140 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



Nov. 19, l8aO. 



From Prince's * Pomological Mauual.' 



AMBRETTE. Quin. Roz. Tourn. Duh. 

 Mil. For. 



Amhret, Ambrette, IVinter Amhrtt. Evel. 



Trompe-vakt, of some countries according to 

 Quintinye. 



Cheat-sei-vant, synonyme according to Evelyn. 



Ambrette deliver, 



Ambrette avec Spines, 



Ambrefte d'hivtr avec epines, \ of various col 



Ambrette ^risc, L lections 



Thorny Ambrette, 



The first notice I have found of this fine pear is 

 in the works of the celebrated De la Quintinye, 

 published about the year 1690. He enumerates 

 three varieties of the Ambrette, viz. 



The Ambrette, ripe in J^ovember, December, and 

 January, a very good pear. 



The Ambrette of Bourgeuil, or Graville, n;je the 

 thirteenth of October, an indifferent pear. 



Tlie thornless Ambrette, ripe in November, an 

 indifferent pear. 



It is the first of these that is tlie subject of the 

 present article, and strange as it may apjienr, the 

 other two are not described by either Duhamel, 

 Rozier, Miller, or Forsyth, or noticed in the Jardin 

 Fruitier, or Bon Jardinier. This fine fruit is said 

 to have derived its title from its musky odor, 

 which has a strong affinity to that of the Sweet 

 Sultan flower, called in France Ambrette. 



In the description given by De la Quintinye, 

 after first remarking that the Ambret or Ambrette 

 and the L'Echasserie bear considerable resem- 

 blance to each other, he proceeds to comment on 

 the difffirences that exist between them. The 

 Ambrette, he states, is in point of shape a little 

 flatter, and its eye sunk in a cavity, whereas the 

 L'Echasserie has its eye or crown quite jetting 

 out : their size is similar, and they resemble each 

 otlier likewise in color, though the former is com- 

 monly of a deeper and ruddier hue, and the latter 

 lighter and yellower, more especially when it be- 

 comes fully ripe. They are also nearly alike in 

 their stems, and ripen at the same [leriod. They 

 greatly assimilate in the delicious qualities of the 

 fruit when at maturity, in which respect however, 

 the L'Echasserie partially surpasses the other. 

 The flesh of the Ambrette is sometimes rather 

 more of a greenish hue, its seeds blacker and in 

 large cells, and its skin is usually a little more 

 rough to the touch. 



The L'Echasserie is occasionally knobbed or 

 warty, but it is the wood which presents the most 

 striking distinction, tliat of the Ambrette beiug ox- 

 tremely thorny and prickly, jirecisely like the wild 

 trees seen in the hedges, which is not the case with 

 the other; for although it shoots out some ixDJnts, 

 they are not however sufficiently sharp to prick 

 the fingers as those of the Ambrette will do. M. 

 De la Quintinye further remarks, that the L'- 

 Echasserie had not made its appearance above 

 twenty years, but that the Ambrette was already 

 of ancient standing. 



I will now proceed to give the description of it 

 ^ detailed by Duhamel, and Rozier. 



The shoots of the Ambrette tree are short, 

 straight, and perfectly round, of a light grayish 

 green hue where shaded, and a grideUn color 

 next the sun ; the buds are large, rounded, very 

 acute, turned off from the branch, the base that 

 supports them projecting but slightly ; the leaves 

 are of medium size, not indented, but furrowed or 

 wrinkled ; the flower consists of oval petals, hol- 



lowed in the manner of a spoon, and the summits 

 of the stamens are light purple mingled with white ; 

 the fruit is two inches in diameter, and tvventyfive 

 lines in height ; its form is rounded, and inclining 

 to oval, diminishing a little towards the stem, 

 which is large, nine lines in length, and inserted 

 in a very small cavity, whose circumference is 

 swollen by some small protuberences ; the head is 

 very round, and the eye is placed in a slight de- 

 pression surrounded by some small projections : 

 the skin is whitish, and sometimes grayish, accord- 

 ing to the soils ; the flesh is greenish white, melt- 

 ing, and of a sweet, rich, and very pleasant flavor ; 

 the seeds are black and contained in broad cells, 

 and the fruit begins to ripen in November, but 

 keeps well till in February ; the branches are 

 thorny, and the tree may be propagated on the 

 pear, but better on the quince. It delights in a 

 dry warm soil, with a good exposition, and suc- 

 ceeds better as a standard than as a dwarf; in 

 wet and cold soils the fruit is far inferior to that 

 produced in more favorable situations. 



ECHASSERY. Pr. cat. Mil. N. Duh. 



L'echasserie. Coxe. Pr. cat. 25 ed. 



Ambrette. Coxe. Fes. New Amer. Card. 



Bezy de Chassery. Duh. syn. Mil. syn. 



Eschassery. For. 



Leschasserie, ) r\ ■ ir' i n/r-i 



„ , , „ , > Qum. Evel. Md. 



I^erte tongue a hyver, ) 



Besiden/, Sandry. Quin. Evel. 



Echassete, ri Bezi de Chasseri. Roz. 



Winter green long. Evel. 



Winter long green. Mil. syn 



Wilding o/Echassery. 



Yat or Yut pear. 



Besidery Landry, ) jj.,_ 



Landry wilding, ) 



Tilton, of New Jersey. 

