THE SUMMER AND AUTUMN PEAR SUPPLY. 71 



renders a store of fruit in the fruit-room doubly valuable. 

 It is best, therefore, in planting the garden with fruit 

 trees, to calculate the pear-eating capabilities of the 

 family, and to provide about as many autumn-ripening 

 pears as can be consumed without waste from the time 

 the earliest autumn pears ripen, until as near Christmas 

 as the later ones can be prevailed on, by a cool fruit-room 

 and care, to keep good. If tolerably successful, the 

 twelve sorts I have named would keep a very large 

 family abundantly supplied as long as they last; and if 

 the consumption be very great, there may be duplicates 

 of Louise Bonne, and some others of the best kinds. 

 If there be not space at command for so many autumn 

 pears, without interfering with those which are 

 necessary to provide a winter stock, Louise Bonne, 

 Bishop's Thumb, Duchesse, Marie Louise, Graciali, and 

 Swan's Egg, will form a good half-dozen, introducing a 

 Brown Beurre if there be a warm, sheltered spot at 

 liberty for it, and Beurre d'Amaulis, on account of its 

 being a good go-between. 



Doyenne Blanc, St. Michel, or Doyenne d'Or, is a 

 most delicious October pear, which may be added with 

 advantage to any collection. The fruit is round, bright 

 yellow, with crimson on the sunny side, and cinnamon- 

 russet markings. It is very sweet, mellow and juicy; 

 the eye is small, with a closed calyx, in a shallow basin, 

 and the stalk is also placed in a small cavity. It ripens 

 the end of September, and keeps several weeks. It is 

 capital for grafting on the quince stock, but will also do 

 on the pear. It is much known as the White Beurre. 



The time of gathering varies greatly, according to the 

 weather and situation. Violent stormy weather, and an 

 early break-up of the season, may often make it advisa- 

 ble to try the fruit with a view to forestalling the usual 

 date of gathering, but we must on no account ever 

 gather any which will not leave the tree readily. 



Beurre d'Amaulis will be ready to gather by the middle 

 of September. Graciali comes next, and will have to be 

 stored a week or ten days later. The Calebasse has to 

 be gathered in October, but will keep into November. 



