Do you have information on the Lady Petre Pear?
I learned that this pear was a gift to John Bartram from Lord Petre in the 18th century. Do you know whether it was a seed or seedling? Also, can you provide me with a source for an early illustration of this pear?
Answer
Please read pp. 51-52 of our history (which we’ve digitized; relevant pages are in the link below).
Boyd, James,1858-1929. A History of the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, 1827-1927, Philadelphia, Printed for the Society, 1929.
According to our history, Lord Petre sent seed to Bartram.
The earliest illustration of the Petre pear that we could locate is here:
The Gardener's Magazine and Register of Rural & Domestic Improvement 1832 v. 8, p. 587-8. See the second link, below. The text description of the pear starts on p. 587 and the illustration is on p. 588. -- Elinor Goff
It is located on the southwestern corner of the Bartram house.