192 PERRY PEARS, 



the estate of Mr. Charles Cooke, of the Moor, in the parish of 

 Hohner, near Hereford. Mr. Thomas Andrew Knight judged it to 

 be about eighty years old (c. 1730), and the variety would now be 

 about 150 years old. It is figured in the Fofnona Herefordensts, 

 Plate XX. 



Description. — Fruit : small, roundish, turbinate, even and 

 regular in outline. Skin : pale green at first, but of a dull greenish 

 yellow, when ripe ; thickly covered with russet dots, so as to form 

 a kind of crust upon the surface. Eye : open, full of stamens, 

 having short divergent segments, and set in a very shallow depres- 

 sion, or scarcely any depression. Stalk : from half to three-quarters 

 of an inch long, slender, inserted in a small hole, with occasionally 

 a slight swelling on one side. Flesh : yellowish, firm and crisp. 

 Juice : plentiful, pale in colour, with a sweet, sub-acid, and very 

 astringent flavour. 



The chemical analysis of the juice of the Holmer Pear, 

 (season 1882), by Mr. G. H. With, F.R.A.S., F.C.S., Trinity 

 College, Dublin, gave the following results : — 



Density of fresh juice ... ... i'o5i 



Ditto after 24 hours' exposure to air ... i'o55 

 100 parts of juice by weight, yielded of 



Sugar ... ... ... ... 1 1 "900 



Tannin, Mucilage, Salts, &c. ... ... 3 "400 



Water ... ... ... ... 84700 



Mr. Thomas Andrew Knight found the density of the juice to 

 be I '066, so that it possesses a high spirit-producing power. 



The Perry from the Holmer Pear, in a good season, is of good 

 flavour, sweet and rich, and resembles that made from the Red Pear-. 



The tree is strong and vigorous, grows tall, blossoms early in 

 May, and bears well. The fruit follows the Moorcroft and Barland 

 in season. The pears ripen altogether, and perish very quickly, so 

 that they must be sent forthwith to the mill. It is not a favourite 

 pear, but on Mr. Knight's recommendation of its rich juice, it was 

 widely propagated, but this is no longer the case. 



