Rutter.

Raised by John Rutter, of Westchester, Pa. Tree a moderate grower, a good bearer, with young wood of a dull olive yellow brown color.

Fruit medium to large, nearly globular, remotely pyriform. Skin rough, greenish yellow, sprinkled and netted with russet, and numerous russet dots. Stalk large, long, and woody. Cavity small. Calyx small, closed. Segments narrow, nearly erect. Basin rather small, uneven. Flesh white, moderately juicy, half fine, somewhat gritty, nearly melting, sweet, slightly vinous. Very good. October, November.

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

Rutter. Medium, round obovate, greenish-yellow; partly melting, sweet; very good. October. West Chester, Pa.

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

Rutter. — Quite large, roundish, pyriform; color yellow, sprinkled, and netted with russet and small irregular dots; stalk one inch long, stout, inclined, curved, and inserted in narrow abrupt cavity; basin shallow and broad. Flesh white, quite juicy, half fine, buttery, with sweet vinous flavor, quality good. Double or single starred across the continent. Pennsylvania.

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

RUTTER

1. Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt. 131. 1867. 2. Am. Pom. Soc. Cat. 24. 1869. 3. Downing Fr. Trees Am. 848, fig. 1869.

Rutter does not seem to have made a very high place for itself in the country at large, but about Geneva, New York, it is a most excellent late autumn variety. The pears are good or very good in quality, rather attractive, keep well, ship well, and sell well to those who know the variety. The trees have a combination of good characters that commend them most highly. Thus, they are comparatively immune to blight, enormously productive, bear early, grow rapidly, live long, and are hardy. The fruits hang exceptionally well to the trees, so that the variety is a valuable one for exposed situations. Rutter can be recommended for both home and market plantations.

This variety was raised by John Rutter, West Chester, Pennsylvania, from seed of Léon Leclerc (Van Mons) about sixty years ago. It was approved by the Committee on New Native Fruits of the American Pomological Society in 1867. This Society placed the variety on its list of recommended fruits in 1869.

Tree large, vigorous, upright, dense-topped, rapid-growing, productive; trunk stocky; branches thick, reddish-brown, covered with gray scarf-skin, sprinkled with very conspicuous lenticels; branchlets long, light brown mingled with green and streaked with ash-gray scarf-skin, smooth, glabrous, with small, conspicuous, raised lenticels.

Leaf-buds long, conical, pointed, plump, free. Leaves 3½ in. long, 1½ in. wide, thick, leathery; apex taper-pointed; margin nearly glandless, almost entire; petiole ¾ in. long, glabrous, reddish-green. Flower-buds medium in size and length, conical, plump, free, singly on short spurs; flowers very showy, 1¼ in. across, almost in racemes, 6 or 8 buds in a cluster; pedicels 1½ in. long, pubescent.

Fruit matures in late October and early November; large, 3½ in. long, 3 in. wide, roundish-obtuse-pyriform, with a very thick, blunt neck, with unequal sides; stem ¾ in. long, thick, woody; cavity acuminate, unusually large, deep, russeted, occasionally furrowed and wrinkled, slightly lipped; calyx small, open; lobes separated at the base, short, narrow, acute; basin deep, obtuse, smooth, symmetrical; skin thick, gritty, roughish, dull; color yellow, overspread with light russet, mottled and flecked with russet; dots numerous, small, russet, conspicuous; flesh whitish, granular at the center, tender and melting, juicy, aromatic, sweet but refreshing; quality good to very good. Core small, closed, abaxile, with meeting core-lines; calyx-tube long, conical; seeds small, roundish, plump, obtuse.

[Additional entry in this volume: "Ritter", pp. 702–702]

Ritter.

1. Mag. Hort. 23:106. 1857.

Dr. Brinckle, chairman of the Committee on Native Fruits of the American Pomological Society, reported in 1857 that specimens had been received from Louis Ritter, Reading, Pa. The tree from which they were obtained was purchased in the spring of 1851 for Seckel, but the tree instead of having a rounded head is pyramidal in growth. Fruit small, obovate, greenish-yellow, a good deal russeted, with occasionally a faint brown cheek; flesh fine texture, melting and buttery, saccharine, with the full Seckel aroma; best; Oct.

— U.P. Hedrick, The Pears of New York (1921)

RUTTER. Rutter is a most excellent late autumn variety. The pears are good or very good in quality, attractive, keep well, ship well, and sell well to those who know the variety. The trees have a combination of good characters that commend them most highly. Thus, they are comparatively immune to blight; enormously productive, though they have a tendency to bear every other year; bear early, grow rapidly, live long, and are hardy. The fruits hang exceptionally well to the trees, so that the variety is a valuable one for exposed situations. The variety can be recommended for both home and market plantations. This variety was raised by John Rutter, West Chester, Pennsylvania, from seed of Leon Leclerc about sixty years ago.

Tree large, vigorous, upright, dense-topped, rapid-growing, productive; trunk stocky; branches thick, reddish-brown, sprinkled with very conspicuous lenticels. Leaves 3½ inches long, 1½ inches wide, thick, leathery; apex taper-pointed; margin nearly glandless, almost entire; petiole 1½ inches long, glabrous, reddish-green. Flowers very showy, 1¼ inches across, almost in racemes, 6 or 8 buds in a cluster. Fruit matures in late October and early November; large, 3¼ inches long, 2½ inches wide, roundish-obtuse-pyriform, with a very thick, blunt neck, with unequal sides; stem ¾ inch long, thick, woody; cavity acuminate, unusually large, deep, russeted, occasionally furrowed and wrinkled, slightly lipped; calyx small, open; lobes separated at the base, short, narrow, acute; basin deep, obtuse, smooth, symmetrical; skin thick, gritty, roughish, dull; color yellow overspread with light-colored russet, mottled and flecked with russet; dots numerous, small, russet, conspicuous; flesh whitish, granular at the center, tender and melting, juicy, aromatic, sweet but refreshing; quality good to very good; core small, closed, abaxile, with meeting core-lines; calyx-tube long, conical; seeds small, almost roundish, plump, obtuse.

— U.P. Hedrick, Cyclopedia of Hardy Fruits (1922)