Return to the Fruit & Orchards Forum | Post a Follow-Up

o
Dana's Hovey pear

clip this post email this post what is this?
see most clipped and recent clippings
Posted by marknmt 5b (My Page) on
Wed, Sep 3, 14 at 17:52

Just ate my first ever of these and have to say it's a great little pear, and very pretty. Ripens earlier than Gold Spice, luscious and juicy, flavorful. Squirrels beat me to the others but next year I'll be more vigilant. I only have a couple of branches of this on my tree so I'll never get many, but I do like them.

Had a lot of trouble with squirrel in the pear this year. They stripped the Frost and got one of my two Pezzuti pears. I wrapped the other with screen wire and tied it up. Looks like I still have a fair number of Seckels and Gold Spice to protect.

Follow-Up Postings:

o
RE: Dana's Hovey pear

clip this post email this post what is this?
see most clipped and recent clippings

Thanks for sharing. I have been wanting Dana Hovey as it is supposed to be a good keeping pear. I will give it more consideration.

Curator’s Choice: Favorite Pears from the USDA-ARS Collection
Joseph Postman, USDA-ARS National Clonal Germplasm Repository, Corvallis, Oregon

Dana Hovey = PI 541169 (CPYR 165.001) - Pyrus communis
A favorite of Joanie Cooper, president of the Home Orchard Society. Francis Dana, of Roxbury, Massachusetts, introduced this pear about 1854 under the name Dana's Hovey in honor of C. M. Hovey, author of The Fruits of America. The flavor is like Winter Nelis and is thought to be a seedling of Seckel. Fruit: resembles 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, and 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.

o
RE: Dana's Hovey pear

clip this post email this post what is this?
see most clipped and recent clippings

I believe I could send you a scion in the spring if you like. Be aware that my original is from Nick Botner's orchard, and he apparently has a reputation for losing track of varieties from time to time, but this one is picture-perfect ... and if it's not the real thing it's worthwhile nevertheless on its own merits.

I guess that there is also a French variety that predates and has an almost identical name, to wit, Dana Hovey. Curious, but there you have it.

o Post a Follow-Up

Please Note: Only registered members are able to post messages to this forum.

    If you are a member, please log in.

    If you aren't yet a member, join now!

Return to the Fruit & Orchards Forum

Information about Posting

  • You must be logged in to post a message. Once you are logged in, a posting window will appear at the bottom of the messages. If you are not a member, please register for an account.
  • Please review our Rules of Play before posting.
  • Posting is a two-step process. Once you have composed your message, you will be taken to the preview page. You will then have a chance to review your post, make changes and upload photos.
  • After posting your message, you may need to refresh the forum page in order to see it.
  • Before posting copyrighted material, please read about Copyright and Fair Use.
  • We have a strict no-advertising policy!
  • If you would like to practice posting or uploading photos, please visit our Test forum.
  • If you need assistance, please Contact Us and we will be happy to help.


Learn more about in-text links on this page here