I agree that there is something fishy with the legal protections on this pear. I attempted to look up the patent/patent application to no avail. Also, I did look up the trademark and found this:
When I first bought my DH directly from the grower five or six years ago, I mentioned that I suspected that it was actually a common Asian pear, but the seller (Gurney’s and Henry Fields at that time) had just slapped a fancy name on it for marketing purposes. He wasn’t so sure. Seems like he had some paperwork on it, but I can’t recall any specifics now.
I also ordered a drippin’ honey this spring from gurneys, along with a chojuro and they were shipped right away. I stuck them in the ground March 13. Fortunately the ground was nicely workable, but it wouldn’t always be that way so early. We still had more winter (very cold and snow) after that. The chojuro grew like a weed, but the drippin’ honey stalled and didn’t do much. It looked healthy though. Both of these pears were planted in an old sheep/pig pen, so the soil is super rich. I expect next year it could go crazy, but I was surprised it didn’t take off this year like my other asian pears.
Did you buy it was the standard or semi-dwarf? I ordered 2 semi-dwarf this past spring. One I potted to give to a friend and one for my own yard. Mine grew very vigorously and wouldn’t stop, but the one I gifted stalled mid-summer onward. I’m glad I bought them when I did, because it looks like Gurney’s raised their prices on this variety for the upcoming year.
I bought standard. I planted enough trees that I can’t recall exactly how the roots looked but I seem to recall thinking they weren’t too bad. I was hoping it would go nuts so I would have some scionwood
Mine only had a couple of large woody roots. It’s amazing how these things can survive the trauma of being ripped from the ground and having most of their roots hacked off.
Just one thing, they are too ripe. It was the first time i harvest nashi pear and didn’t know when i should do it. The skin is too brown because of that.
20th Century (nijisseiki) does not have clear skin like in that photo. (I think the pears in the pic were touched up like a model on a magazine cover )
Even 20th Century has lenticels that are not big or bumpy. Sometimes they ripen even before they turned yellow.