THE BEURRE D'ANJOU. ' 211 



was clay in the soil. I do not think there is any clay in my 

 soil, and some of it is hard-pan. After yon get down two feet 

 it is pretty hard, and in some places we have to use the pick. It 

 is ill-adapted to the growing of pears, in my estimation. Very 

 frequently the Flemish Beauty foliage comes entirely off and 

 leaves the pears naked ; and sometimes the Winter Nelis does, 

 but less frequent than the Louise Bonne de Jersey. 



A Member. Does the Urbaniste ever shed any of its leaves ? 



Mr. Clement. No, sir ; it is always good with me, but a poor 

 bearer. I do not know why it is ; I am very sorry for it, for it 

 is a most capital pear. I have seen them raised in Lowell which 

 were exceedingly fine ; but on my grounds it is one of the 

 poorest bearers we have. 



A Member. How about the age ? 



Mr. Clement. These have age enough. That is to say, they, 

 are twenty-five years old, and ought to bear in that time. 



There are a great many other things which might be said in 

 relation to these fruits ; but I have already occupied too much 

 of your time, and there are some experienced fruit-growers in 

 Essex County, which is famous for them, and I would much 

 rather hear from them than say anything more myself. 



Mr. Dodge. Have you had any experience with the pdar 

 which is considered the best we have — the Beurre d'Anjou ? 



Mr. Clement. I have no doubt myself it is one of the very 

 best of winter pears — better than the Winter Nelis. It- cannot 

 be kept quite so long, perhaps, as the Winter Nelis. It makes a 

 beautiful tree, forming a pyramidal head naturally, without 

 much clipping or pruning, and the fruit is large and fine in 

 appearance. I remember once, hearing Colonel Wilder make a 

 remark like this : that he had spent $20,000 in importing pear 

 trees, and if he had never got any other than the Beurre 

 d'Anjou, that alone would pay the nation in his opinion. I remem- 

 ber, too, that on one occasion, about the last of January or early 

 in February, he brought to Mr. Flint's room at the State house, 

 where the Board of Agriculture were in session, one of those 

 Beurre d'Anjou pears, which had begun to rot upon the out- 

 side,, and stated that several days prior to this he had scooped 

 this little speck out, and had brought this specimen up there to 

 show that they could be kept sometime after beginning to decay 

 by scooping out the decayed spot. They never begin to rot at 



