446 



THE BELLE DE BRUXELLES AND PAQUENCY PEARS. 



These are two European pears that may 

 very justly be placed on your list of select 



kinds. 



They were procured in France iu the 

 spring of IS41, by my partner, Mr. Ell- 



WANGER, among a large collection of Bel- 

 gian and French varieties. They iiave 

 borne for two years, and 1 think I may 

 speak of them with some degree of confi- 

 dence. 



THE BELLE DE BRUXELLES. 



Belle d'Aodt. 



This I think unsurpassed, at least by any 

 summer pear of native or foreign origin 

 that I have yet seen. It combines in an 

 eminent degree, the various qualities that 

 are deemed indispensable in a good fruit. 

 The tree is vigorous, its growth is compact 

 and straight; it is prolific to a fault ; indeed, 

 we suffered our specimen tree to bear so 

 many, the past season, that the size and 

 quality of the fruit were considerably im- 

 paired. The fruit will require thinning, 

 particularly when grown on the quince. 

 Our tree, on the quince stock, is only 

 between four and five feet high, mod- 

 erately branched, and yet it bore and ripen- 

 ed sixty speciyvens ; but they were inferior, 

 generally, to the two dozen borne the pre- 

 vious year. By the way, I 

 may remark that this matter 

 of thinning is of great im- 

 portance in growing fruits, 

 and particularly pears. Ma- 

 ny sorts are so prolific in hab- 

 it as to bear double the num- 

 ber that the tree is able to 

 mature perfectly, and if thin- 

 ning is not attended to, the 

 best varieties will sometimes 

 prove insipid and worthless. 

 I find this to be the case with 

 Capiaurnont Cabbasse, Henry 

 the 4:th, Passe Cohnar, and 

 many others. 



The Belle de Bruxelles 

 may be described thus : 



Fig. 104. Belle de Bruxelles Fear. 



