SUDDUTH

1. Ill. Hort. Soc. Rpt. 144, Pl. 1894. 2. Mich. Hort. Soc. Rpt. 141. 1894. 3. Can. Hort. 19:126, figs. 936 and 937. 1896. 4. Gard. Chron. 3rd Ser. 19:108. 1896. 5. Ill. Hort. Soc. Rpt. 9. 1897. 6. Budd-Hansen Am. Hort. Man. 2:264. 1903.

Sudduth has little to recommend it for New York or eastern pear regions, but it is a standard sort in parts of the Mississippi Valley. The characters which give it a place in the pear flora of the region just named are remarkable freedom from blight, hardiness to cold and heat, capacity to withstand drought, early bearing, and great productiveness. The fruits are neither attractive in appearance nor high in quality — hardly fit for dessert, being but a grade or two better than the disreputable Kieffer. Like those of the Kieffer, however, the fruits do very well for all culinary purposes. They do not keep well as they soften at the center soon after becoming edible. The trees are said to be nearly as hardy as those of the wild crab-apple. The variety is desirable only where hardiness and freedom from blight are prime requisites.

The Sudduth pear was introduced about 1895, although the parent tree was at that time fully seventy years old. It originated from seed planted by Thomas Constant in 1820, in Sangamon County, Illinois. Later, Judge Stephen A. Logan of Springfield, Abraham Lincoln's first law partner, acquired the property on which the tree stood and from him Titus Sudduth bought the place in 1862. Sudduth was so impressed with the fruit that he had trees propagated by Augustine and Company, Normal, Illinois, and disseminated under his name.

Tree large, vigorous, upright becoming quite spreading, open-topped, hardy, productive; trunk stocky, shaggy; branches thick, smooth, dull reddish-brown, almost entirely covered with gray scarf-skin, sprinkled with numerous large, raised lenticels; branchlets slender, curved, long, with long internodes, dull reddish-brown, overspread with thin gray scarf-skin which is mingled with green, dull, smooth, glabrous, with conspicuous, raised lenticels.

Leaf-buds small, pointed, appressed, somewhat flattened. Leaves 3 in. long, 1½ in. wide, thin, velvety; apex taper-pointed; margin glandless, finely serrate; petiole 2 in. long, slender, tinged red, glabrous. Flower-buds small, short, conical, free, singly on very short spurs; flowers late, 1¼ in. across, in dense clusters, average 8 buds in a cluster; pedicels ¾ in. long, thick, pubescent.

Fruit ripe in late September and October; medium or below in size, 2¼ in. long, 2¼ in. wide, roundish-oblate, slightly conical toward the apex; stem ¾ in. long, slender; cavity acute, deep, narrow, smooth, sometimes lipped; calyx large, open; lobes separated at the base, long, acute; basin very shallow, narrow, obtuse, occasionally wrinkled; skin thin, tough, smooth, dull; color light green, without blush; dots very small, russet or greenish, very obscure; flesh greenish-white, firm, crisp, rather dry, subacid; quality medium to poor. Core large, closed, axile, with meeting core-lines; calyx-tube wide, conical; carpels ovate; seeds variable in size, wide, flat, obtuse.

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

SUDDUTH. Sudduth has little to recommend it for eastern pear regions, but it is a standard sort in parts of the Mississippi Valley. The characters which give it a place in the pear flora of the region just named are: remarkable freedom from blight; hardiness to cold and heat; capacity to withstand drought; early bearing; and great productiveness. The fruits are neither attractive in appearance nor high in quality—hardly fit for dessert, being but a grade or two better than the disreputable Kieffer. Like those of the Kieffer, however, they do very well for all culinary purposes. The pears do not keep well, as they soften at the center soon after becoming edible. The trees are nearly as hardy as those of the wild crab-apple. The variety is desirable only where hardiness and freedom from blight are prime requisites.

Sudduth was introduced about 1895, although the parent tree was at that time fully seventy years old. It originated from seed planted by Thomas Constant in 1820, in Sangamon County, Illinois.

Tree large, vigorous, upright-spreading, open-topped, hardy, productive; trunk stocky, shaggy; branches thick, smooth, dull reddish-brown, sprinkled with numerous large, raised lenticels. Leaves 3 inches long, 1¾ inches wide, thin, velvety; apex taper-pointed; margin glandless, finely serrate; petiole 1¼ inches long, slender, tinged red, glabrous. Flowers late, 1½ inches across, in dense clusters, average 7 buds in a cluster. Fruit ripe in late September-October; medium or below in size, 2¼ inches long, 2¾ inches wide, roundish-oblate, slightly conical toward the apex; stem ¾ inch long, slender; cavity acute, deep, narrow, smooth, sometimes lipped; calyx large, open; lobes separated at the base, long, acute; basin very shallow, narrow, obtuse, occasionally wrinkled; skin thin, tough, smooth, dull; color light green, without blush; dots very small, russet or greenish, very obscure; flesh greenish-white, firm, crisp, rather dry, subacid; quality medium to poor; core large, closed, axile, with meeting core-lines; calyx wide, conical; carpels ovate; seeds variable in size, wide, flat, obtuse.

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