418 



THE FREDRIKA BREMER PEAR. 



scription as you would like. The out- 

 line I send you is about the average 

 size, as near as I recollect, in ordinary 

 seasons. 



This season the fruit was smaller 

 than I recollect to have seen it be- 

 fore, owing to the severe drouth of 

 last summer, which affected all our 

 fruits. 



The fruit is usually pretty uniform 

 in size, — there being but few small 

 ones, and is what I should call large. 

 I have a memoranda of specimens, 

 weighing 16 ounces ; but few, how- 

 ever, attain this size. 



My attention was first directed to 

 this pear some four or five years since, 

 by seeing it offered in market as the 

 Virgalieu. Knowing it was not the 

 Virgalieu, I took home some speci- 

 mens to ripen, — being struck with the 

 size, rather than the appearance of 

 the pear, although the smooth skin 

 and its fine texture indicated that it 

 might be a good fruit, when, at ma- 

 turity, I was pleased to find it really 

 a good, fine flavored and melting 

 pear. In the fall of 1848, 1 sent specimens 

 of it to your brother for exhibition at the 

 fair of the American Institute. I saw it 

 mentioned in the published proceedings as 

 a seedling pear, and hearing nothing more 

 from it, concluded it was passed over, and 

 not noticed, as it was not ripe when sent. 

 I should not probably have sent it again, 

 had not your brother when at Syracuse, at 

 the state fair last fall, questioned me upon 

 the subject. From his questions I know it 

 had not escaped his notice, and I further 

 surmised that he thought well of it, al- 

 though he was not so decided in the ex- 

 pression of his approbation as some o'.hers 

 have been. I however determined that I 

 would send it to him again, to be presented 

 at the late sitting of the fruit congress in 



Fig. 102.— The Fredrika Bremer Pear. 



October last. I did so, with the request 

 that he would have some of the specimens 

 preserved until at maturity, and then try 

 them. As I was packing the fruit, a lady 

 present knowing its destination, suggested, 

 as Miss Bremer was about to be your 

 guest, the affixing of her name to the pear. 

 I readily adopted the suggestion, and wrote 

 you to that effect ; provided you thought 

 well of the fruit on proving it. Since that 

 time, I have had letters from three or four 

 of the committee on seedling fruits, to 

 whom specimens were given to keep, giving 

 their approval of its good quality, and con- 

 firming its name. 



The following is the description from 

 my memorandum book : Season — October 

 and November. Fruit — large, remarkably 



