Winter Dean
Formerly Winter Dean – (Doyenné d’habver, Winter Dechantsbirne) was more widely distributed in Georgia than at present; this pear is most frequently met in the horticultural districts of Karthli; in Kakhetia and Akhaltzikh there are only several trees of Winter Dean; in Western Georgia it has never been planted; in Abkhasia it has the importance of a pomological rarity.
Fruit barrel-formed, unsymmetrical, very much variabile in shape, with a knobbed surface.
Skin at harvest maturity firm, thick, rugh, rugose, scattered with conspicuons ashy dots and covered with bloom. When fully ripe becomes golden yellow in colour, tender and so thin as to be transparent for the flesh, which gets juicy, melting, aromatic, excellent in flavor, making Winter Dean fall into the class of the best dessert sorts.
The tree is very weak in growth, poorly succeeding on the quince, requiring double grafting and regular pruning if product of high quality be expected; it has very high environmental requisits; blooming early, sensitive to spring frosts, self-sterile economically, fruits parthenocarpic. They are very much subjected to Laspeyresia pomonella, scab and other fungus diseases, ripen for harvest very late, at the end of October, mature protractedly during storage and keep till Spring.
Excellent flavor of fruits, good keeping and shipping qualities give Winter Dean importance of a valuable amateur and commercial sort for many districts, though exclusively under conditions of good management.
