Clarkinks pear varieties growing in the orchard in 2023

@Fusion_power

Winter Nelis is spelled both ways as shown below. The single L spelling is more common. These 2 websites are examples.

Winter Nellis Pears Information, Recipes and Facts

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The single “L” spelling is correct. Do you have a list of pears you want to graft next spring? I’ve got 4 on my list already.

Like many others I was hit hard by the late freeze and probably some fireblight. Most of my varieties have a history of fireblight resistance so I will keep them. Clarks Small yellow pear didn’t have any freeze or FB damage. Dripping Honey also didn’t have any damage and it is a high quality pear that I will add more limbs of it.

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@Fusion_power

One thing i learned in pears is that nothing is correct. Pears can have many names it is not like English because it seldom is. People who speak English want to think of names in English. The thing is pears are not just English or does proper English apply. Accepting multiple names is part of it. In Chinese Li means pear. The way we say it and spell it is incorrect and inconsistent. The names below are what we use which are wrong

Daishi Li
Ya li
Pai li

Beurre means butter in French. Every pear starting with Beurre is simply calling them buttery pears. Eg.

Beurre Bosc
Beurre D’Anjou

In Belgian Beurre is Beurré eg.

Beurré Duval

The pears i’m adding for now are

Alexander Lucas
Bonne louise d’avranches pear
Gem
Bell

Frequently we are wrong even in English. We call williams bartlett as an example. It is the wrong name and we know that yet we use it. It does not really matter as long as we know what we mean. The more pears you grow and research the more you will understand the frustration of everything having 5 names and 3 being incorrect but more commonly used in certain circles. Consider the pear is called Williams in the area it came from and that its name is complex. I call it bartlett because here in the USA everyone learned it wrong. Would anyone know what i meant if i said Williams’ bon chrétien . The “Bon Chrétien” part is correct, and it means good christian.
440px-Williams_Bon_Chrétien_1822
There is very little more that we could do to be more incorrect on our knowledge and spelling of pears.

This is the full story
" The origins of this variety are uncertain. “Bon Chrétien” (Good Christian) is named after Francis of Paola, a holy man whom King Louis XI of France had called to his deathbed as a healer in 1483. Francis offered the king a pear seed from his native Calabria with instructions to plant and care. Hence the pear tree was called “Good Christian”. The Williams pear is thought to date from 1765 to 1770 from the yard of an Aldermaston, England, schoolmaster named John Stair,[1] giving rise to the now-obscure synonyms ‘Aldermaston’ pear and ‘Stairs’ pear. A nurseryman named Williams later acquired the variety, and after introducing it to the rest of England, the pear became known as the Williams Pear.[2] However, the pear’s full name is Williams’ Bon Chretien, or “Williams’ good Christian.”[2]

In 1799 James Carter imported several Williams trees into the United States, and they were planted on the grounds of Thomas Brewer in Roxbury, Massachusetts.[2] The Massachusetts estate was later acquired by Enoch Bartlett of Dorchester, Massachusetts. Unaware of their origin, Bartlett named the pears after himself and introduced the variety into the United States. It was not realised that Bartlett and Williams Pears were the same until 1828, when new trees arrived from Europe.[2] By that time the Bartlett variety had become vastly popular in the United States, and they are still generally known as Bartlett pears in the US and Canada, although there are about 150 other synonyms worldwide"

" Enoch Bartlett (1779–1860) was a merchant[1] and farmer from Dorchester, Massachusetts, who owned what had been Thomas Brewer’s farm in Roxbury. This farm had a field of pear trees, one of which had particularly fine fruit. Because it was thought to be a seedling tree, it became known by the name “Bartlett pear”,[2] but in 1828 a new batch of pear trees arrived from England, and it was realised that the Bartlett pear was the same as the Williams pear. By this time the name “Bartlett pear” had stuck, and is still the most common name for this type of pear in Canada and the United States."

@Auburn

The pear most people call “Clarks Small yellow pear” is delicious and is highly resistant to disease etc. It does not keep and it is hard pick it right which means it will never be a commercial pear. It is a pleasure to grow in many ways. My favorite thing is eating it fresh but that limits the number of them i can grow.

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Wow you have a lot of pear varieties. Which varieties do you like most for taste, preserving and easy of growth?

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I just want Bell… and i am tapering off after that.

It seems that Stark sells most of other Mr. Bell’s creations… perhaps they will sell this pear next year?

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@JesusisLordandChrist

The ones on the list are the ones i like best for now i have really cut back my collection. I used to grow these on @Fusion_power second list. Have grown many of the pears the USDA has in corvallis.

Harvest Queen
Hosui
Ledbetter
Plumblee
Shinko
Spalding

Fireblight has been an ongoing problem i’m fighting and many varities are being cut or have been cut. A few painful examples i cut out are
White doyenne
Dana hovey
Forelle

Have several hundred bearing age pear trees but many were top worked again this year.

