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nafex - [NAFEX] very early pear from Bulgaria

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  • From: piper33@verizon.net
  • To: nafex@lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: [NAFEX] very early pear from Bulgaria
  • Date: Mon, 27 Jul 2009 07:10:53 -0500 (CDT)

4 years ago I grafted scion wood I requested from the National Pear Repository in Oregon. The first of that batch has produced fruit this year. The variety is called "Progres" with one "s", and has the repository identifier PI392332. There were only 3 pears on the tree, but any fruit after 4 years is fast for a pear in my experience. This variety came out of a breeding program in Bulgaria. Here is the description listed on the repositiry website: "Progres - Beurre Giffard x Green Magdelene. Cross made in 1956. Introduced in 1980. Fruit: medium to small - 45g, pyriform. Skin: bright yellow. Flesh: juicy, sweet, semi-butter, aromatic, good quality, ripens June 20-25. Keeping 4-5 days. Tree: mode rately vigorous, highly frost resistant (spring), resistant to scab."

Here is a description of how it turned out in Seattle. The fruit is samll, like a Seckel. It is yellow with a slight red blush. Sweet, juicy, buttery texture. Muscat essence. I gave a sample to my 12-year old, and she said "Wow!" and asked for more. These were ready to eat off-the-tree last week, July 20. I have never experienced a pear this early. What a surprise. My three pears were devoured immediately, but if I had more, I don't think they would keep long. That quality is the only negative comment I have about Progres.

-Mark Lee, Seattle, blackberries just starting to ripen



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