Rostiezer
Pear
USDA Pomological Watercolor Collection
Rostiezer
Origin / History
A foreign pear of European origin, whose exact origin Hovey calls unknown and Hedrick uncertain. Rostiezer came from the nurseries of Messrs. Baumann, of Bollwiller, "on the Rhine" (Hovey); Hedrick names the source as A. N. Baumann, Bollweiler, Alsace. Hovey says it was one among a number of new varieties obtained from France. He also calls it "undoubtedly a German pear" introduced by the Baumanns, whose collection contained several other varieties whose names were confined to their catalogue.
R. Manning of Salem, Massachusetts, imported it in 1834 or 1835 and introduced it to the notice of cultivators; it first fruited in 1837 or 1838. Manning described it briefly in his Book of Fruits, 1838. Hovey cites this as 1st series, No. 23; Hedrick cites it as "Book of Fruits 72". After further trial Manning gave an account of it in the Magazine of Horticulture (vol. vi, p. 89). From specimens Manning sent him in 1840, Hovey described it fully in the same work (vol. ix, p. 135), with "a correct outline engraving" that he reproduced in The Fruits of America. That engraving was from a tree in Manning's collection, in full bearing, eight or nine years old.
Hovey calls it a "fine pear" that was "considerably disseminated" after its first fruiting. He adds that its merits "do not appear to have been fully appreciated until the last four or five years" before 1852. He judged the list of first-rate early pears "extremely limited." With such additions as Rostiezer and Tyson, he wrote, the season between the ripening of the Madeleine or Doyenne d'Ete and the Williams's Bon Chretien "would be well supplied with some of the richest pears." For him it held "the highest rank among the choicest pears" for its fine qualities, despite being small and indifferent looking. Downing says its "assemblage of excellences" places it "in the rank before any other of its season." Hedrick says it is often called Early Seckel in the West. Budd and Hansen say it is often received from Colorado and Utah as the "Early Seckel." Planted at the Central Experimental Farm, Agassiz, British Columbia, in spring 1890.
Tree
Vigorous, strong, and healthy. Elliott calls it a strong, upright grower. Hovey says the tree is erect while young but assumes in a few years an irregular, spreading, and partially drooping habit. The Agassiz station calls it a medium grower. Downing says young trees produce but few shoots of strong growth and require severe shortening to bring them into a fine symmetric form. Thomas describes the shoots as dark and large.
Young wood dark olive or dark olive brown (Elliott, Downing). Hovey describes the wood as clear reddish brown, dotted with russet specks, strong, stout, and short-jointed. In his account old wood is slightly rough and dull reddish brown, with prominent whitish specks. Buds medium size, shortly pointed, diverging, with rather prominent shoulders; flower buds medium size (Hovey).
Foliage large (Elliott); leaves broad (Thomas). Hovey gives the leaves as medium size and roundish ovate, generally broadest near the middle and tapering to each end. He describes them as thick and dull dark green, somewhat incurved at the edges, and finely but rather obtusely serrated. The petioles are moderately stout, about one and a half inches long. Flowers medium size; petals cupped (Hovey).
An early, free, abundant, "most profuse" bearer. Hovey says the fruit is produced in clusters and the tree usually bears the fourth or fifth year. Succeeds on quince; Hovey says it succeeds well upon the quince or pear stock.
Fruit
Size: Small to medium. Most authors place it below medium or scarcely medium, and Thomas calls it rather small, sometimes medium. Hovey calls it rather small, "scarcely as large as the Madeleine." His technical description nonetheless gives medium size, with large specimens about two inches long and one and three-quarter inches in diameter.
Form: Pyriform, regular; obovate pyriform, obovate oblong pyriform, or oblong pyriform. Thomas calls it conic-pyriform approaching obovate, "nearly Madeleine-shaped." Hovey describes it as pyramidal, full at the crown, tapering regularly to a point at the stem.
Stem: Long and slender, about one and a half to two inches; curved (Downing). Hovey calls it very long, slightly knobby, and obliquely inserted on one side.
Cavity: Slight, scarcely sunk; very little or no depression.
Calyx: Open, medium or rather large; persistent (Downing). Hovey describes the eye as scarcely depressed and surrounded with uneven angles or projections, with short calyx segments.
Basin: Very shallow, slight, little or none; small and corrugated (Downing).
Skin: Slightly rough (Hovey). Dull green, yellowish green, dull yellow green, or dull brownish green. Hovey calls it dull russety green, and Hedrick grass-green on the shaded side. On the sunny side it is reddish, reddish brown, dull red, or dark dull reddish brown, and Downing says the reddish brown is mixed with the green. Hovey describes the skin as broadly tinged with dull red. Traces of thin russet; somewhat russeted on the sunny side (Hovey). Downing says it "has not generally much beauty of color." Hovey calls it, like the Seckel, "a small and somewhat indifferent looking fruit."
