.)

Core/Seeds: Core large; seeds rather large, brown (Hovey).

Season

Ripe from the middle to the last of August (Hovey). Last of August (Downing). Early (Thomas). Season September (Central Experimental Farm, Agassiz BC). Downing calls it "one of the most desirable Pears of its season, for amateur growing."

Uses

A beautiful dessert fruit (Downing). Hovey emphasizes its beauty — "remarkably beautiful, with a deep yellow skin and a bright red cheek." Recommended for amateur growing (Downing).

Subtypes/Variants

Not described in source.

Other

Not described in source.

Book Sources

Described in 4 period pomological works

Nursery Catalog Sources

Found in 18 catalogs (1845–1912) from Alabama, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Missouri, New Jersey, Pennsylvania

View original book sources (5)

THE MANNING'S ELIZABETH PEAR.

Manning's Elizabeth. Magazine of Horticulture, vol. viii. p. 57. 158 Van Mons, Magazine of Horticulture, vol. viii. Elizabeth, Van Mons, Magazine of Horticulture, vol. xiii.

Nearly twenty-five years have elapsed since Dr. Van Mons sent to the Massachusetts Horticultural Society two collections of pear scions, both of which, in successive years, were unfortunately lost on the way. Deprived thus of securing the choice seedlings, the fruits of his labors for many years, Messrs. Kenrick, Manning and Dearborn, in 1834, solicited Van Mons to send another collection, with the hope of better success in their transportation. Fortunately, in the spring of 1835, these arrived safely at their destination, and in such good order that more than half of them were saved. In the spring of 1836 another package came to hand, and, though delayed on its way, many additional sorts were secured. These two collections embraced nearly one hundred and fifty named varieties, and upwards of one hundred unnamed or numbered kinds, the latter wholly seedlings, and designated under the numbers by which they were known in Dr. Van Mons's nursery at Louvain, the original trees of which were soon after removed or destroyed, leaving their entire possession in the hands of Messrs. Kenrick and Manning.

The Elizabeth was one of these numbered varieties, (No. 158.) Dr. Van Mons kindly gave Mr. Manning permission to name any of them which might prove worthy of cultivation; and in accordance with his wishes Mr. Manning described and named it in the Magazine of Horticulture, (vol. viii. p. 57,) as the Elizabeth, Van Mons. Subsequently we described it more fully under the same name, accompanied with an outline of the fruit; but as commendatory of the zealous labors of Mr. Manning in the introduction and dissemination of various pears, it has more recently been called Manning's Elizabeth, a name well deserved, and one which we are happy to aid in disseminating.

The Elizabeth is a very fine early pear; remarkably beautiful, with a deep yellow skin and a bright red cheek. Often it is peculiarly marked; when about two-thirds of its size, one half of the pear,—the blossom end,—in most of the specimens, assumes a thick russet covering, which usually terminates in a complete circle around the middle of the fruit, and it generally retains this color, even at maturity. It is a most profuse bearer, being literally loaded with pears: it succeeds well upon the quince, and comes into bearing early.

Tree.—Vigorous, upright, with rather spreading branches, horizontal at first, but which turn upward with a gentle curve; annual shoots, long and moderately stout.

Wood.—Deep reddish brown, dotted with a few grayish specks, moderately stout, and rather short-jointed; old wood, light brown; buds, medium size, ovate, bluntly pointed, diverging: Flower-buds, medium size.

Leaves.—Medium size, ovate, tapering to the point, yellowish green, wavy, and entire at the edge; petioles, medium length, about one and a half inches long, moderately stout.

Flowers.—Medium size; petals, roundish; clusters, compact.

Fruit.—Small, about two inches long, and two in diameter: Form, obovate, very full around the crown, tapering to, and ending obtusely at, the stem: Skin, fair, little rough, rich lemon yellow, brilliantly suffused with crimson on the sunny side, through which appears deeper colored specks, becoming paler in the shade, the end next the crown often covered with thick russet: Stem, medium length, about three quarters of an inch long, rather slender, and slightly inserted in a shallow cavity: Eye, small, open, and little sunk in an open, shallow basin; segments of the calyx, short: Flesh, yellowish, coarse, melting and juicy: Flavor, sugary, rich, and pleasantly perfumed: Core, large: Seeds, rather large, brown.

Ripe from the middle to the last of August.

— C.M. Hovey, The Fruits of America (1852)

Manning's Elizabeth.

Van Mons. No. 154. Elizabeth Van Mons.

Manning's Elizabeth, a seedling of Dr. Van Mons', named by Mr. Manning, is a very sweet and sprightly Pear, with a peculiar flavor. A beautiful dessert fruit, productive, growth moderate, shoots dull reddish. One of the most desirable Pears of its season, for amateur growing.

Fruit below medium, obovate obtuse pyriform, bright yellow, with a lively red cheek, dotted with brown and red dots. Stalk one inch long, set in a shallow, round cavity. Calyx open, set in a broad shallow basin. Flesh white, juicy, and very melting, with a saccharine but very sprightly aromatic character. Very good or best. Last of August.

— A.J. Downing, The Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900)

Manning's Elizabeth.* Small, obovate, Seckel-form, smooth; surface yellow, with a lively blush; stalk one inch long, cavity round, shallow; flesh very melting, saccharine, sprightly, perfumed, excellent. Early. Shoots diverging, dark reddish-brown. Does best on dwarf stock. Belgian.

— John J. Thomas, The American Fruit Culturist (1903)

Elizabeth, Manning's, — Medium, roundish obovate; color pale yellow with red cheek and often flecked with russet and numerous dark spots; stalk one-half to one inch long, inclined, inserted in small round cavity. Flesh white, juicy, fine-grained, buttery, sweet, very good. Productive and popular in the eastern and southeastern States. Belgium.

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

Planted Spring 1893. Tree a moderate grower. Fruit of medium size, obovate, pyriform. Skin greenish yellow, with patches of russet and many small dots. Flesh white, juicy, sweet and fine grained. Season September.

— Central Experimental Farm, Central Experimental Farm, Agassiz BC — Catalogue of Fruit Trees under Test (Bulletin No. 3, 1900) (1900)
Beurre d'Ielles Elisabeth Elisabeth de Manning Elizabeth Elizabeth Van Mons Elizabeth, Manning's Elizabeth, Van Mons Manning's Elizabeth Nina (Die) Van Mons Van Mons. No. 154 Van Mons. No. 158