38 Fruits and Fruit-Trees. 



glabrous on both surfaces. The structure of the flowers 

 is similar, but the petals are always pure white ; the 

 structure of the fruit is also similar, but the tissue usually 

 contains some gritty matter ; the pips are black instead 

 of brown, and there is never a concavity at the base. 

 When ripe the clusters are prone to hang in a peculiar 

 mantling way, very beautiful, the pear being one of the 

 trees which always give an impression of easy grace of 

 carriage as well as of opulence. In the latter respect, let 

 the season be favourable, the pear emulates the orange. 

 The great pear-tree at Garmouth (near the mouth of the 

 Spey) one of the variety called "Golden Knot," or 

 "Golden Ball," not a large fruit, but very sweet has 

 borne, as a single crop, the incredible number of twenty- 

 eight thousand six hundred. A curious fact respecting 

 the fruit is that while twin apples, i.e. two united, side by 

 side, are very common, twin pears are almost, if not quite, 

 unknown. Per contra (a profoundly interesting occur- 

 rence for the botanist), pears are apt to present very 

 singular malformations, all going to prove that the origin 

 of the fruit is the same as that of the apple, as described 

 on p. 21, i.e. it comes of the adhesion of the distended 

 extremity of the flower-stalk with the five ovaries, and 

 gradual fusion therewith, though in the pear the green 

 spots are not distinguishable. It is further interesting 

 to observe that though the younger branches of pear- 

 trees are apt to be spinous while in the wilderness, 

 when cultivated thorns appear no more. Also that pear- 

 trees, like the laburnum and the woodbine, are apt to 



