424 THE PARKS AND GAEDENS OF PARIS. [Chap. XXIV. 



as one which should be planted as a bush or pyramid, and say it 

 is " mealy and insipid from walls." But the fine Easter Beurres 

 which adorn our tables in winter and spring are grown on walls 

 in France. All of the same variety are grown in like manner in 

 the school of horticulture at Versailles ; and as soon as a wall is 

 cleared of other varieties of Pear-trees there, it is immediately 

 planted with the Easter Beurre — so much is this fine variety 

 esteemed. The quantity of its fruits sold in the markets of 

 Europe during the winter-season is something incredible. It is 

 perhaps the most valuable of all Winter Pears ; and the chief, or 

 almost the whole supply comes from France. The climate does 

 it, some will say, but such is not the case ; for if left to the 

 climate unaided, we should have few fine Easter Beurre Pears in 

 Covent Garden in winter. And the same remark applies to other 

 varieties of Winter Pears. The flavour is said to be inferior when 

 grown against walls. Let us try them against white walls as the 

 French do, and see if we cannot nearly or quite equal their Pears 

 in size, and quite equal them in flavour. We have been for years 

 planting them as bushes and pyramids, and paying little or no 

 attention to their culture against walls ; hence our deficiency of 

 good AVinter Pears — those which are by far the most valuable 

 of all. 



Having taken suflScient care to select the very best varieties, 

 and to place them in positions where they are likely to succeed, 

 there is more to be done in getting rid of the bad ones. They 

 abound in every part of the country, and take up space in which 

 the best kinds might and should be growing. This prevalence 

 of bad kinds not only results from the greater scarcity of the 

 good varieties in bygone days, but also from the large number 

 of inferior kinds that are still offered for sale. In very many 

 cases the tree is worthless, because it has not been planted in a 

 position to ensure success. It frequently happens, for example, 

 that the finer kinds of Winter Pears, and those which the French 

 grow against walls around Paris, are in Britain sent out as suit- 

 able for pyramids. All worthless Pear-trees should be destroyed, 

 and good kinds planted or (happily there is an alternative) the 

 others re-grafted with good sorts. Another point would be gained 

 if the custom of growing inferior kinds from pips — which is 

 common among farmers in some fruit-growing districts with 



