A large-fruited, mid-late season pear with spicy, aromatic flavor, long storage life, and moderate resistance to fire blight. Origin: Kearneysville, W.VA., by R.L. Bell and T. van der Zwet, USDA-ARS Appalachian Fruit Research Station in collaboration with The Ohio State University. Max Red Bartlett × US 56112; cross made in 1977 by T. van der Zwet and R.C. Blake; selected in 1985 by R.L. Bell; tested as US 78304-057; introd. in 2003. Tree: moderately vigorous with upright-spreading habit; mid-season bloom, similar to Bartlett; moderately precocious cropping; no evidence of biennial bearing; very productive with yields comparable to Beurre d’Anjou, and better than Bartlett; moderately resistant but not immune to fire blight (Erwinia amylovora). Fruit: Oblong-ovate-pyriform; moderately large, about 235 g, averaging 72 mm diameter, 92 mm long; skin light-green becoming yellow-green and glossy when ripe with 10-25% red blush; slight tan russet at calyx end and somewhat conspicuous lenticels; stem upright, curved, medium length (~25 mm) and thickness (~3 mm); flesh moderately fine, juicy, and buttery, with small grit cells near the core and under the skin, similar to Bartlett; flavor sweet and aromatic, slightly acid, improving to subacid after 2 months storage; harvest maturity similar to Beurre d’Anjou, about 3 weeks after Bartlett; keeps for 16 weeks in common storage; late-harvested fruit develops acceptable eating quality without cold storage, but fruit removed from cold-storage after 1-4 months softens to eating quality more quickly.
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