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@krismoriah

We are both hoping Bell is available to us for testing next year. We proably better order this fall. It would be years before i add blocks of it if ever. Like sunrise a tree or two is plenty for now. I’m going to have to find some more winners with expired patents next year.

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I have a Plumblee as well as a grafted branch, but I haven’t read much about it from growers other than one or two lost it to fireblight. It’s been clean so far for me, but no fruit yet. I have Arthur Ledbetter pear. I know there is also a John Ledbetter pear. I’m not sure if one of those is the same or different than your Ledbetter. A number of mine seem to have been hit by rust. I haven’t inspected all my trees, but Moonglow seems to be the only one that didn’t have it so far (only a limited number have fruit this year).

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@blueKYstream

Arthur Ledbetter is the one i have tried growing. Was unaware of another ledbetter. Ledbetter is a fireblight resistant canning pear. Plumblee does get fireblight and i have lost trees of plumblee to fireblight.

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I currently have 4 pear trees, I feel inferior :joy:

A mature monster.bartlet planted in the mid 70’s never had fire fire blight, my neighbor planted it. 1 year old sunrise and moonglow and an unknown pear semi dwarf. Also planted in the mid 70’s. The unknown and Bartlet both have a nice pear load. Hoping you all can assist with identification on the unknown come harvest time.

Thank you for providing your favorites. I have 10 OHxF97 roots stocks potted for grafting come March. In the mean time I’ll research your list and purchase scions for the ones that I find appealing when scions come available.

Now harvesting the Bartlet… I’ll probably need a man lift, the tree is tall and huge.

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@JesusisLordandChrist

Will continue to reduce my pears on the list to mostly fireblight resistant varities only. I have grown hundreds of different pears but most do not work out for this area. The only reason i grow that many is to figure out the ones i actually want. It has been a great priveledge to have the oppurtunity to see and taste so many types. Frequently leave many off the list by accident. The reason their is a list at all is because i just finished top working lots of different pears.

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I have
Yali
Chojuro
Hosui
20th Century
Daisui
Hood for European
I’m thinking of adding Warren in the fall.

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Pears are my favorite fruit. Store bought pears :-1:, tree ripe pears :+1:. I still have several gallon baggies of tree ripe bartlet in the deep freezer. I occasionally grab a bag throw it in the refrigerator to eat with breakfast. My wife makes a awesome low sugar pear preserve :yum:

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In awe of the number of pear varieties you’re growing. Must be so interesting to be able to taste all those varieties fresh.

I’ve got Summercrisp, Red Clapp’s Favourite, Honeysweet and Shinseiki. I haven’t tasted the Honeysweet yet as it’s only 2 years old.

Summercrisp is a fantastic pear, you can eat it right off the tree and it’s crisp like an Asian pear. It’s flavour improves in storage but is past its prime after a few weeks. It’s supposedly resistant to fireblight.

Red Clapp’s is very good, though it needs to be picked at the perfect time. Too soon and it will not ripen, too late and it’s mushy in the middle. If you can get it just right it’s amazing. Supposedly not resistant to fireblight.

Shinseiki is ok, the tree has struggled a bit in my harsh winters. The fruit is ok. I like Asian pears but I prefer Euros if I had to choose.

I’ve got a bit of space left so might add one more pear next year. I’m up north so I’m trying to decide between Dewdrop, Patten, Harrow Crisp or Nova.

Some pics of my trees for interest:




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Thank you for the photos :slightly_smiling_face:

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I only have three pear trees, you have more than I have planted. :+1: I am way behind in the pear tree numbers.

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My existing potted pears: abate fetel and beurre hardy (no fruit yet, they’re still pretty young)

Newly planted in ground: duchesse d’angouleme, harrow sweet, maxine, chojuro, korean giant, drippin’ honey.

I would love to add a perry pear, but am wary of disease susceptibility (need to do more research).

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I have Hood, Warren, and a mislabeled tree being replaced by Seckel this coming winter.

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My pears as of Spring, '23

Pear on OHxF97:
Beurre Bosc
Clapps Favorite
German A
Japanese Golden Russet
Moonglow
Patten
Spartlett
Summer Blood
Summer Crisp

Pear on '87
Burford
German A
Japanese Golden Russet
Luscious (3)
Moonglow
Patten
Spartlett
Summer Blood
Summer Crisp

Pear on '333
Ayers (4)
Bartlett (3)
Beurre Bosc
Clapps Favorite
German A
Japanese Golden Russet
Kieffer (3)
Magness (3)
Moonglow (3)
Nova (3)
Patten

Pear on Quince:
Luscious
Moonglow
Patten
Spartlett
Summer Blood
20th Century / Nijiseiki
Winter Nellis

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