I'KAKH. 



137 



WILLIAMS' BONCHRETIEN. Pk. cat. LoNn.HOB.TKAN. Fob. 



Bartlett, ) ^^ ^j^^ Bostonians. 



Summer ist. Mxchael, ^ 



This pear, which has been called by Mr. Aiton, (in his 

 Epitome of the Hortus Kewensis) WiUiams' Bon Chretien 

 appears to have sprung from seed, in the garden of Mr. 

 Wheeler, a schoolmaster at Aldermaston in Berkshire, about 

 twenty-five years ago, and was suffered to remain, in order to 

 prove the value of its fruit. Subsequently grafts have been ex- 

 tensively dispersed, and many trees been propagated in Mr. Wil- 

 liams' nursery near London, where it obtained its adopted title. 



The trees of this variety are of vigorous growth and fertile 

 habit ; their branches remarkably erect and straight, until bent 

 by the weight of fruit ; leaves broad, deep green, very sharply 

 serrated ; fruit of an irregular pyramidal and somewhat trun- 

 cated form, large, being from three to four and a half inches 

 in length, and two to three inches in width at the widest part 

 near the head ; the eye is inserted on the summit, and never 

 sunk in a hollow cavity, as in the other varieties called Bon- 

 chretiens ; the stalk is very gross or fleshy, about three-fourths 

 of an inch in length ; the colour of the fruit is pale green, 

 spotted over with a mixture of darker green and russet brown, 

 becoming yellowish, and faintly tinged with red on the side 

 next the sun when fully ripe; the flesh is whitish, very tender and 

 delicate, abounding with juice, which is sweet, and agreeably 

 perfumed ; ripens in August when trained to a west wall, but 

 on standard trees it is from three weeks to a month later. 



This pear is deemed by many superior to any of its season. 

 It immediately succeeds the Epargne or English Jargonelle, 

 and is earlier than, as well as much superior to the Doyenne 

 or White Beurre, and resembles in flavour the Summer Musk 

 Bonchretien. Its merits over the latter variety are, that on 

 standard trees, as well as when trained, it seldom fails to pro- 

 duce fruit in abundance. 



It has been held in great esteem in the environs of Boston 



18 



