PERRY PEARS. 1 85 



derive its name and origin from the parish of Blakeney in the 

 Forest of Dean. 



Description. — Fruit : above medium size, of a regular pyriform 

 shape. Skin : smooth, yellowish green on the shaded side, and a 

 bright crimson on the side towards the sun, covered more or less 

 with a very thin russet, and numerous very small spots. Eye : 

 small and open, with upright calyx segments, set in a depression. 

 Stalk : slender, an inch and a quarter long, set in a narrow cavity. 

 Flesh : soft, moderately juicy, and very sweet, with a slight Jargon- 

 elle flavour, with very little astringency, but with a slightly bitter 

 after-taste. 



The chemical analysis of the juice of the Blakeney Red 

 Pear, by Mr. G. H. With, F.R.A.S., F.C.S., Trinity College, 

 Dublin, gave the following results : — 



Density of fresh juice ... ... i*o33 



Ditto after 24 hours' exposure to air ... i'o34 

 100 parts of juice by weight, yielded of 



Sugar ... ... ... ... 9 •680 



Tannin, Mucilage, Salts, &c. ... ... 3*i6o 



Water ... ... . . ... 87-160 



This coarse, showy pear, has, perhaps for these reasons, become 

 lately very popular. It is saleable as a pot fruit for the manu- 

 facturing districts, but it is really a very worthless variety in the 

 Orchard, and the sooner the large number of young trees planted 

 within the last ten years, are grafted with varieties of higher merit, 

 the better. The Perry made from its juice is rough and coarse in 

 flavour, " abominable trash," and fit only for the most ordinary 

 purposes, when nothing better can be got. 



