Ontario
Pear
Origin & History
Raised from seed of Canandaigua in the nurseries of W. and T. Smith, Geneva, Ontario County, New York, and first introduced at the meeting of the American Pomological Society, Rochester, New York, in 1856 (Hedrick). The variety was introduced with the expectation that its crop would follow that of Bartlett and be in as great demand. While it did not come up to expectations, it seems to have been too good to discard, and is to be found in many collections in New York (Hedrick). The fruits are of the type of Bartlett, but are smaller and usually lack the blush found on the fruits of Bartlett (Hedrick). Elliott describes it as said to be a valuable market variety.
Tree
Vigorous, productive, and hardy. Downing describes the young wood as light yellow, with a shade of red next the buds; Thomas similarly notes the shoots as yellowish-red, rather erect.
Hedrick provides the fullest tree description: large, vigorous, upright, open-topped, hardy, productive; trunk stocky; branches thick, roughish, dull reddish-brown, overspread with dark ash-gray scarf-skin, marked by small lenticels; branchlets thick, very short, with short internodes, light brown mingled with green, smooth, glabrous, with small, raised, conspicuous lenticels.
Leaf-buds small, short, pointed, free. Leaves 2 inches long, 1½ inches wide, oval, thin, leathery, slightly curled under along the margins; apex abruptly pointed; margin glandular toward the apex, very finely serrate; petiole 1½ inches long. Flower-buds small, short, conical or pointed, plump, free, singly or in small clusters on short branches or very short spurs; flowers 1⅛ inches across, in a scattering raceme, from 8 to 10 buds in a cluster; pedicels 1½ inches long, slender, pubescent, light green (Hedrick).
Fruit
Size: Medium, uniform in size and shape, 2¼ inches long and 1⅞ inches wide (Hedrick). Thomas describes it as medium or rather large.
Form: Oblong-pyriform, with sides usually unequal. Downing gives the form as oblong ovate pyriform; Elliott as elongated obtuse pyriform, somewhat irregular; Thomas as oblong-pyriform, somewhat Bartlett-shaped but more obovate, sometimes faintly ribbed, somewhat irregular.
Stem: Hedrick gives the stem as ¾ inch long, thick. Thomas gives it as an inch long. Downing and Elliott describe it as long; Downing notes it is inserted in a small cavity with a ring or lip; Elliott describes it as curved, inserted by a fleshy ring in a rather large depression.
Cavity: Obtuse, shallow, narrow, often russeted and lipped (Hedrick). Downing describes it as small; Thomas as small and irregular; Elliott as a rather large depression.
Calyx: Open, or partially closed. Downing describes it as open, with long recurved segments. Hedrick gives the lobes as separated at the base, narrow, acute. Elliott gives the calyx as partially closed, or open. Thomas as open or partly closed.
Basin: Shallow to medium, obtuse, gently furrowed, sometimes compressed (Hedrick). Elliott describes it as shallow, irregular, corrugated. Thomas describes it as wrinkled.
Skin: Smooth, dull; pale yellow, thickly dotted with numerous very small dots, and with small patches and streaks of light-colored russet. Downing specifies the dots as minute brown and green, with the skin slightly netted with russet. Elliott describes the skin as thickly covered with gray or green dots. Hedrick describes the dots as numerous, very small, russet, obscure.
Flesh & Flavor: Whitish, with a yellow tinge at the core (Hedrick) or slightly veined with yellow (Downing). Juicy and sweet. Downing describes the flesh as melting, juicy, buttery, slightly granulous, sweet, and rates it good to very good. Hedrick describes it as granular, firm but tender, juicy, sweet, slightly aromatic, rating the quality as good. Elliott gives the flesh as white, granular, juicy, almost melting, with a sweet pleasant flavor. Thomas describes it as buttery, melting, with a mild, pleasant, agreeable flavor.
Core & Seeds: Core closed, with clasping core-lines; calyx-tube short, wide, conical; seeds large, wide, long, plump, acute (Hedrick).
Season
Mid to late September. Downing and Elliott give the season as last of September; Hedrick as middle to last of September. Thomas gives it as first of October.
Uses
Described as a valuable market variety (Elliott).
Subtypes & Variants
Not described in sources.
Book Sources
Described in 4 period pomological works
View original book sources (4)
— A.J. Downing, The Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900)Ontario.
