Saint Ghislain
Pear
Saint Ghislain Pear
Origin/History
The Saint Ghislain was raised at the village of Jammappe (Jammapes), Hainaut, Belgium, by M. Dorlain, and was subsequently propagated by Van Mons and others (Hedrick; Hovey). It is listed in the London Horticultural Society Catalogue, 2nd edition, 1832, and is also mentioned in Kenrick's American Orchardist (Hovey). The variety does not appear to have been much known among French nurserymen (Hovey).
It was first introduced to American collections by the late Samuel G. Perkins, Esq., of Brookline, Massachusetts, who fruited it several years before 1852 and repeatedly exhibited specimens before the Massachusetts Horticultural Society, praising it highly and recommending it to amateur cultivators as one of the best autumn pears. Perkins imported his tree from France, and all trees then cultivated in America were believed to have originated from that source (Hovey). Downing also lists this variety under the name Quinnipiac.
Tree
The tree is remarkable for its uprightness and the great beauty and vigor of its growth (Downing). It is moderately vigorous, very erect in its growth, forming a regular and handsome pyramid; in the nursery it is a rapid though somewhat slender grower, making very upright shoots and attaining, when of full size, the prim appearance of a Lombardy poplar (Hovey). Annual shoots are long, straight, and rather slender (Hovey).
It is not an early bearer, the trees showing but little disposition to form flower buds until they have arrived at a good size, after which it produces abundantly. It does not grow very freely upon the quince; on the thorn, however, it thrives exceedingly well (Hovey).
Wood and buds: Young shoots olive brown, with oblong white specks (Downing); or, more fully: light olive brown, dotted with minute grayish specks, rather slender. Old wood grayish olive. Buds medium size, long, nearly erect, with moderately sized shoulders. Flower-buds medium size, ovate, pointed (Hovey).
Leaves: Small, narrow, ovate, thin, dark green, little recurved on the midrib, folded inwards on the sides, and finely and sharply serrated. Petioles long, one to one and a half inches in length, slender (Hovey).
Flowers: Medium size; petals cupped (Hovey).
Fruit
Size: Medium (Downing; Hedrick; Hovey); about two and a half inches long and two inches in diameter (Hovey). Comparable in size and general appearance to the Tyson or Capiaumont (Hovey).
Form: Downing describes the form as pyriform, tapering to the stalk. Hovey describes it as pyramidal, largest at the crown, regularly tapering into the stem. Hedrick, however, gives a considerably different account: irregular, globular gourd-shaped and swelled in its lower part, or elongated gourd-shaped and sometimes regular turbinate, always diminishing acutely to the stalk. Downing notes that the fruit joins to the stalk by fleshy rings.
Stem: About one and a half inches in length (Downing; Hovey), slender, smooth, curved, fleshy, and wrinkled at its junction with the fruit, and forced into an oblique direction by a slight protuberance on one side (Hovey).
Calyx: Rather small, open (Downing). The segments of the calyx are long and pointed (Hovey).
Basin: Downing describes the basin as shallow; Hovey describes the eye as rather deeply set in a round basin. [These two accounts conflict on basin depth.]
Skin: Downing describes the skin as pale clear yellow with a few gray specks. Hovey gives a fuller description: fair, smooth, pale yellow when mature, tinged with bright red in the sun, the whole surface covered with russety specks, darkest and thickest where exposed. Hedrick's account differs materially: rather thick and rough, grass-green, covered all over with large gray dots and shaded with dull red on the side exposed to the sun. [Hovey and Downing agree the mature skin is pale yellow; Hedrick describes it as grass-green. Hovey describes the surface as smooth with russety specks; Hedrick describes it as rough with large gray dots.]
Flesh and Flavor
Flesh white (Downing; Hedrick) or yellowish white (Hovey), fine (Hovey; Hedrick), buttery and melting (Downing; Hovey). Hedrick qualifies the texture as fine or semi-fine, melting or semi-melting, and describes the flesh as watery — a characterization not used by Downing or Hovey, who both call it buttery. Juice very saccharine, vinous, with a delicious perfume and an after-taste of musk; first quality (Hedrick). Flavor rich, sprightly, and refreshing, with a delicious perfume (Hovey; Downing). Hovey characterizes it as an exceedingly melting, rich, and high-flavored fruit, as beautiful as it is excellent, with a remarkably fair and golden yellow skin. Downing rates it good to very good, noting that when in perfection it is of the highest quality, but on some soils it is a little variable.
Core and Seeds
Core small (Downing; Hovey). Seeds medium size, roundish, light brown (Hovey).
Season
Downing: September and October. Hovey: ripe the middle of September, keeps into October. Hedrick: end of August. [Hedrick's season conflicts with Downing and Hovey, who both place ripening in mid-September.]
Uses
Praised by early American cultivators as one of the best autumn pears. Recommended to amateur cultivators (Hovey). Particularly fine specimens were grown on thorn rootstock by A. Lackey, a fruit cultivator of Marblehead, Massachusetts, who exhibited them successively for four or five years at the Massachusetts Horticultural Society (Hovey).
