BEURRE' ORIS D'HIVER PEAR. 



Tree. — Moderately vigorous, somewhat spreading and irregular in 

 habit, forming a loose, open head ; annual shoots not very stout, curved. 



Wood. — Dark reddish brown, dotted with grayish specks, moderately 

 stout, and short-jointed; old wood, grayish brown; buds, medium size, 

 flattened, short, slightly diverging, with rather prominent shoulders : 

 Flower-buds, medium size, oval, brownish, with large gray scales. 



Leaves. — Large, oblong ovate, thick, narrowing to each end, yellow- 

 ish green, thickly nerved, folded inwards, and very slightly and coarsely 

 serrated; petioles, medium length, one to one and a half inches long, 

 stout. 



Flowers. — Small; petals roundish, cupped; clusters, compact. 



Fruit. — Large, about three inches long, and three in diameter : 

 Form, obovate, slightly one sided, tolerably full at the crown, tapering 

 little to the stem end, which is very obtuse : Skin, slightly rough, dull 

 yellow, nearly or quite covered with a rather dark cinnamon russet, 

 bronzed on the sunny side, and dotted with dark specks : Stem, short, 

 about half an inch long, rather stout, curved, fleshy at the base, and 

 obliquely inserted, without much of a cavity, with a projection on one 

 side : Eye, small, open, and shghtly depressed in a small, smooth basin ; 

 segments of the calyx, short, rounded: Flesh, yellowish white, coarse, 

 melting, and very juicy: Flavor, rich, saccharine, sprightly, and highly 

 aromatized : Core, large, slightly gritty : Seeds, medium size, dark brown. 



Ripe in December, and keeps till February. 



[82] 