Dots: Whitish specks; small gray dots sprinkled over the skin (Hedrick). Hovey describes the skin as covered with dark greenish specks.
Flesh and flavor: Juicy and melting, very melting, with juice very abundant (Hedrick); somewhat buttery (Downing). Hovey gives the flesh as rather coarse and yellowish. Hedrick gives it greenish-white and fine, rather granular below the core.
Flavor sweet, sugary to "exceedingly sugary" and "very saccharine," with "a very high, perfumed flavor" (Thomas). Hovey calls it "rich, sugary and sprightly, with a delicious spicy perfume," and Downing "vinous, aromatic, and pleasantly perfumed." Hedrick describes the juice as vinous and acidulous, "with a most delicate flavor." Hovey says it partakes much of the character of the Seckel. Downing says that in flavor it is only equaled by the Seckel, which ripens six weeks later. Among summer pears, Hovey says it is "scarcely equalled in its spicy and luscious flavor," and Thomas that "for rich flavor, it has scarcely an equal." Quality "Best" (Downing, followed by Budd and Hansen), "first" (Hedrick), "of high excellence" (Thomas); "a very fine flavour" (Agassiz).
Core and seeds: Core small. Seeds small, pale brown (Hovey); ovate pointed (Elliott).
Season
A summer or early autumn pear. The recorded season runs from the middle of August (Downing) to the middle of September. Most authors give the last of August, and Hovey ripe the last of August and beginning of September.
Uses
Not described in source.
Subtypes / Variants
Not described in source.
Other
Figured as Fig. 690 in Thomas's American Fruit Culturist.
Book Sources
Described in 6 period pomological works
- Budd & Hansen, Systematic Pomology (1914)
- Elliott, The Western Fruit Book (1865)
- Hedrick, The Pears of New York (1921)
- Thomas, The American Fruit Culturist (1903)
- Downing, Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900) — listed as Rostiezek
- Hovey, The Fruits of America (1852) — listed as The Rostiezer Pear
Nursery Catalog Sources
Found in 4 catalogs (1849–1900) from Massachusetts, Oregon
- Hovey & Co. , Cambridge , Massachusetts — 1849
- St. Helena Nursery , Howell Prairie, Marion County, OR (Marion Co., Ogn.) — 1864
- Woodburn Nurseries , Woodburn, Marion Co. , Oregon — 1894
- Central Experimental Farm , Dominion Department of Agriculture, Agassiz, British Columbia (under test; Bulletin No. 3, Second Series) — 1900
View original book sources (7)
— C.M. Hovey, The Fruits of America (1852)THE ROSTIEZER PEAR.
Rostiezer. Manning's Book of Fruits, 1st series, 1838, No. 23.
The late Mr. Manning introduced this fine pear to the notice of cultivators. It was one among a number of new varieties obtained from France, and he briefly described it in the Book of Fruits, as above quoted. Subsequently, and after further trial, he gave an account of it in the Magazine of Horticulture, (vol. vi. p. 89,) and, from specimens received from him in 1840, we fully described it in the same work, (vol. ix. p. 135,) accompanied with a correct outline engraving, which we have now reproduced. As a summer or early autumn pear, it is scarcely equalled in its spicy and luscious flavor, partaking much of the character of the Seckel. Like the latter variety, it is a small and somewhat indifferent looking fruit, but, from its other fine qualities, holding the highest rank among the choicest pears.
The origin of the Rostiezer is unknown. It was received from the nurseries of Messrs. Baumann, of Bollwiller, on the Rhine, and it is undoubtedly a German pear, introduced by them, — as their collection contains several other varieties whose names are confined to their catalogue. Mr. Manning imported it in 1834 or '35, and it first fruited in 1837 or '38. Since then, it has been considerably disseminated, but its merits do not appear to have been fully appreciated until the last four or five years. The list of first-rate early pears is extremely limited, but, with a few such additions as the Rostiezer and Tyson, the season, between the ripening of the Madeleine, or the Doyenne d'Ete and the Williams's Bon Chretien, would be well supplied with some of the richest pears.
The Rostiezer, we have already remarked, is a rather small pear, being scarcely as large as the Madeleine. The tree, however, is an abundant bearer, the fruit being produced in clusters. It is of vigorous, strong, and healthy growth, but with a spreading and irregular habit, and usually bears the fourth or fifth year. It succeeds well upon the quince or pear stock.
Tree. — Vigorous, of erect growth while young, but assuming, in a few years, an irregular, spreading, and partially drooping habit. Our engraving is from a tree in Mr. Manning's collection, in full bearing, eight or nine years old.
