114 THE FLORIST AND POMOLOGIST. [May, 



out as to interfere very little with, the quantity of fruit annually produced. Thus, 

 one side of a tree may be grafted all up in one season, or each alternate hori- 

 zontal branch may be cut back and grafted, and the remaining branches may be 

 left to produce fruit until the grafted sorts show signs of bearing. Many of them 

 will come into bud the third year, when the remaining branches may be cut 

 off and grafted. Supposing, then, there were ten or a dozen large old trees to 

 be operated upon, and that it was undesirable to interfere materially with the 

 probable supply of fruit, I should graft one side of two trees every season, so that 

 by the time I had got half through the lot, I should expect the first grafted ones 

 to be in a good bearing state ; and thus the whole stock might be changed at a 

 very little sacrifice. I always prefer to graft in the rind where possible, but 

 when the shoots are too small for that method, I adopt shoulder-grafting, or 

 saddle-grafting. The saj) should be well up when the operation is performed, 

 and moss should be tied over the grafting clay, to prevent it from drying up too 

 quickly, in case parching weather should follow the operation. 



Kedleaf. John Cos. 



BELLE DE JEESEY PEAR, 



' VIDENTLY this is the same fruit as the Belle Angevine, Duchesse de 

 Berry, and Royal d'Angleterre of the French horticulturists, and the 

 z§^£ Uvedale's St. Germain of the English gardens. It is said to have been 

 S§ raised in England, and dedicated to Dr. Uvedale, who resided at Eltham 

 in 1690. It has, therefore, no claim to novelty, although often produced as 

 novel by the itinerant Continental dealers in trees and plants, who occasionally 

 visit English towns for the purpose of turning '-'John Bull " to account. It is a 

 fruit of remarkable size, and can be made very beautiful in appearance by 

 rubbing the skin over with a sponge dipped in sweet oil during the period of the 

 fruit's development, and exposing the outer side to the sun, which imparts to it 

 a pretty rosy tint. By thinning the fruit, and only allowing those to remain on 

 the trees which are on strong spurs, proceeding from the main branches, they 

 frequently grow to 2 lb. and 3 lb. weight each, and one dozen of these pears 

 exhibited in Covent Garden during the autumn of 18G7 weighed upwards of 

 50 lb. The flavour is not good, and can only be made acceptable to the palate 

 by stewing, and the addition of spice, sugar, and port wine. 



The remarkable prices some of these large specimen fruits realize is, no 

 doubt, the inducement to produce them, a result which is easily effected by any 

 practical horticulturist of ordinary intelligence. The itinerant dealers to 

 whom I have alluded apply different names to the fruit, such as "La Merveil- 

 leuse," " La Belle Excellente," &c, &c, but they are very careful not to allow 

 the specimens they exhibit to be cut or tasted, their object being to sell the trees, 

 which, in spite of fine names and powerful recommendations, is an imposition 

 upon unsophisticated purchasers. They affect to apologize for the objection by 



