294 PYRUS COMMUNIS. 
it is next to the true service, (Pyrus sorbus,) the best wood that can be employed 
in wood-engraving, for which purpose, however, it is far inferior to that of the 
box. Yet, it is allowed to be very hard and homogeneous, easy to cut, and when 
perfectly dry, is not liable either to crack or warp. For the coarser kinds of 
engraving." snch as large plans or diagrams, show-bills, &c., it serves a very good 
purpose. When it can be obtained, in Europe, it is much used by turners and 
pattern-makers; also for joiners' tools; and, as it can readily be stained, it is 
sometimes made into various articles, dyed black, in imitation of ebony. As 
fuel, the wood of this tree is excellent, producing a vivid and durable flame, 
accompanied by an intense heat. According to Withering, the leaves afford a yel- 
low dye, and may be employed to impart a greenish shade to blue cloths. But 
the most important uses of the pear-tree, are those which arise from its fruit. 
When ripe, it is employed at the table as a dessert, either raw, stewed, or pre- 
served in syrup, and occasionally it is used in tarts. In most of the countries 
where it grows, this fruit is very generally dried in ovens, or in the sun, in which 
state, when stewed, it is excellent, either as a substitute for puddings and pies, 
or as forming part of the dessert. In the " Nouveau Cours d' Agriculture," pub- 
lished in 1809, it is stated that pears, in France, are dried two ways, one, for 
family use, by putting them into an oven, without being pared, after the bread is 
withdrawn, either on bricks, or on raised frames of tin or boards. They are put 
in two, three, and even four times, according to their size, and to the degree of 
heat contained in the oven. The only things necessary to be observed, are, to 
see that the oven is not so hot as to burn the pears, and that they are not left in 
so long as to become hard. Melting sugary pears, of a medium size, are the best 
for this purpose ; and when properly prepared, they may be kept in bags, in a 
dry place, for several years. The second mode, is that used for preparing the 
fruit sold in boxes, at the shops ; and for this purpose, rather small pears are con- 
sidered the best. They must be gathered before they are quite ripe, and care 
taken to preserve their stems. They are then parboiled in a very little water, 
peeled, and placed on dishes, with the stems upwards. In this state, a kind of 
syrup runs from them, which must be carefully poured off, and set aside. They 
are next placed on raised frames, and put into an oven, after the bread has been 
withdrawn, or heated to a similar degree, and left there twelve hours ; after 
which they are taken out and steeped in syrup, sweetened with sugar, to which 
there have been added a little cinnamon, mace, and a small quantity of the best 
brandy. The pears, when taken out of the syrup, are again placed in the oven, 
which should not be made quite so hot as it was the first time. The operations 
of alternately steeping and drying are repeated three times, and are finished by 
putting the pears, for the fourth time, into the oven, and leaving them there till 
they are quite dry ; when, if they have been properly treated, they will be of a 
clear, pale-brown, with fine translucent flesh. They are then arranged in boxes, 
garnished with white paper, and kept in dry places, or offered for sale. They 
will remain good, in this state, for three years, but are considered best the first 
year.* Another purpose to which the pear is applied, is for making perry. It 
is extensively cultivated for this object in various parts of Britain, France, and 
Germany, where the trees are sometimes planted in rows eighteen or twenty 
yards apart, in order to admit a free access of light and air. Perry is made in 
the same manner as cider. The pears should be gathered before they begin to 
fall, and should be ground as soon after as possible. Should the perry not be 
sufficiently clear, when racked off, it may be fined in the usual manner of clari- 
fying cider, by isinglass, in the proportion of about half an ounce to a barrel. 
The kinds of pears used for making this liquor in Herefordshire, are such as have 
* See Nouv. Cours d'Agr., xii., p. 116, al.-o Loudon's Arboretum, ii., p. 8S5. 
