Naturalisation in Extra- Tropical Countries. 397 



Pyrus auricularis, Knoop (P. Polveria, L.), the Boll wilier-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 Chinese and 

 Japanese Sand- Pear furnishes excellent stock for grafting [E. 

 Goeze]. The Muscatel -Pear is particularly sought by confectioners 

 [Mathieu]. Pears for preserving should be halved, boiled 20 

 minutes with 6 ounces of sugar to a quart of water [Shelton]. 

 The g*eneric writing of Pirus is inadmissable, 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. To subdue the Fusicladium-rust on pears and 

 apples, the trees, just after flowering, should be syringed with a 

 solution in the proportion of 1 Ib. sulphate of copper, 1 Ib of slaked 

 lime, and 4 gallons of water, which operation is to be repeated a 

 month later [R. Goethe]. 



Pyrus Cydonia, Linne. (Cydonia vulgaris, Persoon.) 



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

 Europe from antiquity ; in the Himalayas its culture reaches to 

 5,500 feet elevation, in Norway to Christiania. 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 Vermanica, Linne.). 



The Medlar. Southern Europe, Western Asia. 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. Medlar- Jelly has come recently 

 into use through Mr. T. F. Rivers. 



Pyrus Japonica, Thunberg. 



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

 the earliest flowering. Under favorable circumstances it will pro- 

 duce its quince-like fruit. It is one of the earliest species, so 

 valuable to the apiarist. 



Pyrus IVXalus. 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 and degenerated. Bees resort 

 to the flowers. For reference to varieties Dr. Hogg's fruit-manual 



