M 



90 EDITOlfrt 'J'.V15Li:. 



£OIiol%s Jj)5lc. 



CoxYERSATiox ovKR A Disii OF pEjvRs OX New Year's Dat. — Gentlemen, here is a 

 dish of pears of which I should be glad to hear your opinion. 



A. With pleasure sir ; hut be kind enough to inform us, in the first place, how they 

 have been kept in such fine order. I had no idea that pears could be kept so well, and to 

 tell tlio truth, I have never h;Ml much faith in winter pears. I have rarely seen one worth 

 eating. 



B. That has been my opinion; I would not give a good Northern Spy or Swaar 

 apple for a bushel of the best winter pears I have ever seen. 



Well, gentlemen, I am glad to have an opportunity of convincing you of your error. 

 These pears have been kept in a cool, dry cellar, some spread on shelves, and some packed 

 away in boxes among layers of straw. None of them have been ripened in a Avarm room ; 

 but I am sure that if they had, some of them^ at least, would have been bettor than they are. 



Now, by way of reserving the good -wine to the last, we will pass around this handsome 

 yellow pear, which I confess loohs much better than it tastes. What do you think of it ? 



A. Barely tolerable sir. It is too dry and mugky for ray taste. It is not tender and 

 melting, as I think a good pear ought to be. 



What say you Mr. B.? 



B. I agree with Mr. A. 



Well, you are right, gentlemen. This is not really a good pear, now, for eating ; but it is 

 esteemed very highly in the kitchen, and I only brought it forward that I might tell you 

 something about it. It is past its season ; it should never be kept later than the middle of 

 December. Up to that time it is pretty good to eat, and first rate for stewing and preserv- 

 ing. Then it is one of the best of growers and bearers, the tree is every year loaded with 

 immense clusters, and they are always fair. Notwithstanding it has been cast out by the 

 Pomological society, I still regard it as a most profitable and useful variety. 



A. Would you recommend such a pear for a small gai'den ? 

 No sir, by no means. 



B. What is its name ? 



Bleelcefs Meadow ; it originated, I believe in Pennsylvania. 



Well, here is another native pear, originated on Long Island. It is not so finely colored 

 as the other, but you will find it more agreeable to the taste. 



A. A good pear, sir ; not buttery, like a Virgalieti, but juicy and fine flavored. 

 What say you Mr. B.? 



B. I should call it good, sir, for this season of the year ; and if it be a good bearer I 

 shoxild be glad to have a tree of it in my garden. What is its name ? 



Prince'' s St. Oermain ; a hardy, productive, valuable pear, and it keeps and ripens as well 

 in tlie cellar as a i?. /. G-reening apple. I have always a full crop of it ; but I find that on 

 the sunny side of the tree, and on all the exposed parts, where the fruits get that brown 

 or ruddy tinge you observe on some specimens, they ripen well and acquire a fine flavor : 



