You would think that but i assume its pretty humid inside a flower no matter what, and my assumption is since our uv index is 40% higher and we have higher spring daytime temperatures than most areas as well that creates a pretty rough Fireblight area. FB made apple orchards basically all fail around here in the 20’s and even the western slope which has a much nicer climate for fruit than say the front range Denver boulder area. Its my understanding even the settlers knew that after 10-15 years of apple plantings 75%+ would die and ranchers had a hard time finding food source for large amounts of hogs which is why chickens and cattle did much better here.
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If you like the flavor of bosc consider docteur desportes and others that taste like bosc but with more disease tolerance What rare pears should i order from the usda in 2020? - #8 by clarkinks
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Richard- I grew up in Westminster, CO. Our housing development was built on top of a former orchard.
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Nice, i was right near by in Golden which now fully touches boulder. Lafayette and broomfield are just fully metro now its crazy. Was it sour cherries?
We were told it was apple orchard. I remember when Louisville was a run down old mining town- now it’s trendy. Boulder has become Aspen.
I mentioned sour cherries because in the sixties there was a huge snap frost and it killed most(90%+) of the sour cherries (which was what we mainly grew) and thats when/where denver suburbs, boulder, ft collins all had a huge group of homes built on these defunct orchards. The google earth history thing is real interesting and funny how much info we still have from back in the day for the west. Applewood (the five mile apple orchard) was owned by a guy who first started making potassium nitrate out of dynamite leavings and he did alot of work on trying to make FB resistant orchards although he eventually gave up in the 30s and sold Applewood for real estate. All the mountain towns are overrun with rich people who do not live there now.
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@Olpea back to your original question here in kansas if its resistant my experience is it does not demonstrate that at all on my farm. Its more sensitive than forelle. Some pears such as bartlett , bosc, anjou etc are very difficult to grow here. Ive lost several doyenne comice grafts aka royal riviera. Ive grown them a couple years losing over half the grafts each year trying to learn the tricks to growing them in this area. I cant imagine how hard it is to grow them once they flower. Im trying red fleshed, conference, concord and other similar relatives looking for the right combination and i feel im close to growing a comice like pear.
Maybe i will not be able to grow the original comice but i keep trying . Im using tricks like grafting to low vigor or high vigor branches etc. See if i can slow the growth enough or speed it up . I would not consider comice fast growing as it is at least on callery even with interstems.
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Clark,
I did not know that Docteur Desportes tastes like Bosc. I think @scottfsmith has tasted it. Maybe, Scott will chime in.
I’ll be very happy if DD tastes like Bosc.
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It doesn’t taste exactly like Bosc, but it is closer to Bosc than most other pears. The like-Bosc comment is from Hartmann.
Whatever it tastes like it is an excellent pear. Unfortunately it is in a super low light spot and I don’t get many fruits from it. I really need to make some more room for pears as I only have about 15’ of pears in good sun.
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@scottfsmith im thinking of grafting comice , bosc, bartlett on branches normally i would prune off headed towards the ground. By doing this they would not only fruit faster but they would be less likely to have fireblight strikes due to insects and birds who like tops of trees and branches that carry fireblight. My concern is air movement is less so moisture is higher here towards the bottom of tree. Thank you for the dd suggestion i love the idea of a bosc like flavor without bosc like problems!
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@clarkinks I thought RR was a sport of Doyenne Du Comice? Many people have them very seperate and you know all the FB issues i have had. This one has not had one strike. Would you like to try it?
Clark,
Have you grafted Comice? How does it work out?
I am going to graft it this year. I’ll see if I will regret it 
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@mamuang i did graft comice years ago it is very slow growing. I lost half the grafts to fireblight. 2 grafts remain.Concorde seems hardier. I think conference died and I will try again.
Thanks, Clark. I will proceed with care.
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I have several comice trees and so far have yet to see any problems. Other than taking forever to fruit. I’m in Va. so the environment should be similar. Comice is king and I have to have every version of it.
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I put two grafts on. Hopefully, they will take.
