Anyone growing this one? There are some historic pear trees in Maine which bear fruit that looks like this, is it a match?
The answer to your question can be found here. It is a very good possibility it’s duchess. Compare leaves, fruit etc. You will have your answer. Based on the time of year , appearance etc. So far it’s a match. Notice the brown patches typical of duchess, the dots in skin , color , blocky fruit appearance etc. There is some location differences but i’m 99% sure it’s exactly what you think it is.
Largest / Best tasting pear . You may also want to see this thread Duchesse d'Angouleme Bronzee pear . If your not 100% sure look back on this thread where i posted photos in 2016 of it Here comes the 2016 apple and Pear harvest!
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Don’t think these are your pear. The leaves on yours look different. Double check the photos! Note the fruit is fairly close.
@mamuang
Improved Kieffer or Kieffer is one parent of Douglas (I’m not sure which but am nearly 100% sure it’s the old fashioned kieffer) and Duchess D’angoulme is the other parent. Douglas pears are typically smaller no larger than 3/4 of a pound Douglas Pear. My improved Kieffer can easily top 1 pound. Kieffer can get much larger @39thparallel has given me very large Kieffer before. Duchess D’angoulme can produce very large pears. Duchess pears are easily over 2 pounds
"The original pear tree Duchesse d’Angouleme was observed by M.Anne Pierre Andusson, growing in a farm garden in Anjou. Recognizing the qualities of this pear he procured several scion to graft. Later he sold the trees, in 1812, under the name of Poire des Eparannais. In 1820, he sent a basket of the fruit to the Duchesse d’ Angoulême, with a request to be permitted to name the pear in honor of her. The request was granted, and the pear has since borne its present name. Duchesse D’Angouleme pear is one of the largest of the pears we offer, can attain an enormous size. When well grown, the Duchesse D’Angouleme pears flesh is white, buttery and melting with a rich, delicious flavor. Some fireblight resistance. Bears early and regularly. Please refer below for more information on the organically grown Duchesse d’Angouleme pear trees for sale - Duchesse d'Angouleme – Trees of Antiquity
Description
This section is from “The Horticulturist, And Journal Of Rural Art And Rural Taste”, by P. Barry, A. J. Downing, J. Jay Smith, Peter B. Mead, F. W. Woodward, Henry T. Williams. Also available from Amazon: Horticulturist and Journal of Rural Art and Rural Taste.
Duchess D’Angouleme And Sheldon Pears
The annexed is the outline of a Duchess d’Angouleme Pear (Fig. 1) that grew last season in the garden of Thomas R. Thompson, in Elizabethtown, New Jersey, on a standard tree taken from the nursery of Mr. William Reid. It was forwarded to us anonymously, and we consequently felt some doubt about the enormous proportions; but, on application to Mr. Reid, the well-known nurseryman there, we received the following note:Description
This section is from “The Horticulturist, And Journal Of Rural Art And Rural Taste”, by P. Barry, A. J. Downing, J. Jay Smith, Peter B. Mead, F. W. Woodward, Henry T. Williams. Also available from Amazon: Horticulturist and Journal of Rural Art and Rural Taste.
Duchess D’Angouleme And Sheldon Pears
The annexed is the outline of a Duchess d’Angouleme Pear (Fig. 1) that grew last season in the garden of Thomas R. Thompson, in Elizabethtown, New Jersey, on a standard tree taken from the nursery of Mr. William Reid. It was forwarded to us anonymously, and we consequently felt some doubt about the enormous proportions; but, on application to Mr. Reid, the well-known nurseryman there, we received the following note:
Duchess D’angouleme.
Elizabethtown, N. J., Nov. 28,1855. J. Jay Smith, Esq
Dear Sir: The specimen of Duchess d’Angouleme Pear which you refer to, the outlines sent you by Chas. Davis, Junr., of this place, grown by Thos. R. Thompson, of Elizabethtown, is correctly described. The measurement was 15 inches longitudinal circumference, by 13 1/2 inches, as represented. This Pear was brought to my place by the grower, to look at before being eaten. I had heard of this Pear before I saw this specimen, but having so many fine specimens, I took no notice of it until I saw it; I at once thought the size exceeded anything I had ever seen, even putting me, as you observe, in mind of a monstrous specimen I saw at some exhibition, made out of wax. It was very solid and heavy, and, to all appearance, Juicy and perfectly melting; the weight is correct, having been weighed by several scales in town, viz: 1 lb. 12 ozs.
Yours, etc, Wm. Reid.
Fig. 2, Sheldon Pear
The Duchess is so large, that we have availed ourselves of the space to figure again that growing favorite, the Sheldon, of which Dr. Brinckl6 has kindly favored us with a better description than has yet appeared.
Synonyms
Bland, Huron, Wayne, Wisner. Size, large, two and three-fourths to three inches long by three to three and one-fourth broad; sometimes weighing sixteen ounces. Form, usually roundish, obovate, sometimes obovate, inclining to pyriform, occasionally truncate. Skin, green russet, becoming yellow russet, sometimes only faintly russeted, and very rarely with a brownish-red cheek. Stem, variable in size, usually five-eighths of an inch long by three-sixteenths thick, often one-half by one-fifth, occasionally one by one-eighth, inserted sometimes obliquely, in a narrow, superficial, and, occasionally, rather deep cavity. Calyx, small, segments deeply cut, usually open, sometimes closed, often partially reflexed, set in a basin rather variable, usually superficial and narrow, sometimes wider and deeper. Core, medium. Seed, small, brown, five-sixteenths of an inch long, nearly three-sixteenths wide, and one-eighth thick. Flesh, yellowish white, buttery, melting, abounding in Juice, texture granular, with some grittiness about the core, extending to the stem and calyx. Flavor, rich, perfumed, and somewhat vinous. Quality, “very good.” Maturity, October. Wood - young shoots, yellowish brown; old wood, grayish brown.
