Olivier De Serres

Olivier De Serres

Origin/History

Raised from seed of Fortunée about the middle of the nineteenth century by M. Boisbunel, Rouen, France. It fruited a few years later but did not receive attention until about 1862, when it was brought to the notice of the French Society of Horticulture and pronounced a fruit of merit. At the suggestion of M. Boisbunel, it was named after the illustrious Frenchman Olivier de Serres, who in France is called "The Father of Agriculture." It was brought to America about 1865.

The variety is rated in Europe as a delicious late-winter pear, and the pomological writers of the last century give it all of the virtues on this side of the Atlantic ascribed to it by Europeans. Downing (1900), writing when the variety had not yet fruited in the United States, reports it "reputed of first quality in France." Hedrick (1921), writing from experience with the variety as grown in New York, reaches a more critical judgment: that it does not possess in America the merits the French and English ascribe to it, that its quality is below that of several other sorts of its season, that the flesh is coarse and gritty and the flavor mediocre, and that the tree-characters are good but not sufficiently good to offset the faults of the fruit.

Tree

Downing describes the tree as vigorous, rather spreading, and very productive. Hedrick characterizes it as medium in size, vigorous, dense-topped, and upright-spreading (note: Downing says "rather spreading," Hedrick says "upright-spreading"), and productive. Trunk and branches are marked with numerous lenticels. Branchlets slender, short, curved, with short internodes; color light reddish-brown tinged with green (Hedrick); Downing describes the young wood as slender and rich yellow-brown. Branchlets sprinkled with scattering, inconspicuous, very small, raised lenticels.

Leaf-buds small, short, sharply pointed, free; leaf-scars with prominent shoulders. Leaves 2½ in. long, 1¼ in. wide; apex taper-pointed; margin glandular, finely serrate; petiole ¾ in. long, slender. Flower-buds small, short, sharply pointed, free, borne singly on short spurs. Flowers showy, 1⅝ in. across, with an unpleasant odor; pedicels 1 in. long, thinly pubescent.

Fruit

Size and Form: Hedrick: medium in size, 2¾ in. long, 2½ in. wide, roundish-obtuse-pyriform, truncate at both ends, irregular in outline. Downing describes the fruit as medium to large (note: Downing says "medium to large" vs. Hedrick's "medium") and generally roundish — Hedrick's "roundish-obtuse-pyriform, truncate at both ends" gives the more precise characterization.

Stem: Variable in length, averaging ¾ in. long, thick, enlarged at the top, curved.

Cavity: Broad, slightly furrowed.

Calyx: Large, slightly open.

Basin: Variable in depth, furrowed.

Skin: Tender (Hedrick). Color greenish-yellow (Hedrick) or deep yellow (Downing), partly overspread with cinnamon-russet (Hedrick); Downing describes the russet as rough in character. In the sun, Downing notes many reddish russet dots; Hedrick notes sometimes a dull blush on the exposed cheek.

Flesh and Flavor: Whitish (Hedrick) or white (Downing). The two sources diverge substantially on quality. Downing describes the flesh as fine, melting, rich, juicy, sweet, with a delicate perfume — the account of a variety not yet fruited in America, drawn from French reports. Hedrick, writing from American trials, finds the flesh variable in texture, juicy, varying from sweet to a brisk, vinous flavor, and rates the quality poor unless grown under the most favorable conditions; in the general assessment he characterizes the flesh as coarse and gritty with mediocre flavor.

Core and Seeds: Not described in source.

Season

Ripens January to March (Hedrick); February to March (Downing).

Uses

Not described in source.

Subtypes/Variants

Not described in source.

Other

Hedrick cites the following pomological literature for this variety: Mas Le Verger 1:67, fig. 40 (1866–73); Downing Fr. Trees Am. 822 (1869); Leroy Dict. Pom. 2:477, fig. (1869); Tilton Jour. Hort. 9:377, fig. (1871); Oberdieck Obst-Sort. 316 (1881); Jour. Hort. 3rd Ser. 4:15, fig. 4 (1882); Hogg Fruit Man. 624 (1884); Gaucher Pom. Prak. Obst. No. 58, Pl. 51 (1894); Deut. Obstsorten 5: Pt. 15, Pl. (1909).