in Extra-Tropical Countries. 309 



pear-trees, particularly from that of the root; while a volatile alkaloid, 

 namely trimethylamin, can be prepared from the flowers. Pyrus 

 auricularis, Knoop (P. Polveria, L.), the Bollwiller-Pear, is a hybrid 

 between P. communis and P. Aria, Ehrhart. Curious fruits have 

 been produced latterly in North- America by the hybridization of the 

 apple with the pear. The generic writing of Pirus is inadmissible, as 

 even Plinius used both Pirus and Pyrus in his writings, and as the 

 latter wording was already adopted by Malpighi and fixed for the 

 genus by Linne. The flowers of all the leading European fruit-trees 

 afford nectar for honey to bees. 



Pyrus Cydonia, Linn. (Cydonla vulyaris, Persoon.) 



The Quince. Countries at the Caspian Sea. Reared in South- 

 Europe from antiquity ; in the Himalayas its culture reaches to 5,500 

 feet elevation. The Portuguese variety bears extremely large fruit. 

 The preserved quince is one of the most agreeable of fruits. The 

 seeds impart copiously to water a tasteless mucilage. Quinces are 

 not readily attacked by sparrows. 



Pyrus Germanica, J. Hooker. (Mespilus Germanica, Linne".) 



The Medlar. Southern Europe, Western Asia. Of this species a 

 variety exists with large fruits of particularly pleasant taste. The 

 ordinary medlar-fruits become edible after some storage. A large- 

 fruited variety of excellent taste is cultivated in South-Europe. 

 P. Maulei (Masters) is a closely cognate plant, with golden-yellow 

 edible fruit, particularly fit for preserves. 



Pyrus Japonica, Thunberg. 



Japan. One of the prettiest of small hedge-bushes, and one of the 

 earliest flowering. Under favorable circumstances it will produce its- 

 quince-like fruit. It is one of the early species, so valuable to the 

 apiarist. 



Pyrus Malus, Linne. 



The Apple-tree. Europe, Western Asia, ascending the Himalayas 

 to 11,000 feet. Shown to have been in culture already in Switzer- 

 land and Northern Italy prior to historic records, though Professor 

 C. Koch regards neither the wild and variable crab-trees nor the pear, 

 as original denizens of Middle and Northern Europe, but simply as 

 strayed from cultivation aud degenerated. Koch traces some sorts 

 of cultivated apples to P. pumila (Miller) of South- Western Asia; 

 as other original forms he notes the P. dasyphylla (Borkhausen), P. 

 silvestris and P. prunifolia (Willdenow) of Middle and Western 

 Asia. This tree is one of longevity; Mr. H. C. Hovey gives records 

 of an apple-tree in Connecticut, which at the age of 175 years 

 measured about 14 feet in circumference at 3 feet from the ground, 

 the diameter of the top of the tree being over 100 feet. In Prof. 

 Meehan's Gardeners' Monthly is a record of the fecundity of an apple- 

 tree in New England, given by Mr. W. S. Platt, of Cheshire; its eight 

 branches spread over six rods, and five of the branches bore in oue 



