PEARS. 531 



BISHOP'S THUMB (Bishop's Tongue). "Fruit, large, three and a 

 half to four inches long, and two to two and a quarter broad ; oblong, 

 narrow, pyriform, or undulating in its outline. Skin, yellowish green, 

 covered with numerous large russety dots, and with a rusty red colour 

 on the side exposed to the sun. Eye, small and open, with long reflexed 

 segments, set level with the surface. Stalk, one inch long, curved, 

 fleshy at the base, obliquely inserted, and attached to the fruit without 

 depression. Flesh, greenish yellow, melting, and juicy, with a rich, 

 sugary, and vinous flavour. 



An old-fashioned and very excellent dessert pear ; ripe in October. 

 The tree is hardy, an abundant bearer, and succeeds well as a 

 standard. 



The Bishop's Thumb was formerly called Bishop's Tongue, and it is recorded 

 in Leonard Meager's list of the fruits that were grown in the Brompton Park 

 Nursery in 1690 under that name. I find from the old books of that establish- 

 ment that it continued to be grown there under the same name till the end of the 

 last century, when it was altered to Bishop's Thumb. It appears also in Miller 

 and Sweet's Catalogue in 1790 as Bishop's Thumb. 



Bishop's Tongue. See Bishop's Thumb. 

 Black Achan. See Achan. 

 Black Bess of Castle Menzies. See Achan. 

 Black Beurre. See Verulam. 



BLACK HUFFCAP. Fruit, quite small ; pyriform, or oblong-ovate, 

 even and regular in its outline. Skin, olive green on the shaded side,' 

 and entirely covered with dull rusty red on the side next the sun ; the 

 whole surface thickly sprinkled with large grey russet dots. Eye, pro- 

 minent, open, with erect segments. Stalk, three-quarters of an inch 

 long, woody, connected with the fruit by a thickened continuation 

 the flesh. Flesh, yellowish green, firm, and very gritty. 



A noted perry pear of Herefordshire and Worcestershire. 



BLACKENEY RED. Fruit, about medium size, even and regular 

 in its outline ; turbinate or obovate. Skin, when ripe greenish yellow 

 on the shaded side, and covered with a more or less deep red cheek on 

 the side next the sun ; sometimes it is merely orange. Eye, small 

 and open, set in a saucer-like depression. Stalk, from an inch to an 

 inch and a quarter long, inserted without depression. Flesh, firm, 

 crisp, juicy, and with a mild acidity. 



This is very much planted in the Herefordshire orchards. The tree 

 is a profuse bearer, but the fruit is only second-rate for perry, in fact, 

 only " a cask-filler." 



BLACK WORCESTER (Parkinson's Warden; Pound Pear; 

 Warden). Fruit, large and obovate, four inches long, and three and a 

 half wide. Skin, green, entirely covered with rather rough brown 



