Remarks upon variations in Fruits. 89 



Doubts will often arise respecting fruits, whether of native 

 or foreign origin; how easy to remove these by wounding the 

 roots, and causing them to produce suckers. 1 have followed 

 this course for some years, and have now a good collection 

 of native plums on their own roots. Mr. Prince says that he 

 has raised Prince's St. Germain and Prince's Virgoulouse 

 pears, the Imperial Gage, the red, the white and the yellow 

 Gage plums, from seed. I think that he is correct; but, as 

 I have heard doubts expressed by some persons, how soon 

 could he make "assurance doubly sure," by exhibiting fruits 

 raised from suckers from the original trees. 



In the Orcliardist''s Companion, published in Philadelphia, 

 there is a figure and description of the " Keser or Miser," 

 plum. As soon as I received the work, I took measures to 

 obtain from a first rate source in New Jersey, a specimen tree 

 of this plum: I am sorry to differ from the editor of a work 

 which promises to be so useful, but if this specimen tree is 

 correct, I have no hesitation in saying that this is the Cherry 

 plum or Mirobalan of Coxe and the European authors, and 

 that the synonymes quoted from the London Horticultural So- 

 ciety's Catalogue and the French writers, are erroneous. 



In the same work, the editor has quoted the description of 

 the Surpasse Virgoulouse, under the impression that it may 

 be the same as the St. Michael pear; but it is an error; the 

 two fruits are entirely distinct. All I know of the origin of 

 the Surpasse Virgoulouse is, that I received the specimen 

 tree from the late JMr. Parmentier; that I have not found it 

 described in any European work, nor under any name in my 

 own collection of more than eight hundred sorts. I have 

 come to the conclusion that it was either raised from seed by 

 Mr Parmentier, or that it is one of the new Flemish pears, 

 the name of which was lost, and the present one adopted by 

 Mr. Parmentier. Respecting the quality of this fruit, I will 

 only observe, that I sent it, among a great many other varie- 

 ties of pears, to a gentleman in Maryland, and he informs me 

 that he thinks it the finest pear he ever tasted. 



In a review of Hugel's Travels in Cashmere, in the For- 

 eign Quarterly Review for October, 1841, I find the follow- 

 ing extract from that work: — "The most magnificent fruit is 

 perhaps a white mulberry, found also in Northern Hindostan; 

 it is from three to four inches in length, and of the thickness 

 of the little finger; the flavor is delicious." How desirable 

 / VOL. vm, — NO. III. 12 



