296 THE REGENERATION OF FRUITS. 



immediately, and tying it securely so as to prevent the ingress of 

 bees. To those who have inclination and leisure, this occupation 

 will be found of much interest ; and to those who have not, the 

 chance method will be found equally so. The reproduction of 

 some of our favourite sorts of Pears, such as Marie Louise, and 

 Winter Nelis, in a pure state but hardier than they are at present, 

 and the latter of a larger size, ought also to be attempted. This 

 should be done by thinning out the blossoms on a spur before 

 they expand to three, and then enclosing them with a piece of 

 muslin. This will be a most interesting experiment ; for a pure 

 and unstained Winter Nelis Pear as large as a Beurre Diel, with 

 the hardy habits and blossoms of the Eyewood, will be of much 

 value ; or a Marie Louise as hardy as the latter, and keeping till 

 February. 



The theory and practice of the late Van Mons, which for so 

 many years has made so much noise on the Continent, has been 

 given in your pages ; but I may, I trust, be allowed to repeat it 

 in as few words as possible. 



His theory was that Pears could be improved by raising seed- 

 lings from successive generations of Pears, without taking care 

 that the blossoms were prevented from being stained. He com- 

 menced by sowing the seeds of some hardy inferior Pear, and as 

 soon as the trees bore fruit he sowed the pips from them; waiting 

 again till this second generation bore fruit, from the pips of which 

 he raised trees, and so on for several generations. He gave out 

 to the world that by this method he raised all his best Pears, 

 and that those of the last generations were nearly all good. This 

 seems to be in unison with the well-known fact, that cultivation 

 brings on amelioration ; only I have often thought he should have 

 commenced with Marie Louise ; but his assertion that by thus 

 raising successive generations, his last seedlings became so fruitful 

 as to bear some years earlier than those raised in the ordinary 

 way was a delusion, brought on I suppose by enthusiasm. That 

 some out of his many thousands of seedling Pears would bear 

 fruit some years before others, I have no doubt ; but that it 

 resulted from the system was an error. Let any one of your 

 readers raise seedlings from the Old Swan's Egg Pear, and at the 

 same time raise some from one of Van Mons' Pears, say Prince 

 Albert, which, as being one of his late generations, ought to give 

 seedlings wonderfully prolific, it will be found that the chances 

 are equal about the seedlings bearing fruit when young. I am 

 inclined to think that those from the very old Pear, the Swan's 



