Descriptions of Six varieties of Pears. 295 



"varying in size according to the quantity produced," and 

 intermediate in form between the Beurre gris and Bezi de 

 Chaumontelle ; and its resemblance to the latter induced him 

 to call it the Bezi de Spoelberch. He named it in honor 

 of the Vicompte de Spoelberch, one of the trustees of the 

 University of Lou vain. An engraving of this pear, with sev- 

 eral others, was presented with the scions, and is in the library 

 of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society. 



The tree is moderately vigorous, with upright branches, 

 inclining towards the stock; the wood is yellowish brown, 

 and finely speckled with whitish gray specks ; the leaves are 

 rather large, irregularly dentated and folded, with a slender 

 petiole. 



Size, large, about three inches long and two and a half in 

 diameter : Form, obovate, full and slightly flattened around 

 the eye, swollen in the middle, and contracted near the stem, 

 where it is also little flattened : Skin, fair, slightly rough, 

 greenish yellow, becoming lemon yellow when mature, washed 

 and marbled, or blotched, with purplish red on the sunny side, 

 somewhat russeted in patches extending from the stem, and 

 covered with small greenish brown specks : Stem, rather long, 

 about one and a half inches, stout, curved, and obliquely 

 attached to the fruit by a slightly fleshy junction : Eye, me- 

 dium size, moderately sunk in a shallow round basin ; seg- 

 ments of the calyx short and stiff, projecting : Flesh, white, 

 fine, buttery, melting and juicy : Flavor, rich, sprightly, sac- 

 charine, and delicious, with a very high perfume : Core, me- 

 dium size : Seeds, medium size, dark, nearly round. Ripe in 

 December and January. 



Dr. Van Mons states it to be decidedly a winter fruit, some- 

 times keeping till spring ; probably this is true, as all pears 

 were very premature, owing to the warm and dry summer of 

 1845. Even the d'Aremberg scarcely kept till January. 



53. Plombgastel. 



Dusnas, of some French collections. 



Last autumn we received from J. C, Lee, Esq., of Salem, a 

 very handsome and excellent pear, called the Plombgastel, 

 ^fiS- 1^>) ai^d subsequently another specimen was sent us 



