Duchesse Pear

several varieties of dessert pears with a delicate, soft, juicy, and sweet pulp. The best-known variety is Duchesse d’Angouléme, a fall pear from France. In the USSR, Duchesse pears are found in the Crimea and the Caucasus. They are poorly resistant to cold, produce moderate yields (60-200 kg per tree), and begin bearing fruit early. The fruit is large, weighing as much as 1 kg, and pre-morse; it ripens in August and may be kept until November. A Belgian winter variety—the Winter Duchesse—is grown in the Crimea, northern Caucasus, and Uzbek SSR. This variety requires special soil and climate; the yield is 80-150 kg per tree, and it begins bearing in the seventh or eighth year. Its fruit is large (up to 800 g) and barrel-shaped; it ripens in October and may be kept until the following May.