422 MASSACHUSETTS HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



shown during the winter, and the season of 1876 was 

 very favorable to this fruit. The exhibitions of Clapp's 

 Favorite and other kinds on the 19th of August, and 

 of Bartlett and others on the 26th of August and the 

 2d of September, were very fine. At the annual exhi- 

 bition the display of pears was not as large as on some 

 former occasions ; but in quality it was thought one of the 

 best, if not the best, ever made. The most remarkable 

 specimens were the Beurre Bosc and Beurre d'Anjou 

 of William R. Austin : indeed, these two varieties gen- 

 erally showed a marked increase in size and beauty as 

 compared with other varieties. The prizes for apples 

 and pears were offered for single dishes of specified 

 varieties, which the committee thought a great improve- 

 ment over the former plan of offering prizes for collec- 

 tions. All the dishes of each variety being arranged 

 together, the labors of the committee were lessened ; 

 while visitors had an opportunity to judge of the cor- 

 rectness of their decisions. The largest number of 

 dishes of any one variety offered was of the Seckel, 

 there being twenty-eight contributors. There were 

 twenty-six each of Beurre d'Anjou and Beurre Bosc, 

 twenty-four of Louise Bonne* of Jersey, twenty-three 

 each of Bartlett and Sheldon, and twenty-two of Belle 

 Lucrative. The whole number of dishes of pears 

 offered for premium was four hundred and fifty-nine. 



At the show on the 7th of October, the largest and 

 handsomest dish of Beurre Bosc pears ever shown was 

 presented by S. C. Perkins. The weight was ten 

 pounds and two ounces : the specimens were very uni- 

 form in shape and size, and of fine color, and the com- 

 mittee felt themselves justified in pronouncing it a 

 perfect dish of pears. 



