<*\ THE BOOK OF PEARS AND PLUMS 



Thus he mentions pira nardina, a pear with the scent of 

 nard ; pira onynchina, a pear of the colour of the finger- 

 nail, and others. These last are evidently Greek. Forty 

 or fifty sorts are named in Roman writers, and the Pear 

 was appropriately dedicated to Minerva, the goddess of 

 wisdom. 



The Romans no doubt took their pear-trees north- 

 wards into Gaul and Britain. The climate of France is 

 so well adapted to the growth of pears, that at one time 

 it was thought all good pears must come from France. 

 I well remember many years ago seeing a garden in this 

 country full of pear-trees, every one of which had come 

 from France. Happily there is no need now to go out 

 of England for the very best varieties. A list published 

 in 1628 by a fruit-grower of Orleans named Le Lectier 

 (there is a new variety called by his name, and probably 

 after him) enumerates 260 varieties. The well known 

 Jargonelle is mentioned in that list. Our Parkinson in 

 1629 refers to 64 varieties only. Seventy years later 

 we read of 1 38, and in 1829 of 630 varieties. John 

 Scott, rather famous as a fruit-grower forty years ago, 

 says in his " Orchardist" that he has above looo sorts 

 worked upon the Quince Stock. He had studied pom- 

 ology at the " Jar din Fruitier" the fruit garden attached 

 to the Jardin des Plantes at Paris, and, using his oppor- 

 tunities, learnt all the secrets of Pear culture, and 

 brought them from France to Merriott, near Crewkerne, 

 in Somerset. The last edition of Dr Hogg's " Fruit 

 Manual" (invaluable to the Pomologist), published in 

 1884, contains the names of 647 varieties. Not a few 

 of these were marked as worthless by the Committee of 

 the National Pear Conference, held at Chiswick in 

 October 1885. The Royal Horticultural Society in 

 their " Fruits for Cottagers and Small Farmers" (1892), 

 selected eight varieties only for eating, and two more 

 for late keepers ; four were recommended for cooking 



