ITS HISTORY. 317 



times, thanks to the science and skill of horticulturists, is quite 

 a different morsel for the palate, from the pear of two or three 

 centuries ago. In its wild state it is one of the most austere of 

 all fruits, and a choke pear of our fields, really a great improve- 

 ment on the wild type, seizes ones throat with such an unmer- 

 ciful gripe, as to leave behind it no soothing remembrances of 

 nectar and ambrosia. 



So long ago as the earliest time of the Romans, the pear was 

 considerably cultivated. It was common in Syria, Egypt, and 

 Greece, and from the latter country, was transplanted into Italy. 

 " Theophrastus speaks of the productiveness of old pear trees, 

 and Virgil mentions some pears which he received from Cato. 

 Pliny in his 15th book describes the varieties in cultivation in 

 his time, as exceedingly numerous ; and mentions a number 

 which were named after the countries from which they were 

 received. Of all pears, he says, the Costumine is the most de- 

 licate and agreeable. The Falernian pear was esteemed for 

 its juice ; and the Tibernian, because it was preferred by the 

 Emperor Tiberius. There were ' proud pears' which were so- 

 called, because they ripened early and would not keep, and 

 'winter pears,' pears for baking, as at the present day."* None 

 of these old Roman varieties have been handed down to us, and 

 we might believe some of them approached the buttery luscious- 

 ness of our modern pears, did not Pliny pithily add, most unfor- 

 tunately for their reputation, " all pears whatsoever are but a 

 heavy meat, unless they are well boiled or baked." 



In fact the really delicious qualities of this fruit were not 

 developed until about the seventeenth century. And within the 

 last sixty years the pear, subjected to constant reproduction 

 from seed by Van Mons and his followers, and to hybridizing or 

 crossing by Mr. Knight and other English cultivators appears, 

 at length, to have reached almost the summit of perfection, in 

 beauty, duration, and flavour. Of Professor Van Mons and his 

 labours of a whole life, almost devoted to pears, we have already 

 spoken in our first chapter. From among the 80,000 seedlings 

 raised by himself, and the many thousands reared by other zeal- 

 ous cultivators abroad, especially in Belgium the Eden of the 

 pear tree there have been selected a large number of varieties 

 of high excellence. In this country, we are continually adding 

 to the number, as, in our newer soil, the pear, following the 

 natural laws of successive reproduction, is constantly appearing 

 in new seedling forms. The high flavour of the Seckel pear, 

 an American variety, as yet unsurpassed, in this respect, by 

 any European sort, proves the natural congeniality of the cli- 

 mate of the northern states to this fruit. 



The pear tree is not a native of North America, but was in- 



* Arboretum Brittanicum. 



27* 