 The shoots of this tree are very slender, bending 

 at every joint, very much speckled (tiquee), gray on 

 one side, and of a greenish gray on the other ; 

 the buds moderately large, longisli, pointed, turn- 

 ed off from the branch, and have a small and 

 very slightly projecting base ; the leaves are long, 

 narrow, somewhat wrinkled or furrowed, indented 

 very partially, but coarsely ; the flower is formed 

 of oblong petals, each somewhat hollowed or 

 spoon-shaped, and terminating in a plicate or 

 plaited point ; the fruit is round, approaching to 

 oval, and diminishes in size towards the stalk, con- 

 siderably resembling the Ambrette ; it is generally 

 two inches in diameter, and twentynine lines in 

 height, but sometimes it measures no more in one 

 direction than in the other; the stem is large, 

 eight to fifteen lines long, inserted in a small cav- 

 ity, which is commonly surrounded with some 

 small protuberances ; the part next the head is 

 perfectly round, and the eye is there placed even 

 with the fruit; the skin is a whitish green, but 

 becomes of a yellowish hue at maturity ; the flesh 

 is melting, of a sweet, musky, and very agreeable 

 flavor ; the seeds are brown, and the fruit ripens 

 in November, and January ; the tree may be in- 

 grafted upon either the pear or the quince ; it is 

 productive and soon begins to bear fruit. 



I have examined the subject very minutely, 

 and have ascertained decidedly that this is the 

 Ambrette pear of Coie's work, a fririt of great 

 excellence and held in the highest estimation. 

 The only difference he speaks of is in regard to 

 the indenture of the leaf, and on this point I find 

 he fell into an error in his description, for all the ' 



trees that I have seen'or heard of, that have been 

 I obtained from New Jersey, as the Ambrette or Til- 

 ton pear, have indented leaves, and this fact, with 

 the circumstance of their being devoid of sharp 

 thorns settles the question of identity satisfactorily^ 



Curious discovery — cause and remedy for carious 

 teeth. — M. La Beaume, the medical electrician, 

 has made a curious discovery, that the accumula- 

 tion on the teeth termed ' tartar,' is occasioned bj 

 aiiimalcula, which are visible on microscopic exam- 

 ination. According to this gentleman, they grad- 

 ually burrow between the teeth and gums, pene- 

 trate the enamel, andenterthe interior of the teeth, 

 thereby ])roducing the de.^truction termed ' caries,^ 

 and also tooth ache. Blr La Beaume, after numer- 

 ous experiments, ascertained that the true malic 

 acid (the purified acid of the crab a]iple) not only 

 destroyed them, but dissolved the nuicus collection 

 which protected them. He therefore, recommends 

 the teeth to be brushed every morniug, and also the 

 tongue, which, when loaded with fuul slime, is 

 covered with animalcula, with a lotion composed 

 of malic acid and rose water, and afterwards with 

 the prepared areca-nut charcoal. This mode of 

 managing teeth is extremly beneficial, as it not 

 only removes, and when used only once a week, 

 prevents its reaccumulation,but cleanses the tongue 

 and produces a relish for food. Its good eflTects 

 on the tongue and palate, proceed in fact, from sym- 

 pathy, or from a continuous influence transmitted 

 to the stomach. The irritation produced by the an- 

 imalcula, and offensive effluvia from them or their 

 surrounding slime, probably of a foecal nature, are 

 extended to the saliva glands ; the consequence of 

 which is, that their secretion is unhealthy, and 

 no doubt, a very common cause of indigestion. — 

 Hyppocrate.«, who, in all cases, paid particular at- 

 tention to the state of the stomach, was of a simi- 

 lar opinion, that a perfect or good digestion dei)ends 

 as much on the healthy state of the teeth, as on 

 the sound condition of the digestive organs. 



Itching Feet. — Among the minor evils to which 

 the human frame is subject there are few more tor- 

 menting than that of violent itching of the feet, 

 during severe frosty weather, caused by incipient 

 chilblains. The following s])ecific is so simple 

 and cheap, that no person ought to be ignorant of 

 it; it is merely one part muriatic acid, mingled 

 with seven parts water, with which the feet must 

 be well rubbed for a night or two before going »o 

 bed, and perfect relief will be experienced. The 

 application nuist of course be made before the 

 skin breaks, and it will be found not only to allay 

 the itching, but to prevent the farther progress of 

 the chilblains. — The feet may be a little tender fo» 

 a short time, hut this slight inconvenience will soon 

 disappear. — jVew Bedford Courier. 



JVeto Steam Carriage. — Extract of a letter from 

 the ShelBeld Iris, signed ' An Engineer.' 'Being 

 last week at Lynn, I was induced from reports I 

 had heard ofa steam carriage, to visit the manu- 

 factory of Carlton and Galbee where I saw 

 this beautiful piece of machinery perfinm its evoiu- 

 tions. In viewing this modern wonder of mechan- 

 ics, the beholder is at a loss which most to admire, 

 whether the beauty, yet the simfilicily of its con- 

 struction, the ease with which it is guided, or tli' 

 velocity of its movements. After going sever.".! 

 times round the yard it took up a number of gent! 

 men, and I had the good fortune to be one of t]i' 

 number. It proceeded towards Brandon at the velo 



