No. 244.] 141 



there were apples, fabled to possess the power of conferring immor- 

 tality, which were carefully watched over by ti.e goddess Iduna, and 

 kept for the especial dessert of the gods who felt themselves growing 

 old. 



In Devonshire and Herefordshire at the present day the farmers 

 salute their apple trees with cider and toast to ensure a good crop the 

 ensuing year. 



Linna?us ranks the pear, apple and quince, together, making them 

 all of the same genus and one species. They belong to his twelfth 

 class, Icosandria Pentagynia, the species are : The wild or crab apple, 

 the wild crab of Virginia, and the dwarf or paradise apple. There 

 are now about one thousand varieties of the apple cultivated. The 

 Newtown Pippin ranks highest throughout the world. And next to 

 it I think the Spitzenberg is the best apple we have ; it is a delicious 

 desert fruit. 



The Pear (Pyrus Communis) is a very ancient fruit. In the days 

 of Pliny twenty kinds were known, and in the time of Virgil six or 

 BCTen. Linnaeus arranges them in the fourth section of his twelfth 

 class along wnth quinces and apples. The pear was carried from Sy- 

 ria to Italy in the early occupation of that country by the Romans. 

 Theophratus speaks of old pear trees that were very productive. 

 Virgil says Cato presented him with some. There was a favorite 

 pear of Tiberius called after him on account of his partiality to it. 

 They live to an old age. There are some mentioned by Rose as be- 

 ing 3 or 400 years old. There is a pear tree in England covering 

 one-half an acre of ground, at least such was the case in 1805 or 6, 

 it has produced 14 hogsheads of Perry, and is still enjoying good 

 health, there is a tree, Mr. Downing says in Illinois which girths, one 

 foot above the ground, ten feet, its branches cover 69 feet in diame- 

 ter, it has borne 184 bushels of pears and is only 40 years old, the 

 fruit is hard and of fine flavor. There is a tree on the Third Avenue, 

 which was planted by Governor Stuyvesant 200 years ago. The 

 wood of the pear is fine grained and much used by turners for tools. 

 The leaves are capable of affording a fine yellow dye. 



The Virgalieu is the best of all pears, was first raised in this coun- 

 try by A. Parmentier of Brooklyn, who obtained it from abroad. 

 The Marie Louise, Bartlette, Jargonelle and Seckel, are all delicious 



