250 Pomological Notices ; 



at his request, the pear, accompanying the same, with the 

 history of its origin and an engraving of the fruit. From 

 this letter we copy the following account : 



'• Some twelve years since, I discovered a young seedling 

 pear tree, in the border of the avenue, which divides my 

 front yard. It came up amidst a cluster of Syringa and 

 Rose bushes, and when it was about five years old, I con- 

 cluded to transfer it to the nursery, as a stock for budding. 

 After removing the earth, for over two feet in depth, it was 

 discovered that there was but a single tap root, which ap- 

 parently extended as much farther at least ; and being ap- 

 prehensive that an attempt to deplant it might occasion 

 such mutilations as to render it doubtful whether it would 

 survive the operation, I directed the earth to be replaced, 

 concluding to let it remain until it bore fruit. 



The shrubs which surrounded it were removed and the 

 tree grew rapidly ; but as it was inclined to shoot up tall 

 and slim, I headed it down so as to leave it about eight feet 

 high. It is now twenty feet in height and ten inches in 

 diameter. It has never been pruned except by cutting off 

 two small branches which projected into the avenue. It 

 being so little filled with wood, and the form regular, there 

 has been no occasion to attempt improving the appearance 

 or benefitting the tree by pruning. 



There can be no doubt that the plant sprang from a 

 seed accidentally dropped, as there was no pear tree in the 

 vicinity, or could there have been for many years, if ever, 

 as upwards of twenty years since, when my father pur- 

 chased this seat, there were eighteen Lombard Poplars 

 growing in the front yard, to the exclusion of every other 

 tree. They were at least a foot in diameter, and after 

 being dug up by the roots, the whole area was trenched, 

 manured and planted with ornamental trees, shrubs and 

 flowers. 



The tree is of vigorous growth, tall for its age and the 

 size of the trunk, branches long, rather slender, extending 

 horizontally to within eighteen inches or two feet of the 

 ends, which are turned upwards perpendicularly. The 

 bark of the annual shoots is brown freckled with small 

 grayish dots, that of the preceding years' growth and of 

 the trunk of a dusky green. 



The leaves are ovate, short, rounded at the base and 

 pointed at the other extremity, finely serrated, smooth. 



