188 



THE GARDEXKWS MONTHLY 



[June, 



P. cordata is said to occur in Persia, but Prof. 

 Koch thinks the Persian tree is probably P. 

 Achras. The latter must have originally ex- 

 isted in the steppes of Southern Russia, especi- 

 ally in the country of Don Cossacks, for so far 

 back as the history goes, the pear tree has 

 played an important part in the customs of the 

 people ; with them it is the sign of grief. It is 

 likewise held in high esteem in their festivals, 

 especially at AVitsuntide ; and it is under a pear 

 tree that the annual custom takes" place of mak- 

 ing the most beautiful maiden the queen for the 

 ensuing year. P. Balansae, of Decaisne is pro- 

 bably distinct from P. Achras, to which Boissier 

 refers it. P. Sinai is certainly one of the most 

 interesting of pear trees ; it entered largely into 

 the parentage of the early Italian varieties, but 

 it does not appear to hive been introduced into 

 France till towards the end of the last century. 

 The area of its distribution in a wild state is not 

 known with certainty ; it certainly is indigenous 

 in Syria, and perhaps also in northern Babylon 

 or Assyria, which was formerly a Persian pro- 

 vince, but it is doubtful whether it extends to 

 Persia proper. Tliis species was probably car- 

 ried by the Phoenicians from Syria to lower Italy 

 and Sicily, as well as Rosa Damascena, before 

 Homer's time. P. Syriaca and P. glabra, of 

 Boissier, together with the P. Boveana, of De- 

 caisne, are varieties of P. Sinai, belong to P. 

 Achras. P. elfeagrifolia (not elseaguifolia, as 

 sometimes written) has played an important part 

 in originating garden varieties. P. Cotschyana, 

 of Boissier, is an Oriental variety with very 

 wooly leaves, and a large, round fruit. It is un- 

 certain whether P. salicifolia, which is a very or- 

 namental species, has contributed to the pro- 

 duction of cultivated varieties ; but it is the 

 Achras of Theophrastus and other early writers, 

 and is still very widely dispersed in Greece." 



Mr. Downing's Note on Barry.— As we 

 go to press we have a note from Mr. Barry, in 

 explanation of the points criticised by Mr. 

 Downing, which shall appear next month. 



The Late David Landreth. — The Lon- 

 don Garden states that the late David Landreth 

 was " the chief officer of the agricultural section 

 of the great Philadelphia exposition;" in which 

 are two errors worth correcting. First, it was 

 the International Centennial Exhibition of 

 which Mr. Landreth managed the Agricultural 

 Department,— and secondly, the Mr. Landreth 

 who managed so admirably that (ki)artnient, 



was Mr. Burnet Landreth, and not Mr. David 

 Landreth whose death we now deplore. 



Lecture on Squashes. — No doubt the 

 members of the Camden Microscopical Society 

 were astonished at a proposed lecture " on 

 squashes," but by a report in a Camden paper 

 of the remarks, they evidently went home in- 

 structed. Who would think so much could be 

 said of a squash. Three hundred and forty spe- 

 cies of the squash family, — their poisonous and 

 their edible qualities, — their enormous growth, 

 " like Jonah's gourd," and their thirst for wa- 

 ter ; their lifting power as illustrated by the 

 Amherst College experiments. Well let any 

 one try their hand at a lecture on the squash, as 

 friend Martindale did, and they will not need 

 even the mammoth tree of California, or the 

 Banyan of India for a better subject. It is 

 strange how wonderful are the little things 

 about us ; and wonderful how little is known 

 about these little things. 



Russell P. Eaton. — We recently expressed 

 our regret that this excellent gentleman had 

 left the editorial field he had so long occupied 

 in the New England Farmer ; and now we have 

 to welcome the prodigal's return. He has ta- 

 ken the Merrimac Journal of Franklin Falls, 

 New Hampshire. If the people there have no 

 fatted calves ready for him, he will soon teach 

 them how to obtain them. There will be few 

 lean kine around on the farms of his readers. 



RosEBANK Nurseries. — These Nashville 

 nurseries, one of the most famous and thoroughly 

 reliable in the South, will in future be known 

 as the Rosebank Nursery Co., instead of Truett 

 & Morgan. Mr. Morgan retires, but with some 

 new elements, Mr. Truett, Mr. Webber, and 

 the old management remains. 



Prize Essay on New Hardy Ornamen- 

 tal Shurbs. — The prize off"ered by the Massa- 

 chusetts Horticultural Society, was obtained by 

 Samuel Parsons, Jr. 



The American Garden. — This little paper, 

 formerly owned by Messrs. Beach, Son & Co., 

 has been purchased by Messrs. B. K. Bliss & 

 Sons, and the first number of the new series ap- 

 pears with Dr. Hexamer as editor. Its scope 

 may be inferred from the following from the 

 leading editoi'ial : "Although nearly all agri- 

 cultural papers devote a part of their columns 

 to horticultural matters, the bulk of their con- 



