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Homer mentions this fruit as being cultivated in the garden of Laertes, 

 -the father of Ulysses. This fruit is also mentioned by Virgil, Theo- 

 phrastus, and Pliny. The last-named writer informs us that a number of 

 varieties were cultivated by the Romans in his day, including both 

 summer and keeping (or winter) Pears. He also particularly mentions a 

 popular fermented liquor made from the juice of the fruit, which appears 

 the earliest record relating to the beverage known as perry. Though the 

 Pear is indigenous to the United Kingdom, yet there are good grounds 

 for believing that the Romans, after the conquest, introduced improved 

 varieties to Britain and cultivated them. As in the case of many other 

 fruits, there are no very reliable accounts of the Pear through the middle 

 ages, but it appears to have been popular and generally cultivated. But 

 it was by slow degrees that the fruit became plentiful and commonly used 

 in England. There is a tradition that King John was poisoned at the 

 monastery of Swinsted by a dish of Pears, and whether true or false, the 

 story implies that the fruit was deemed worthy of being offered to a 

 monarch as a luxury. In an old book of household accounts of Henry 

 VIII. there is an item of two pence " to a woman who gaff the Kyng 

 peres." Gerard, one of the earliest English writers, says that in his time 

 great attention was paid to this fruit by the nurserymen around London . 

 The neighbourhood of Worcester at an early period became celebrated for 

 the cultivation of this fruit, and that city has three Pears included in its 

 arms. 



But though the Pear has been popular and generally cultivated in the 

 United Kingdom and in other parts of Europe for centuries, the varieties 

 of the present time are very different to the kinds formerly known. It 

 was not until late in the seventeenth century that any substantial 

 improvements in the fruit were obtained, but kinds then introduced were 

 far behind the modern varieties. It is only since the commencement of 

 the present century that the skill and perseverance of horticulturists have 

 raised the Pear to its present high standard of excellence. The highly 

 developed varieties now generally cultivated greatly excel most of the 

 older kinds in desirable qualities. To Belgian and French horticulturists 

 we are indebted for the greater number of our cultivated varieties, and 

 this fact accounts for so many French names. Professor Von Mons, who 

 is the raiser of many of our most esteemed varieties, is said to have 

 devoted the whole labour of his life to the improvement of the Pear, and 

 during his career raised and fruited no less than one hundred thousand 

 seedlings. British growers, however, have to be credited with the raising 

 of many sterling varieties as well as their Belgian and French confreres. 

 Several excellent varieties have also been raised in America. The 

 Chinese claim to have cultivated the Pear to great perfection for centuries 

 before it received attention in Europe, and to have raised some choice 

 varieties. The celebrated traveller, Marco Polo, states that when in China 

 he saw Pears of the enormous weight of ten pounds each, which were 

 white-fleshed, melting, and richly flavoured. This account must have 

 been a grossly exaggerated statement, as there are no such Pears 

 cultivated by the Chinese at the present time, and, in fact, their Pears 

 are greatly inferior to the European varieties. 



