HARVESTQUEEN
Bartlett x Michigan 572 (Bartlett x Barseck [Bartlett x Seckel]).Picked the third week of
August, 1 week before Bartlett. Fruit keep on the tree very well and will increase in size with
later picking. Fruit size is usually smaller than Bartlett, even with thinning which improves fruit
size and reduces the tendency for biennial bearing. When grown on OHF333 rootstock, fruit size
is further reduced, so that a higher proportion of fruit is unmarketable. For both fresh fruit and
processed pear halves, ratings of fruit quality, texture and flavor have been as good as or better
than Bartlett. The tree has very good fire blight resistance (9.1 rating). Harvest Queen is pollen
compatible with Harrow Delight, Bosc and Anjou, but not with Bartlett. This cultivar was
released in 1981 and therefore there are no propagation restrictions.
HW617
H6516-2.046 (Bartlett x Purdue 80-51) x Harvest Queen.The fruit mature just after Harvest
Queen and about 5 days before Bartlett. Flavor and texture are good, but fruit size is slightly
smaller than Bartlett. Fruit may ripen unevenly in some years. Background color of the skin is
yellow with an attractive red blush. However, when processed as halves or puree, the fruit can
develop a pink color. Precocity and productivity are similar to Bartlett. It has a good level of
resistance to fire blight (9.2 rating).
HW611
Bartlett x US56112-146. A high quality fruit, roundish to ovate, medium size, picked about the
same time as Bartlett. The green skin tends to be rough with blemishes of russet, but
superimposed with highlights of bright red. Appearance can be affected greatly by climatic
conditions. The fruit does not store well. It has received better than average ratings when
processed as halves or as puree. The tree is fire blight resistant (9.6 rating). Precocity and
productivity are similar to Bartlett.
HW610
Bartlett x US56112-146. A very attractive pear with red blush on smooth yellow skin. The
cream-white flesh is smooth, grit-free, firm even when fully ripe, with a mild sweet flavor. The
fruit matures at the end of August or early September, about the same time as Bartlett. It can be
picked over a 2-week period. Early picked fruit can be stored for about 2 months, but storage life
is reduced with later picking. If kept too long or picked too late, it will deteriorate internally
without external signs. Fruit size on unthinned trees is slightly larger than Bartlett. It has a good
to very good rating for quality of both fresh and processed fruit. Tree is medium in size, conical
and upright, annually productive and hardy. It is a poor pollinator and will not pollinate Bartlett,
but Bartlett will pollinate HW610 to a limited extent. The tree has very good fire blight
resistance (9.4 rating), similar to Harrow Sweet and Harvest Queen. Precocity of HW610 is
similar to Bartlett with trees coming into production about 4 years after planting.
HW615
Bartlett x H6516-2.046 (Bartlett x Purdue 80-51).The fruit ripens about 1 week after Bartlett.
Fruit shape tends to be variable, but size is good (similar to Bartlett). The fruit has a fine russet
over a golden yellow ground color which can be very attractive, but fruit flavor has received only
average ratings. The original seedling tree is small and has good fire blight resistance
(8.7 rating). It is pollinated by Bartlett but does not appear to pollinate Bartlett. In a second test
planting, it has come into production in the third or fourth year after planting, 1 year earlier than
Bartlett.
HW624
Harrow Sweet x NY-10353.The fruit, which ripen about 7-14 days after Bartlett, have a light
yellow background color when ripe, with a very attractive bright red blush on the exposed side.
Flavor and texture are very good. The original seedling had a good first crop in 1997, and yield
was also good in 1998. This selection was advanced in 1998 and propagated for testing through
OFTAin 2000.
HW619
Bartlett x HW601 (Maxine x Beierschmidt).The fruit ripen about 10 days after Bartlett. Fruit
size is similar to or slightly smaller than Bartlett. Appearance, flavor and texture are good. The
tree is vigorous, has a good level of resistance to fire blight (9.7 rating) but Fabraea leaf spot has
been observed in some years. It will not pollinate Bartlett. It is less precocious than Bartlett,
requiring one extra year in the orchard before coming into production.
HW614
Bartlett x US56112-146. The fruit ripen about 3 weeks after Bartlett. The original seedling tree
has been a good perennial yielder since being selected in 1982. Fruit shape is ovate to ovate-
pyriform, and fruit size is large (on unthinned trees) to very large (when thinned). The fruit have
a smooth yellow-green skin with a light russet in some years. The flesh is cream-white with good
texture. While flavor is generally good, there can be some astringency which is usually reduced
by storage. This pear will store very well for about 10 to 12 weeks. The tree is fire blight
resistant (9.6 rating). It tends to produce secondary flower clusters which can lead to the
development of a late-ripening second crop. Secondary flowering has not resulted in increased
fire blight infections. It does not appear to pollinate Bartlett well, but HW614 is pollinated by
Bartlett. In second test plantings, precocity has been similar to Bartlett, while productivity is
greater than that of Bartlett.
HARROW SWEET
Bartlett x Purdue 80-51 (Early Sweet x Old Home).Harrow Sweet produces annual heavy yields
of fruit ripening about 23-25 days after Bartlett. Fruit have yellow ground color with red blush,
and fruit size is comparable to Bartlett. The fruit are very sweet and juicy, with excellent taste,
and keep well in cold storage for about 10 weeks. It can be gritty around the core but this does
not detract from overall quality. It has received acceptable ratings in processing trials at Harrow.
The tree is medium in size, pyriform, upright spreading, hardy, with fire blight resistance
(9.3 rating) similar to Harvest Queen and Harrow Delight. Harrow Sweet is more precocious
than Bartlett, producing fruit from lateral buds on one-year wood as well as on spurs, thus
coming into production in the second or third year after planting. Consistently very productive,
Harrow Sweet should be thinned to maintain productivity and fruit size, especially on young
trees.Named in 1990, Harrow Sweet has been commercially available since 1996. It is the first
release from the Harrow pear breeding program to be protected under Plant Breeder’s Rights
legislation in Canada and Europe, and a US Plant Patent has been issued.
HW620
Devoe x US62537-48.Attractive greenish-yellow fruit with no blush, ripening about 4 weeks
after Bartlett. Fruit shape is similar to Bartlett. The original seedling, which was not thinned, may
have a tendency to biennial bearing.In the lighter crop years, fruit size is larger than Bartlett,
while in heavier crop years, fruit size is similar to or slightly smaller than Bartlett. Appropriate
orchard management practices, especially pruning and thinning, have reduced this tendency in
flavor. Fruit will store well for about 12 weeks. The tree has very good fire blight resistance
(9.3 rating) but pear scab has been a problem in some years.
HW623
Harrow Sweet x HW605 (Seckel x NJ6).Medium-sized fruit picked about 4 weeks after
Bartlett. The fruit are yellow with a medium blush where exposed to the sun and have an
elongated neck, similar to Bosc. The skin is medium to thick. Flesh is cream to cream-white,
melting or buttery, juicy, with good to excellent flavor. There is some grit around the medium-
sized core. It has consistently produced heavy crops, which in some years have been heavy
enough to cause some limb breakage on the seedling tree. The tree has been severely crowded by
neighboring trees and has developed an upright form. There have been no natural blight
infections on the seedling tree, and results from controlled inoculations indicate a high level of
blight resistance. In pollen compatibility studies, early indications are that HW623 will not
pollinate Bartlett.