North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[Lucky Pittman <lucky.pittman@murraystate.edu>]

At 10:07 AM 5/30/2006, you wrote:
> Thanks for the info, Derry; I'll have to see if I can get some into on
> the genetic complement of Magness.

Sam,
Here's a little interchange that took place on this list back in 1999 
between Travis Callahan and Ed Fackler:

Travis Callahan wrote:
> I grew my two Warren Pears for ten years before I pulled them out.  I had
> purchased them as good sized grafted trees .After seven years I placed three
> or four grafts of other varieties on the Warren and they all bore fruit the
> following year or two. In my opinion the  Warren is the best tasting pear .
> My Number 2 favorite pear is Comice.  I am in South Louisiana .

     Ed's additional comment on Warren pear.

     Travis alluded to THE central problem with Warren pear.  Or, just like
Magness, flowers of Warren appear to produce no pollen or nectar.  Therefore
pollinating bees have NO reason to visit flowers.
     Or, a good pollinator (and there are many) needs to be very 
close to Warren
or Magness trees for fruit set.
     And I agree, when properly ripened both are of the very Best quality.

That said, I have both Warren and Magness grafted and growing in my 
orchard since at least 1998(Magness was on one of several apple 
seedlings that were part of a bundle purchased as P.communis 
seedlings; I've since re-grafted it to OHxF513, and it's grown well; 
the one on apple finally gave up the ghost last summer, after limping 
along for quite a long time).
No fruit yet on Magness, but Warren produced 3 or 4 fruits last year.
To my disappointment, it's one of those soft, cloying, insipid, 
'butter' pears.  Now that I know that, I'll just have to pick and eat 
them while they're still green and hard.  Keiffer and the Asians rule!!!

Lucky Pittman
USDA Cold Zone 6
AHS Heat Zone 7
Hopkinsville, KY