THE MEDLAE. 49 



of pomology, Josephine, was pronounced by her to be of 

 very agreeable flavour. Though an evergreen, with very 

 fine large leaves, this plant thrives perfectly when grafted 

 on the deciduous hawthorn, but as it does not blossom 

 until autumn, rarely perfects fruit in Europe. It is spe- 

 cially noteworthy as furnishing the connecting link be- 

 tween what had hitherto been looked on as quite distinct 

 groups, viz., the Mespilus family and the Az&roUers, ihe 

 latter being now reckoned by many botanists as only 

 varieties of the medlar (their blossoms agreeing in every 

 respect except that the number of styles varies from two 

 to five), though cultivators still maintain the ancient 

 distinction between them, and our Loudon includes the 

 Azeroliers in the family of the Cratcegus or Thorn. Their 

 little berry-like fruit* bears, indeed, a strong resemblance 

 to the common "haws" of our hedges, and are in some 

 sorts hardly larger. Scarcely grown in this country, and 

 even in France not acquiring much size 'or goodness, 

 though held in some esteem in Provence and Languedoc, 

 in Italy and the Levant they are much eaten, the climate 

 there improving them, while it also renders their sharp- 

 ness more welcome. They require to be fully ripe, but 

 do not, like the medlar, need lletting, and are eaten both 

 raw and in tarts or confections. Five or six sorts are 

 grown, the best being the Azerolier of Italy, the leaves 

 of which resemble those of the hawthorn, except that 

 they are larger and less divided, and the flowers are also 

 similar, but are larger and more fragrant, while the 

 roundish yellow fruit is like a very small Siberian Crab. 

 The natives of Italy are so much finer than those grown 

 in France that they are exported from the former to the 

 latter country, being first dipped each one separately into 

 melted white wax, which, forming a thin shell around 

 them, preserves them from injury during transport, and 

 also, by excluding the air, tends to keep them longer 

 from decay. The Azerole of the Levant differs chiefly in 

 being red and of longer shape, besides being smaller. The 

 Scarlet or Canadian Azerole is only of the size of a mus- 



See Plate II., fig. 8. 



