242 



tanian seems to have derived it's name from 

 it's growing near the marshes of Setia. It 

 appears also to have been indigenous to this 

 country, as it is mentioned by all our early 

 writers. Tusser calls the fruit Medlers or 

 Meles. Gerard says, " The medlar-tree often- 

 times grows in hedges among briars and bram- 

 bles : being grafted on a white-thorn, it 

 prospers and produces fruit three times as 

 large as those which are not grafted at all, 

 and almost the size of small apples. We 

 have/* says he, " divers sorts of them in our 

 orchards." He mentions the Neapolitan 

 Medlar, with leaves like the hawthorn, and 

 the Dwarf, growing naturally upon the Alps, 

 and hills of Narbonne and Verona. 



The Dutch Medlar, which is much larger 

 and finer flavoured than the common sort, 

 is the only kind now in request for planting 

 in the garden or orchard. This fruit can- 

 not be eaten when fresh gathered, being too 

 harsh for the palate; but after it has been 

 laid up for a few weeks, and undergone 

 a putrefactive fermentation, it becomes 

 quite soft, and is an agreeable fruit for the 

 desserts in November and December. 



This fruit is cooling, drying, and binding, 

 especially before it is ripe, and is useful in 

 all. kinds of fluxes. The lapilli, or hard 



