Almost identical. In my experience, it is not as fruitful most years. It would be nice for you to trial it in your climate so you can report the results to the group.
Not fruitful is good to know. Maybe not a whole tree, but I’m willing to add a branch to test it here in the east. I have Regal Red and it is a fantastic Comice variant. Correct me if I’m wrong, but Crimson Gem is just a darker red sport of Regal Red making it basically the same pear? So would Crimson Gem be worth adding?
Doyenne du Comice
Doyenne du Comice - Crimson Gem
Doyenne du Comice - Crimson Gem #2
Doyenne du Comice - Regal Red
Doyenne du Comice - Spur
Doyenne du Comice - Sweet Sensation
Doyenne du Comice - Taylors Gold
Doyenne du Comice 4n
I have not fruited Crimson Gem. I top-worked it along with Regal Red and Comice Spur in
April 2022 to a well-established tree. This is its second leaf and no fruit yet. Spur had one fruit that was picked last week and is now in the refer with my other Comice and a couple of Taylor’s Golds.
You have a lot more experience with the red sports than I do. I’m hoping to have fruit next year.
Sweet Sensation is only in europe.
4n I have never heard of. Anyone have any info or if it can be found?
Here is information about Dana Hovey. It is a family favorite and similar to Seckel but ripens later and keeps longer. In another post I stated that my original tree was killed by fire blight.
New scions were obtained from Corvallis and grafted on a big tree in 2011. It has never had blight. I grafted it again in April 2022 on an established tree and this year it produced several fruit - most are much larger than any of this variety I have grown in the past.
Here is part of the narrative from GRIN - my fruit are not russeted this year.
Raised by Francis Dana of Roxbury, Massachusetts and named in honor of C.M. Hovey. Introduced about 1854. Added to APS catalog list in 1862. Believed a Seckel seedling. Fruit resembles that of Seckel in size and form. Skin greenish-yellow at maturity, russeted, not blushed. Flesh somewhat granular but buttery and very juicy. Much like Seckel in flavor, equal to Seckel in dessert quality. Keeps longer than Seckel in storage and holds up well after ripening. Less susceptible to core breakdown than Seckel. Tree large, vigorous, upright-spreading, productive, fairly susceptible to fire blight. – H. Hartman 1957.
2 Likes
Comice 4n is just a tetraploid Comice. Previous experience with other species suggests tetraploid mutants are not likely to be beneficial in pear.
Sweet Sensation patent expires in 3 years. It was applied for on Sept 13, 2007 and lasts 20 years.
Bigger fruit possibly? Or maybe just bigger leaves/faster growth? I might be thinking of watermelon.
I picked the remaining Abbe Fetel and Comice pears yesterday 9/28 and picked up a Cold Snap that had fallen. Today the remaining Shenandoah was picked. and another Cold Snap.
Also today I picked the only three pears on Beurre Madame Henry Lamey. Last year I had only one pear. It is pictured in post 266 of the 2023 Pear Harvest thread. Last year’s fruit was beautifully blushed. Not so much this year.
9 Likes
Here is a new pear for me. Patrick Barry. Raised by BS Fox who also introduced Col. Wilder. I fruited Col Wilder in 2021 and found it to be an excellent winter pear for late Dec or Jan. Unfortunately, the tree died of fireblight in our 2022 epidemic. I have it regrafted and hope for fruit next year.
Patrick Barry is supposed to be even later ripening and I was hoping it would hang on the tree into at least November. I top worked a tree to it in April 2022 and it had a huge crop this year. They started falling a few days ago and all were easily picked today - about 20 pounds. So much for hanging on the tree until November!
Full description and color plate in Hedrick (1921). Said to be a seedling of Belle Lucrative. Raised by B.S. Fox, San Jose, California in 1873. Skin dull, deep gold at maturity, overlaid with thin russet, fairly attractive. Flesh medium fine, semi-buttery, moderately juicy. Sweet, aromatic, slightly acidulous flavor, at least good in dessert quality. Very late in season. With proper handling this pear has been known to keep 10 months or more in cold storage, and actually requires a long period in cold storage before ripening properly. Fairly susceptible to blight.
8 Likes