39. ST. GERMAINE.

Is a fine winter pear, by many erroneously called the green Chissel, (which is a summer pear) the size is large, of an irregular form, generally diminished towards the stem, and sometimes towards the crown---the skin is green till fully ripe, and very thick, whence it is often called the walnut pear---the stem is short and generally planted in an oblique direction, the crown is large and not much sunk; the flesh is very highly flavoured, rich, juicy and sprightly beyond any other pear when the season is favourable; it ripens in November in a close warm situation, it is frequently kept till late in the winter by care and attention. It is to be regretted that the tree is very subject to the fire blight, so destructive of the finest and most delicate pears in this country—it would be highly useful to the cultivators of fruit could the cause or cure for this evil be discovered; whether it be founded in any peculiarity of our climate, or in the long duration of the variety, is a point which has not been satisfactorily ascertained—the tree is of singular growth, very dark and thick foliage, the leaves being furrowed through the centre, and arched by a contraction of the middle tendon.

[Additional entry in this volume: "St. Germain", pp. 309–311]

39. ST. GERMAINE.

Is a fine winter pear, by many erroneously called the green Chissel, (which is a summer pear) the size is large, of an irregular form, generally diminished towards the stem, and sometimes towards the crown; the skin is green till fully ripe, and very thick, whence it is often called the walnut pear; the stem is short and generally planted in an oblique direction, the crown is large and not much sunk; the flesh is very highly flavoured, rich, juicy and sprightly beyond any other pear when the season is favourable; it ripens in November in a close warm situation, it is frequently kept till late in the winter by care and attention. It is to be regretted that the tree is very subject to the fire blight, so destructive of the finest and most delicate pears in this country; it would be highly useful to the cultivators of fruit could the cause or cure for this evil be discovered; whether it be founded in any peculiarity of our climate, or in the long duration of the variety, is a point which has not been satisfactorily ascertained; the tree is of singular growth, very dark and thick foliage, the leaves being furrowed through the centre, and arched by a contraction of the middle tendon.

— William Coxe, A View of the Cultivation of Fruit Trees (1817)

St. Germain. Large, long pyriform, small specimens obovate; surface yellowish-green, faintly tinged with brown to the sun; stalk an inch long, oblique; basin small and shallow; flesh white, slightly gritty, juicy, melting, sub-acid. Fails in many localities, and becomes a poor fruit. Late autumn and early winter. Shoots slender, light olive, leaves narrow, folded, and recurved. The striped St. Germain is a sub-variety, differing only in its faint yellow stripes.

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

ST. GERMAIN. Decaisne, IV., 4. Culinary, December to January, medium, 4 by 3, long conical or calebasse, uneven, one side rather swollen. Skin, smooth. Colour, grass green changing to pale greenish yellow, covered with minute russet dots and a little russet round stem. Flesh, whitish, fairly fine grained, extra juicy, very richly perfumed. Eye, open in a very shallow basin. Stem, ¾ in., woody, generally at an angle, on surface. Growth, vigorous, hardy; fertility moderate. Leaf, long oval, a little upfolded, finely serrate, held up. Origin, this was found growing wild in the banks of the river Fare at St. Germain-d'Arca, and was known to writers in the seventeenth century. This pear has been somewhat abused, but when grown on light soil it is of good quality and still worth trying.

— E.A. Bunyard, A Handbook of Hardy Fruits (1920)