Origin, Geneva, Ontario Co., N. Y. Tree vigorous and productive. Young wood light yellow, a shade of red next the buds.
Fruit medium, oblong ovate pyriform, pale yellow, thickly dotted with minute brown and green dots, and slightly netted with russet. Stalk long, inserted in a small cavity, with a ring or lip. Calyx open, with long recurved segments. Flesh whitish, slightly veined with yellow, melting, juicy, buttery, slightly granulous, sweet. Good to very good. Last September.
— U.P. Hedrick, The Pears of New York (1921)ONTARIO
- Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt. 200, fig. 1856. 2. Downing Fr. Trees Am. 529. 1857. 3. Horticulturist N. S. 7:112, fig. 1857. 4. Mag. Hort. 23:110, fig. 3. 1857. 5. Mas Le Verger 3: Pt. 2, 85, fig. 139. 1866-73. 6. Horticulturist 23:331, fig. 102. 1868. 7. Downing Fr. Trees Am. 824. 1869. 8. Thomas Am. Fruit Cult. 463, fig. 672. 1897.
This variety was introduced nearly seventy years ago with the expectation that the crop would follow that of Bartlett and be in as great demand. While the variety did not come up to expectations, it seems to have been too good to discard, and is to be found in many collections in New York. The fruits are of the type of Bartlett, but are smaller and usually lack the blush found on the fruits of Bartlett. The trees are very satisfactory. The variety fails chiefly in the small size of the fruits, although these are not as small as the rather poor specimens illustrated in the accompanying plate, which were grown on the grounds of this Station where the pears run below the average.
This variety was raised from seed of Canandaigua in the nurseries of W. and T. Smith, Geneva, Ontario County, New York, and was first introduced at the meeting of the American Pomological Society, Rochester, New York, in 1856.
Tree large, vigorous, upright, open-topped, hardy, productive; trunk stocky; branches thick, roughish, dull reddish-brown, overspread with dark ash-gray scarf-skin, marked by small lenticels; branchlets thick, very short, with short internodes, light brown mingled with green, smooth, glabrous, with small, raised, conspicuous lenticels.
Leaf-buds small, short, pointed, free. Leaves 2 in. long, 1½ in. wide, oval, thin, leathery, slightly curled under along the margins; apex abruptly pointed; margin glandular toward the apex, very finely serrate; petiole 1½ in. long. Flower-buds small, short, conical or pointed, plump, free, singly or in small clusters on short branches or very short spurs; flowers 1⅛ in. across, in a scattering raceme, from 8 to 10 buds in a cluster; pedicels 1½ in. long, slender, pubescent, light green.
Fruit in season from the middle to the last of September; medium in size, 2¼ in. long, 1⅞ in. wide, uniform in size and shape, oblong-pyriform, with sides usually unequal; stem ¾ in. long, thick; cavity obtuse, shallow, narrow, often russeted and lipped; calyx open; lobes separated at the base, narrow, acute; basin shallow to medium, obtuse, gently furrowed, sometimes compressed; skin smooth, dull; color pale yellow, with small patches and streaks of light-colored russet; dots numerous, very small, russet, obscure; flesh whitish, with a yellow tinge at the core, granular, firm but tender, juicy, sweet, slightly aromatic; quality good. Core closed, with clasping core-lines; calyx-tube short, wide, conical; seeds large, wide, long, plump, acute.
— F.R. Elliott, The Western Fruit Book (1865)Ontario.
Origin, Geneva, Ontario County, N. Y. Tree vigorous and productive, said to be a valuable market variety.
Fruit, medium, elongated obtuse pyriform, somewhat irregular ; skin, pale yellow, thickly covered with gray or green dots ; stalk, long, curved, inserted by a fleshy ring in a rather large depression ; calyx, partially closed, or open in a shallow, irregular, corrugated basin ; flesh, white, granular, juicy, almost melting, with a sweet pleasant flavor. Ripens last of September. (Downing.)
— John J. Thomas, The American Fruit Culturist (1903)Ontario. Medium or rather large, oblong-pyriform (somewhat Bartlett-shaped, but more obovate), sometimes faintly ribbed, somewhat irregular; pale yellow, thickly dotted; stalk an inch long; cavity small, irregular; calyx open or partly closed; basin wrinkled; flesh buttery, melting, with a mild, pleasant, agreeable flavor. First of October. Shoots yellowish-red, rather erect. Geneva, N. Y. Fig. 705.