Other Fruit at Monticello

Insects, diseases, and a hot, humid climate unfavorable to most European fruit tree varieties hindered the successful cultivation of pears, plums, almonds, and apricots at Monticello. Nevertheless, Jefferson's enthusiasm for his experimental trials was reflected by his proclamations on superior fruit. The Seckel pear, which originated near Philadelphia, was the "finest pear I've tasted since I left France & equalled the best pear there." The Peach apricot, which he introduced from France, was "the finest fruit which grows in Europe" and the Marseilles fig was the "the finest fig I've ever seen." The celebrated Green Gage plum was planted in large quantities. Indeed, Jefferson's 130 varieties of fruit trees represented the finest cultivars available to an early nineteenth-century gardener.