You know I bet 333 will be just fine for you. We had a lot going against it in Austin. Others seem to think it does ok in there areas. I have heard the comment about smaller fruit though or at least read it but I bet it will be a decent stock for you. You’ll have to keep us posted.
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Sure hope so I could find a negative with every rootstock and yet 333 is likely one of the best.
Several other high quality pears I continue to here a lot about can be found on the Singing tree scion list this year. As mentioned in the initial post descriptions for pear scions available from singing tree or some of the other sites are discussed here http://www.barkslip.com/pear_tree_descriptions.html
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Growing some very obscure pears this year I should be able to tell you more about later such as sucre verte Medieval Cookery - Fruit. Can’t wait to eat these https://npgsweb.ars-grin.gov/gringlobal/accessiondetail.aspx?accid=%20PI+541269. There are several more I will try to provide you an update about later.
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Anyone tried Fin De Siecle? The Book of Pears has me intrigued with “Very juicy melting, almost buttery white flesh that is sugary sweet, quite rich and intensely perfumed with rosewater or almonds.” Joan Morgan
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Very little information available about that fin de siecle. Let us know how it does for you. I would love to try it at some point. Richard Peters is interesting as well, ARS Grin states “Richard Peters (PI 541715).-Originated in State College, Pa., by E.L. Nixon, Pennsylvania Agriculture Experiment Station. Introduced in 1927. Probably an open-pollinated seedling of Kieffer; selected in 1924. Fruit: quality said to be better than Bartlett, which it resembles; ripens early. Tree: practically immune to fire blight; vigorous; self-unfruitful, productive when properly cross-pollinated. Named in honor of Richard Peters, founder and former president of Philadelphia Society for Promoting Agriculture. - Brooks and Olmo Register of Fruit and Nut Varieties.
Originated at Pennsylvania State University, State College, Pennsylvania. Introduced commercially in 1927. Said to be an open pollinated seedling of Kieffer. Fruit medium in size, more or less pyriform in shape with slender neck. Skin greenish-yellow in color, some dots, occasionally blushed. Flesh juicy, medium fine, more or less buttery. Superior to most Sand Pear hybrids in dessert quality. – H. Hartman, 1957.” https://npgsweb.ars-grin.gov/gringlobal/accessiondetail.aspx?accid=%20PI+541715
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I don’the have it…yet.
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Grafting a lot of different pears this year. One I’m trying is called Dabney I got from the USDA. This is the ARS Grin description "Dabney.- Originated in Knoxville, Tennessee, by Brooks D. Drain, Tennessee Agriculture Experiment Station. Introduced in 1954. Seckel x Garber; crossed in 1935; tested as Tennessee 35583. Fruit: size medium; oblong obovate, pyriform, sides unequal; skin thick, medium in toughness, smooth, waxen and dull, greenish; dots many, medium in size, russeted and conspicuous; core large; flesh yellowish-white, melting, tender, juicy, quality very good; flavor sprightly, sweet-subacid and very good dessert quality; picked late July and early August, ripening rapidly in summer temperatures; scored low for canning. Tree: small; spreading, becoming drooping with loads of fruit; comes into bearing at five years; productive; moderately resistant to fire blight. – Brooks and Olmo Register of Fruit and Nut Varieties.
