THE PEAR. 233 



Pointer has them all growing in his ground at 

 Twickenham, near London, who is a most cunning 

 and curious grafter and planter of all manner of rare 

 fruits; and also in the ground of an excellent grafter 

 and painful planter, Master Henry Bunbury, of 

 Touthil-street, near unto Westminster; and likewise 

 in the ground of a diligent and most affectionate 

 lover of plants, Master Warner, neere Horsly Down, 

 by London; and in divers other grounds about 

 London." The neighbourhood of Worcester was pro- 

 bably then celebrated, as at the present day, for the 

 cultivation of this fruit, for three pears are borne in 

 the arms of the city. We have already alluded to 

 the manufacture of perry, which is almost peculiar to 

 Worcestershire. 



Most of the fine sorts of pears are of continental 

 origin, the horticulturists of France and the Nethe- 

 lands having paid more attention to that species of 

 fruit than those of England. As these varieties have 

 retained their original names, a good many laughable 

 corruptions have been produced in their popular 

 nomenclature: in just the same way that "the 

 Boulogne Mouth" is now rendered " the Bull and 

 Mouth." Thus the Bon- Chretien is converted into 

 the Boncrutching ; the Beurr'e into the Bury; the 

 Chaumontelle into the Charmingtel. Such odd 

 names as the Bishop's- Thumb, and many others 

 which our fruiterers use, may probably be traced to 

 a similar cause. In the names of apples there is 

 the same corruption, as Runnet for Reinette. The 

 names of fruits in all countries occasionally pre- 

 sent some laughable anomalies, such as the " Bon- 

 Chretien TWc," one of the finest of the French pears. 



The Chinese, who are said to carry the cultiva- 

 tion of fruit to much greater perfection than the 

 European gardeners, are stated by Marco Polo to 



