North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

["Kieran &/or Donna" <holycow@frontiernet.net>]

Deb,
   Kieffers are russetted over green/yellow, and can be gritty, and if they 
overcrop they can be small.  But if the fruit was round, apple shaped, it 
could be pure or at least nearly pure pyrifolia.  It could be a seedling 
tree.  I'd be very curious as to what varieties you tried to grow.  Maybe 
you just needed something a lot more blight resistant than what you bought. 
Or I suppose you could be a bit too far north for calleryana rootstock, and 
all those you planted happened to come on it.  Or you planted dwarf trees, 
on quince, and they died from blight or apple borers.
   Actually, I'm not sure I've managed to kill any pears yet, something I 
might need to be able to do someday in the future.  What's your secret? 
Donna