Rossney
Pear
USDA Pomological Watercolor Collection
Rossney Pear
Origin/History
Raised in Salt Lake City, Utah, from a mixed lot of Winter Nelis and Bartlett seed planted for stocks by William Woodberry about 1881. Introduced by the Pioneer Nurseries Company, Salt Lake City, in 1898. Referenced in the Pioneer Nurseries Company catalog (with figure) in 1898, and illustrated in the U.S.D.A. Yearbook, p. 402, Pl. LII, 1904.
Tree
Not described in Hedrick. The Stark Bros. catalog (1910) notes that the fruit hangs well upon the tree, that the variety is productive, and that it seems to blight less than most pear varieties — a notable resistance to fire blight relative to contemporaneous sorts.
Fruit
Size and Form: Hedrick describes the fruit as medium to large, oval-pyriform, somewhat angular and ribbed towards the apex. The Stark Bros. catalog characterizes it simply as large.
Stem: Rather long, moderately stout. (Hedrick)
Cavity: Not described in source.
Calyx: Closed. (Hedrick)
Basin: Not described in source.
Skin: Golden yellow, blushed with scarlet, and thinly overspread with a bluish-white bloom. (Hedrick) The Stark Bros. catalog describes it as a pale yellow pear with a red cheek, consistent with Hedrick's account though less detailed.
Dots: Numerous, minute, russet. (Hedrick)
Flesh and Flavor: Flesh yellowish, buttery, juicy, subacid; quality rated good. (Hedrick) The Stark Bros. catalog independently confirms good quality.
Core and Seeds: Not described in source.
Season
Ripens ten days later than Bartlett. (Hedrick) The Stark Bros. catalog gives approximate calendar dates of October 1st to November 1st.
Uses
Recommended by Stark Bros. (1910) as a sound choice when a newer pear variety is needed, on account of its quality, productivity, and comparative blight resistance.
Subtypes/Variants
Not described in source.
Other
Not described in source.
Book Sources
Described in 1 period pomological work
Nursery Catalog Sources
Found in 17 catalogs (1901–1920) from Illinois, Nebraska, Oregon, Washington
- Washington Nursery Co. , Toppenish , Washington — 1901
- Phoenix Nursery Company (W. E. Rossney , President; Sidney Tuttle, Vice-President), Bloomington , Illinois — 1904
- Milton Nursery Co. (A. Miller & Sons , Proprietors), Milton , Oregon — 1909
- Washington Nursery Company , Toppenish , Washington — 1909
- Island Nurseries & Fruit Farm , Vashon (Vashon Island) , Washington — 1910
- Galbraith Nursery Co. (DeWitt Hansen , Pres.-Mgr.), Fairbury , Nebraska — 1911
- Island Nurseries & Fruit Farm , Vashon (Vashon Island) , Washington — 1911
- Pacific Nursery Company , Portland , Oregon — 1912
- Vineland Nurseries Company , Clarkston , Washington — 1912
- Washington Nursery Company , Toppenish , Washington — 1912
- Van Holderbeke Nursery Co. , Incorporated, Spokane, Washington (nurseries at Otis Orchards WA, Pasadena WA, Kennewick WA) — 1913
- Island Nurseries & Fruit Farm , Vashon (Vashon Island) , Washington — 1914
- Island Nurseries & Fruit Farm , Vashon (Vashon Island) , Washington — 1915
- Island Nurseries & Fruit Farm , Vashon (Vashon Island) , Washington — 1916
- Island Nurseries & Fruit Farm , Vashon (Vashon Island) , Washington — 1917
- Oregon Nursery Co. , Orenco , Oregon — 1920
- Washington Nursery Company , Toppenish, Washington (on Yakima Indian Reservation) - [undated; companion to the 1912 "Sixth Edition" descriptive catalogue; same cover design and incorporated 1903 date; dated as c.1912]
View original book sources (2)
— U.P. Hedrick, The Pears of New York (1921)Rossney.
i. Pioneer Nurs. Co. Cat. fig. 1898. 2. U. S. D. A. Yearbook 402, Pl. LII. 1904.
Raised in Salt Lake City, Utah, from a mixed lot of Winter Nelis and Bartlett seed planted for stocks by William Woodberry about 1881, and introduced by the Pioneer Nurseries Company, Salt Lake City, in 1898. Fruit medium to large, oval-pyriform, somewhat angular and ribbed towards the apex, golden yellow, blushed with scarlet and thinly overspread with a bluish-white bloom; dots numerous, minute, russet; stem rather long, moderately stout; calyx closed; flesh yellowish, buttery, juicy, subacid; good; ten days later than Bartlett.
— Stark Bros. Nurseries & Orchards Co., Stark Bros. Year Book (1910) (1910)A beautiful, large, pale yellow pear with a red cheek, and having good quality and being productive. The fruit hangs well upon the tree. Ripens about October 1st to November 1st. One of the strong points in its favor is that it seems to blight less than most varieties and when one of the newer pear is needed, Rossney is a good choice.