FORMS AND SIZES COMPARATIVE. 319 



pulled, and in handling, avoid pinching the fruit, or in any way bruis- 

 ing it ; as gathered, lay them quietly in shallow baskets." 



This process of gathering at the proper time, in connection with 

 their after maturing in a fruit-room or house of equable temperature, 

 has often very much to do in deciding the quality of a pear. Many 

 varieties are entirely worthless as dessert pears, unless so ripened, 

 when, with this care, they are really the most delicious. Others, 

 again, as is the case with most varieties maturing late, require simply 

 to be put away in barrels in the cellar, like apples, and a few days 

 before wanted for use, brought out and placed in a warm room. 



The old criterion of a good pear, viz. : one with a sugary aromatic 

 juice, soft sub-liquid pulp, or melting, as in the White Doyenne, or 

 fine crisp and "breaking," as in the Bergamottes ; firm, juicy, yet 

 austere for cooking, as in the Pound, is equally good at this day as 

 when first written. 



The common uses of the pear are for dessert, baking, stewing, dry- 

 ing, preserving, marmalades, and for perry. For the latter use, large 

 orchards of the more common hardy sorts have heretofore been 

 planted, and the result found more profitable than the same amount 

 of ground appropriated to the apple for cider. 



Varieties and Nomenclature. The number of varieties now known 

 is something over twelve hundred, but of these it is more than pro- 

 bable over one thousand may be discarded, and then leave more than 

 have qualities to sustain their continued culture when compared with 

 the best. Throughout the West, the pear culture is only in its in- 

 fancy, and we therefore place far less in our first class than probably 

 may seem worthy that position by our Eastern pear amateurs ; but 

 we would rather our Western growers should plant varieties worthy 

 their attention, than, as a whole, devote time to testing. We shall 

 not pretend in this work to even note all varieties, but shall only 

 speak of those most known in our own language, while we could wish 

 (and probably may do so, as far as possible, at a future time) to trans- 

 fer all names into the English language ; we have at this time 

 thought best in most cases to retain the foreign name, but in the first 

 class giving the English meaning directly underneath, and in same 

 size type. 



Forms and Size comparative. Our forms illustrative of the terms 

 used in description, are from the Transactions of the Massachusetts 

 Horticultural Society. These are founded on the fundamental figure 

 of a circle, and on this is drawn the form of the fruit ; and where the 

 circle forms not a part of the fruit form, it is shown by dots. It 

 should always be recollected, that in the pear, pyriform is with the 

 email end at the stem ; while in the apple it is at the calyx. 