The sweet-subacid flavor and very good quality attracted attention as a dessert fruit. The appearance is medium to good, resembling Bartlett in coloring and shape, but the flesh is more melting. Trees of this variety in out-replicated plots came into bearing at five years and have produced good crops. Tree: small, medium in vigor, spreading, becoming drooping with loads of fruit. Top open; trunk medium thick, branches medium slender and gray brown in color; branches slender and reddish-gray, dull with medium sized, raised lenticels. Leaf buds small, short, pointed, brown-gray; leaf scars obscure. Leaves; petiole 3/4 to 1 1/4 inches long, thick, color pinkish green; Surface glabrous; blade 3 to 3 1/4 inches 2 to 2 1/4 inches wide slightly folded; mid-rib straight to slightly reflex; sides waved, outline oblong; base medium narrow, apex narrow, point long and acute; general color dark green, vein color green tinged pink; position spreading; serrations crenate, direction forward, size small somewhat irregular; Surface shiny, texture medium fine, pubescence short, fine and wooly. Flower- buds large, long, plump, pointed, and reddish-brown; flowers open medium late, 3/4 open March 18, 1953 at Knob Orchard, Blount County, Tennessee; large–1 1/4 inches across; color white with maroon stigmas; blossoms appear with leaves: Clusters 8-9 blossoms and umbel-like in form; pedicel slender, 1 inch long somewhat pubescent; pollen fertile: distribution good. Fruit: Picked in late July and early August at Knoxville, Tennessee: Size medium-2 1/2 by 2 1/4 inches wide, uniform, oblong obovate, pyriform, sides unequal: Stem 1 1/4 inches long and slender; cavity acute, shallow, medium wide and furrowed; calyx open and large; lobes separated at the base, long, narrow and acute; basin deep, wide, abrupt and deeply furrowed; skin thick, medium in toughness, smooth, waxen and dull; color greenish, dots many, medium in size, russeted and conspicuous; core large 1 by 1 1/2 inches, closed, abaxile; core-lines clasping; calyx tube long, wide and conical; carpels ovate; seeds 3/16 inches long, narrow and plump; flesh yellowish white, melting, tender an juicy; flavor sprightly, sweet-subacid and very good in dessert quality. The fruit ripens rapidly in summer temperature and has been scored low for canning. -release notice
Clone IRP 26-1 was sent to E.C. Blodgett in Washington by Brooks Drain in Knoxville, Tennessee in 1970. This clone became IRP 26-1 at the Prosser virus certified fruit tree program."
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I saw once where Danny won a taste testing
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Dabney is one I’m still growing in my tiny Dallas back yard. It has fruited a few times for me and it must be good because the squirrels sure seemed to enjoy them! Yep everyone of them about two months before they were ripe. If it bears this year I’ll make screen wire bags like Mr. Clint does and see if that will fend them off. I think it is going to be a good one. I believe it is lower chill than Ayers.
Drew
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Try putting socks full of garlic powder in the tree. They have to be refreshed every two weeks. It helps keep squirrels out for me. God bless.
Marcus
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Some of those true medieval ones are truly cooking only pears, i.e. actually poaching or some even need hours of cooking to get soft enough to eat. I just read that a few weeks ago. makes sense since they needed food that lasted all winter long.
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Does that really work? Interesting. Would just regular garlic cloves work?
It does not stop a squirrel from grabbing a pear and running off with it. But they do not seem want to sit in the tree and pick every pear and throw it on the ground like they do when there is no protection. God bless.
Marcus
Interesting to hear that. I know some smells work to keep these fruit munching critters away. I’ve stopped trying to grow cherry trees. The birds get them all. I will try that with the garlic powder socks. Thank you for the information. God Bless to you as well.
Mike
It takes lots of old socks and they have to be replenished about every two weeks. Big containers of garlic powder are pretty cheep at Walmart. God bless.
I wonder if steeping garlic cloves in water and then spraying the water on the tree with a sticker might have the same effect. Or using the garlic water when spraying something like surround?
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Some of the animal repellent mixtures has garlic, egg, and hot pepper mixed together. i use one to keep the deer from eating the tips off my newly planted trees.
[quote=“Derby42, post:5, topic:5824”]
I would like to find a non gritty melting European pear that is really SWEET and fire blight resistant.
[/quote]I forget the details yet some university guy who tried over 1 thousand varieties of pears said that “Beurre Superfin” is his favorite, some people say it’s fire blight resistant and some people say that it’s not.
Another incredible French pear is Beurre Brown, I have no idea how blight resistant that one is, those are supposedly the two best French varieties, Beurre is French for butter.
PS:
Beurre Brown is also called Beurre Grise
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Anyone growing Orcas or Rescue and know how what the quality of those are? I hope to be grafting Beurre Superfin, Concorde, Dana Hovey,Flemish beauty, luscious later this week.
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