Other
Not described in source.
Book Sources
Described in 3 period pomological works
View original book sources (3)
— A.J. Downing, The Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900)Saint Ghislain.
Quinnipiac.
A most excellent Belgian Pear. When in perfection it is of the highest quality, but on some soils it is a little variable. The tree is remarkable for its uprightness, and the great beauty and vigor of its growth. Young shoots olive brown, with oblong white specks.
Fruit of medium size, pyriform, tapering to the stalk, to which it joins by fleshy rings. Skin pale clear yellow, with a few gray specks. Stalk an inch and a half long, curved. Calyx rather small, open, set in a shallow basin. Core small. Flesh white, buttery, and juicy, with a rich sprightly flavor. Good to very good. September, October.
— U.P. Hedrick, The Pears of New York (1921)Saint Ghislain.
- Hovey Fr. Am. 2:45, fig. 1851.
- Leroy Diet. Pom. 2:629, fig. 1869.
This pear was raised at the village of Jammapes, Hainaut, Bel., by M. Dorlain and was propagated by Van Mons and others. Fruit medium; form irregular, globular gourd-shaped and swelled in its lower part or elongated gourd-shaped and sometimes regular turbinate, always, however, diminishing acutely to the stalk; skin rather thick and rough, grass-green, covered all over with large gray dots and shaded with dull red on the side exposed to the sun; flesh white, fine or semi-fine, melting or semi-melting, watery; juice very saccharine, vinous, with a delicious perfume and an after-taste of musk; first; end of Aug.
— C.M. Hovey, The Fruits of America (1852)THE SAINT GHISLAIN PEAR.
Saint Ghislain. London Hort. Soc. Catalogue, 2d Ed. 1832.
The Saint Ghislain pear was first introduced to our collections by the late Saml. G. Perkins, Esq. of Brookline, who fruited it several years ago, and repeatedly exhibited specimens before the Massachusetts Horticultural Society. He praised it highly, and recommended it to amateur cultivators as one of the best of our autumn pears. It is unnecessary to say it fully sustains the reputation it acquired while in Mr. Perkins's collection. It is not a large pear, being about the size, and of the general appearance, of the Tyson or Capiaumont, but it is an exceedingly melting, rich and high flavored fruit, and as beautiful as it is excellent, having a remarkably fair and golden yellow skin.
Besides the brief description of it in the Catalogue of the London Horticultural Society, above quoted, we cannot find any account of it in any accessible work, except in Mr. Kenrick's American Orchardist, where its origin is attributed to M. Dorlain, of Belgium. Mr. Perkins imported his tree from France, and we believe we are correct when we state that all the trees now cultivated here have originated from that source. It does not appear to be much known among the French nurserymen. When it was raised from seed, or how long it has been in cultivation, we have been unable to learn.
The Saint Ghislain is a rapid though somewhat slender growing tree in the nursery, making very upright shoots, and attaining, when of full size, the prim appearance of a Lombardy poplar. It is not an early bearer, the trees showing but little disposition to form flower buds until they have arrived at a good size: it then produces abundantly. It does not grow very freely upon the quince. On the thorn, however, it thrives exceedingly well, and Mr. A. Lackey, a fruit cultivator of Marblehead, Mass., has shown, successively, for four or five years, at the exhibitions of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society, the most beautiful specimens raised on that stock, and our drawing is made from one of his pears. Whether it will be any object to cultivate it on the thorn remains to be seen; we only mention it to show what it has already done.
Tree. — Moderately vigorous, very erect in its growth, forming a regular and handsome pyramid; annual shoots, long, straight, and rather slender.
Wood. — Light olive brown, dotted with minute grayish specks, rather slender; old wood, grayish olive; buds, medium size, long, nearly erect, with moderately sized shoulders: Flower-buds, medium size, ovate, pointed.
Leaves. — Small, narrow, ovate, thin, dark green, little recurved on the midrib, folded inwards on the sides, and finely and sharply serrated; petioles, long, one to one and a half inches in length, slender.
Flowers. — Medium size; petals cupped.
Fruit. — Medium size, about two and a half inches long, and two inches in diameter: Form, pyramidal, largest at the crown, regularly tapering into the stem: Skin, fair, smooth, pale yellow when mature, tinged with bright red in the sun, the whole surface covered with russety specks, darkest and thickest where exposed: Stem, long, about one and a half inches in length, slender, smooth, curved, fleshy, and wrinkled at its junction with the fruit, and forced into an oblique direction by a slight protuberance on one side: Eye, small, open, and rather deeply set in a round basin; segments of the calyx, long and pointed: Flesh, yellowish white, fine, buttery, melting, and juicy: Flavor, rich, sprightly, and refreshing, with a delicious perfume: Core, small: Seeds, medium size, roundish, light brown.
Ripe the middle of September and keeps into October.