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Just as an update comice is very fire blight susceptible. Concorde and Conference are less susceptible. Have many new versions of pears I will have more data on fairly soon. My small 10 foot comice regal red is more resistant to fireblight than others mentioned here. Pruned off some callery undergrowth today.
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I saw an interesting table from Corvallis’ genetic testing showing Comice to be a cross of Glou Merceau x Duchesse d’Angouleme.
This has been my favorite pear I’ve tasted so far. I just wish it was fireblight resistant enough to grow here in the South.
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That’s an Interesting combination because its not unique " Parentage: Duchess d’Angoulême x Glou Morceau
Description: Pitmaston Dutchess is a one of the finest quality eating varieties. Produces very large, long golden-yellow russeted fruits. The yellowish white flesh is juicy and melting, slightly gritty around the core with a rich flavour. Shy cropper but partially self-fertile despite being a triploid. The tree itself has a vigorous habit, rather bushy and has attractive spring blossom.
History: Raised by John Williams at Pitmaston in Worcestershire in 1841. It’s original name was Pitmaston Duchesse d’Angouleme but it was renamed Pitmaston Dutchess in 1870. Recieved an Award of Garden Merit from the Royal Horticultural Society."
Glou Morceau Pears are unique as well " Glou Morceau is medium to large in size, averaging seven centimeters in diameter and ten centimeters in length, and are pyriform or traditionally shaped with a bulbous base tapering to a small rounded neck and long dark brown stem. The semi-smooth skin is pale to olive green and is covered in patches of brown russeting, spots, and specks. The flesh is ivory to off-white, moist, soft, and fine-grained with a small central core and a few black-brown seeds. When ripe, Glou Morceau pears are juicy with a melting, buttery texture and are sweet with delicate, sugary flavor.
Seasons/Availability
Glou Morceau pears are available in the fall through winter.
Current Facts
Glou Morceau pears, botanically classified as Pyrus communis, are an antique Belgian dessert variety that are members of the Rosaceae family along with apples and apricots. Also known as the Beurre d’Hardenpont, Glou Morceau pears were extremely popular in England in the Victorian Era but since then have almost disappeared from modern day markets. The name Glou Morceau translates to mean “delicious morsel,” and these pears are favored for their buttery texture and sweet flavor for fresh eating.
Nutritional Value
Glou Morceau pears contain vitamin C, antioxidants, and fiber.
Applications
Glou Morceau pears are best suited for raw applications as their melting flesh cannot withstand high heat applications. They can be consumed fresh, out-of-hand, sliced and served over ice cream, mixed into oatmeal and pudding, poached in red wine and spices, or paired with caramel and vanilla. Glou Morceau pears compliment sweet ingredients such as honey, pecans, and cinnamon, and savory flavors such as sharp cheddar, blue cheese, pork, and balsamic vinaigrette. They will keep for one month when stored in the refrigerator or for a couple of days when stored at room temperature.
Ethnic/Cultural Info
Glou Morceau pears are an example of an antique variety that was once extremely popular but has fallen out of favor commercially in modern times to newer varieties and to changing consumer preferences. Despite the decrease in popularity, home and specialty gardeners have kept the variety alive with renewed interest in heritage varieties of pears and other fruit. Glou Morceau pears are also valued for their mid-winter season as many pear varieties are finished with their season before winter arrives, and these pears will last through the winter and into early spring for fresh eating.
Geography/History
Glou Morceau was one of the first pears bred in Belgium and was created by Abbe Hardenpont, a prominent breeder, in Mons, Belgium in the 1750s. The variety was then introduced to France in 1806, the United Kingdom in 1820, and to the United States in the mid-1800s. Today Glou Morceau pears can be found in limited supply at farmer markets and private orchards in Europe and the United States.
" Glou Morceau Pears Information, Recipes and Facts
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The description of both pears makes sense on why the Comice is so good. Sounds like it has good parents. Of course seldom have I read a fruit described as bad taste. I ended up getting a Comice pear from Raintree. We had a week or two of constant warm days with rain which is main fireblight weather. Still no fire blight. Maybe since Colorado is more of a dry place we don’t have as bad of fire blight as I thought of. Either that or knowing when to prune can make all the difference.
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