Wood. — Clear reddish brown, dotted with russet specks, strong, stout, and short-jointed; old wood slightly rough, dull reddish brown, with prominent whitish specks; buds medium size, shortly pointed, diverging, with rather prominent shoulders: Flower-buds medium size.
Leaves. — Medium size, roundish ovate, generally broadest near the middle, and tapering to each end; thick, dull dark green, somewhat incurved at the edges, and finely but rather obtusely serrated; petioles moderately stout, about one and a half inches long.
Flowers. — Medium size; petals cupped.
Fruit. — Medium size; in large specimens, about two inches long, and one and three quarter inches in diameter: Form, regular, pyramidal, full at the crown, tapering regularly to a point at the stem: Skin, slightly rough, dull russety green, broadly tinged with dull red, somewhat russeted on the sunny side, and covered with dark greenish specks: Stem, very long, about one and a half inches, slender, slightly knobby, and obliquely inserted on one side, with a slight cavity beneath: Eye, rather large, open, scarcely depressed, surrounded with uneven angles or projections; segments of the calyx short: Flesh, rather coarse, yellowish, very melting and juicy: Flavor, rich, sugary and sprightly, with a delicious spicy perfume: Core, small: Seeds, small, pale brown.
Ripe the last of August and beginning of September.
— F.R. Elliott, The Western Fruit Book (1865)ROSTIEZER.
Foreign. Tree, strong, upright grower, large foliage, dark olive-colored wood ; an early, free, abundant bearer ; succeeds on Quince.
Fruit, below medium, obovate pyriform : color, dull green, reddish brown cheek in sun : whitish specks, and traces of thin russet : stem, long, slender, without depression; calyx, medium, open; basin, very shallow; core, small ; seeds, ovate pointed ; flesh, juicy, melting, sweet, perfumed. Last of August.
— A.J. Downing, The Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900)ROSTIEZEK.
A foreign variety, which is scarcely medium in size and has not generally much beauty of color, yet combines an assemblage of excellences that places it in the rank before any other of its season. The young trees produce but few shoots of strong growth, and require severe shortening to bring them into a fine symmetric form. The color of the young wood is dark olive brown. It is healthy and vigorous in its habit, an early and most profuse bearer, and in flavor is only equalled by the Seckel, which ripens six weeks later.
Fruit medium or below, obovate oblong pyriform. Skin dull yellow green, mixed with reddish brown on the sunny side. Stalk long and slender, curved, and inserted with very little depression. Calyx open, persistent. Basin small and corrugated. Flesh juicy, melting, somewhat buttery, exceedingly sugary, vinous, aromatic, and pleasantly perfumed. Best. Middle of August to middle of September.
— John J. Thomas, The American Fruit Culturist (1903)Rostiezer.*
Rather small, sometimes medium in size; conic-pyriform, approaching obovate, nearly Madeleine-shaped, regular; skin dull brownish green, with a dark, dull, reddish brown cheek to the sun, with whitish specks, and traces of thin russet; stalk an inch and a half to two inches long, slender, scarcely sunk; basin little or none; flesh juicy, melting, sweet, with a very high, perfumed flavor, of high excellence. Ripens late in summer. For rich flavor, it has scarcely an equal among summer pears. Shoots dark, large, leaves broad. Fig. 690. Europe.
— J.L. Budd & N.E. Hansen, American Horticultural Manual, Part II: Systematic Pomology (1914)Rostiezer.—Small to medium, obovate, oblong pyriform; color yellowish green with reddish brown on sunny side, and traces of thin russet; stalk one and one-half to two inches long, slender, inserted in slight cavity; basin slight. Flesh juicy, melting, sweet, perfumed; quality best. It is often received from Colorado and Utah as the "Early Seckel." Europe.
— U.P. Hedrick, The Pears of New York (1921)Rostiezer.
i. Manning Book of Fruits 72. 1838. Origin uncertain. It was, however, received from A. N. Baumann, Bollweiler, Alsace, by R. Manning, Salem, Mass., in 1834 or 1835. Often called Early Seckel in the west. Fruit medium or below, pyriform, regular in form, grass-green on the shaded side, reddish on the exposed face and sprinkled with small gray dots; flesh greenish-white, fine, melting, rather granular below the core; juice very abundant, vinous, acidulous, very saccharine, with a most delicate flavor; first; last of Aug.
— Central Experimental Farm, Central Experimental Farm, Agassiz BC — Catalogue of Fruit Trees under Test (Bulletin No. 3, 1900) (1900)Planted Spring 1890. Tree a medium grower. Fruit below medium in size, oblong, pyriform. Skin yellowish green, with dull red on the sunny side. Flesh juicy, melting, sugary, with a very fine flavour. Season last of August.