Esperen’s Bergamotte
Esperen’s Bergamotte can be met as single trees only in Karthli and South Ossetia. In other districts of Georgia it plays the part of a pomological rarity. Though giving a highly qualified product it has not been included in the assortment for young plantations.
Esperen’s Bergamotte is very requisitive to environment and agricultural engineering and greatly subjected to scab, especially in excessively humid regions. In very dry regions too the quality of the sort declines. Early picking leads to the shrivelling of the stored fruits, while picking hastens the maturation period and consequently shortens the time of storage.
Esperen’s Bergamotte succeeds well and gives showy fruits when grafted on the quince, and is especially interesting for dwarf cultivation. It is a very valuable sort for amateur horticulturists. Under conditions of suitable environment and best agricultural engineering, it can be recommended as a largely commercial sort.
The fruit is of medium size, if on weak stock, large, on dwarfs weighing 300-500 gr., polymorphe in shape, often flattened oval, ribbed, with an uneven surface. The fruits set in clusters by 4-5.
The skin is at first rather rough, firm, shriveled, at harvest maturity of a grayish green colour, covered with unconspicuous dots and a net of russet; when fully ripe, the colour of the fruit is lemon yellow, the flesh very juicy, sweet, aromatic. Fruit keep without breaking down till Spring.
The excellent qualities of flavor range Esperen’s Bergamotte among the best table sorts.
The growth of Esperen’s Bergamotte, very vigorous at first, becomes slower later on, causing its development to the size of a medium tree, with a narrow pyramidal top, bearing early, self-sterile flowers and often parthenocarpic fruits, in fruiting displaying a characteristically regular periodicity.