Growth, upright.
History
The Sheldon Pear is a native of Wayne County, New York. The original tree stands in the town of Hunn, on the premises of Major Sheldon, and sprang from seed planted by his father nearly forty yean ago. Two other trees in the vicinity, one on the farm of Mr. Norman Sheldon, and the other on that of Mr. Wisner, are also said to be seedlings bearing fruit very similar to the Sheldon. They have been carefully examined by competent judges, who assure us that they present no appearance of ever having been grafted or budded. And yet, no one who has seen the fruit from these three trees, can for a moment entertain a doubt as to their perfect and entire identity. The only way of reconciling the discordant facts and statements of the case, is to adopt the more than probable conclusion, that two of them are unworked suckers from the remaining one. Such, I have been credibly informed, is now the conviction of Major Sheldon.
A description of the Sheldon was published in Honey’s. Magazine of Horticulture for June, 1851, and in the Horticulturist for January, 1853. "- Duchess D'Angouleme And Sheldon Pears
Duchess have a delicious flavor today. It’s improving all the time. It’s November 6th they are running out of time. Seeds are turning deep black as a ripe pear should be. The late season thieves are showing up in big numbers but they are hardly consequential next to the heavy production. Took photos of a few that are damaged
!
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Today is November 7th! Picked another sack of Duchess tonight to eat as they ripen. That’s about a 5 gallon bucket of pears. Some of these are heavily russeted from our late freezes this spring.
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Nice looking pears. I have a Duchess d’ Angouleme pear in my orchard. It is too young to produce fruit. It may produce fruit next year. I am looking forward to having some fruit off this pear tree.
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There are still Duchess on the tree today on November 21st but this is as late as I’ve seen them. Im kind of hoping some hang until December. They are a very late pear. Like autumn berry the fruit is welcome this time of year by everything and everyone.
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That is a very late ripening pear. I have a Duchess pear tree growing in my orchard now. We have had snow in mid November and night temps in the mid 20’s. So if this pear ripens here this late I may not have picked the right pear for my location. Time will tell though. I do like the looks and description of how it tastes.
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Still picking Duchess! I tested a theory due to cold weather all rot damage caused by stink bugs are gone. The stink bugs are gone they have been unable to survive this cold of weather. @alan theorized stink bugs caused the majority of rot in pears. It appears he was right but more observation is needed. We have been colder than 32 degrees many times. A few nights of 32 degrees kills stinkbugs Polar vortex credited with killing large amount of stink bugs - Fruit Growers News
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On my own pears. If you grow varieties that need to be picked before fully ripe and fail to do so, that probably will cause more rot.
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Duchess D’Angoulme has been in cold storage a month and I’ve been eating them daily. The results are a good quality pear that has some grit near the core. It’s not exceptional it lacks the quality of really good pears. It’s still a good pear and it’s storing very well this year. The sack shown above i.picked on November 7th are what has been in cold storage. First I ate what was left on trees A windfall of windfalls! before I started eating these.
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Duchess d’ Angoulme that were grown in full sun are really very good this year. Be aware pears like full sun so save your shade for other things like honeyberry or Gooseberries. Don’t think of the pear as ultra high quality but it has so many other good qualities. It ripens very late in the year. That late ripening means in cold storage we will be eating them for awhile. The tree is disease resistant never requiring any sprays. It bears very heavy, often producing so much fruit at once I don’t know what to do with all of it. The fruit is very large overall. Many pears are 1 pound but can also be 1/2 pound or 1 1/2 pounds each or more. Prefer storing smaller pears myself as I don’t always like to eat a 1 pound pear. This pear i ate for breakfast really is as good as it looks! The other thing Noone brings up is this pear makes my body feel good. I’m not sure if it’s the natural sugars or the fiber but this is a great pear for all these reasons. My mother mentioned to me the other day that she likes to cook with my fruit not just because of cost savings but because she never needs sweetner as the pears sweeten things naturally.
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Finished off the last Duchess D’ Angoulme Feb 1st. It would be difficult to keep them fresh any longer than that.
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Definitely a pear on my list to get. I haven’t seen them for sale. Who has them?
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You might be better off to plant some rootstock and graft your own next year.
If you want a tree Duchesse d'Angouleme – Trees of Antiquity . You can also plant it As a bench graft
https://39thparallel.com/
Thanks! There are a couple others I’m interested in, namely for tree ripening. Clara F. too. I planted over 80 pears this year, mainly a fenced in left over row in my hazelnut planting. I know that pears will take time from my primary endeavor, but if they don’t require refrigeration, I have some leeway. Earliest I have so far are HDelight and Shinsui
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Any tips on getting Duchess to the buttery ripe stage? Refrigeration for X number of days before counter ripening? Or just stick 'em under the bed Kieffer-style and go for the long haul? 
Of course, I find them very pleasant eating when still crisp. Ate a big one yesterday evening that had been damaged when it dropped. Very juicy and not a grain of grit in it! (And I believe you’re right, Clark, about Duchess pears making one feel good: I felt pretty crummy most of the day; but I’ll swear that eating that big pear perked me right up. My type of medicine! 
) Bet they’d be good for cooking with, too.
Just picked the last few fruits from my Duchesse d’Angouleme (which I didn’t even know I had—until Clark helped me i.d. it). So excited about this great old pear! It’s got disease-resistance; good taste; and rustic beauty. I’m frankly surprised that this once-widespread variety ever fell out of favor.
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