North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[Claude Jolicoeur <cjoli@gmc.ulaval.ca>]

Anthony Curcio wrote:
>Has anyone ordered trees from St. Lawrence nurseries ? We noticed they have=
> cold hardy ( -40/-50 ) Pear trees . Is the flavor comparable to z5 pears ?=
> We had a couple of cold snaps last winter that brought -37 to our area pro=
>mpting a new cold-hardy section of our orchard.
>Thanks, Anthony z4b

Anthony,
I have never ordered from St-Lawrence (as I am in Canada) but I have quite
a bit of experience with zone 4 pears. I wrote an article in the Winter
2008 Pomona on hardy pears that you could read if you have it - there are
quite a few varieties discussed that are sold by St-Lawrence. Some of the
hardy pears are of a quality comparable with well known varieties - but
sometimes the climate makes them more irrigular (i.e. some years the fruits
are excellent, and other years, the quality will be so-so).
Looking at the list of pears offered by St-Lawrence, here are the ones I
know and I could recommend:
Beurre Giffard - fabulous taste, very early, but fruit is small at my orchard.
Cabot - the one I have is very similar to Patten.
Golden Spice - excellent for juice, more acidity than usual pears.
Irregular bearer. I like to use it in cider blend.
Luscious - very small, but excellent.
Patten - one of my favorites, good quality, nice size, productive and
reliable.
Savignac - I haven't had much production yet, but it shows promise.

Claude Jolicoeur
Quebec