140 STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



from three to four and one-half inches in length, and two to three inches 

 in width at the widest pait near tlie head. The eye is inserted on the 

 summit and never sunk in a hollow caviry as in the other varieties called 

 Bon Chretien. The stalk is \evy gross or fleshy, about three-fourths of an 

 inch in length. The color of the fruit is pale green, and russet brown, 

 becoming yellowish and faintly tinged with red on one side next the sun 

 when fully ripe. The flesh is whitish, v< ly tender and delicate, abound- 

 ing with juice, which is sweet and agreeaOlj- perfumed, ripens in August 

 when trained to a west wall, but on standard trees it is three weeks or a 

 montli later.'' 



Any person familiar with our Bartlett pear will at once recognize the 

 description as perfect in every point. 



At the time Mr. Hooker made his rep'ut. which was in 1816, the pear 

 was evidently one few people were acqi.ainted with, and certainly the 

 Horticultural Society had not as yet taken it under its fostering care, and 

 given it its sanction, for Mr. Hooker continues as follows: 



"This pear I woidd reconniiend to the notice of the Horticultural Society 

 as superior to any of its season with which I am acquainted. It immed- 

 iately succeeds the Jargonelle, and is earlitr as well as much superior to 

 the Doyenne, or White Benrre, and resembles in flavor ttie Summer Musked 

 Bon Chretien. Its merits over the latter variety are, that on standard 

 trees as well as trained, it stldoni fails to produce fruit in abundance." 



He next presents a drawing of the fruit, which, I will say, exactly con- 

 forms to an average outline of our Bartlett, and he adds : 



"The drawing wiiichacconipanies this was taken fromspecimens which 

 ripened on a west wall, and niHy be considered an average size; but I 

 have seen fruit of this variety Aveighing from ten to twelve ounces." 

 I remain, si'', most respectively and sincerely yours. 



William Hooker. 



No. 5, York Building, New Eoad, November 30, 1816. 



As will be observed, this was written about seventy-four years ago, and 

 when it was not a very well known fruit, although as we have seen that 

 Mr. Alton, in his Hortus Kewensis, had spoken favorably of it in 1789, 

 now a century ago. and twenty-seven before we find Mr. Hooker com- 

 mending it to the favorable notice of his society; suggesting, then, as 

 now. that there is slowness in the movement of "large bodies." 



We have thus traced, with considerable accurac}'. and a good degree of 

 certainty, the English Williams' Bon Chretien, back to its origin as a 

 seedling, in the garden ol Schoolmaster Wheeler at Aldermaston, in 1769. 

 We find in the descriptions given by both Alton and Hooker, a close 

 resemblance to our Bartlett, and the cxuestion for our consideration is this 

 • — Are they identically the same, and was that the origin of our pear? 



I trust I shall be pardoned the seeming egotism when I state, that 

 being in England the past summer, and having good facilities for exami- 

 nation, I investigated the question quite thoroughly, examining both trees 

 and fruit, and I was fully convinced that the fruit was identical with our 



