Descriptions of Six varieties of Native Pears. 293 



The Lewis pear is stated, by Mr. Downer, to have origi- 

 nated on the farm of John Lewis, Esq., of Roxbury ; he 

 was acquainted with the variety as long ago as 1819, when 

 he visited the tree in the fall, and found it loaded with fruit, 

 some of which were "middling large and pretty fair, but 

 more under middling ; some blasted and many small ones ;" 

 and he concluded not to try it. Having repeatedly heard 

 of its selling well in the market, under the name of Rox- 

 bury St. Germain, five years afterwards he looked at it 

 again, at the same season of the year, and he thought no 

 better of it than before. The tree was entirely too full. 

 Both times he saw the tree, it stood in the grass ground, 

 under common cultivation. In the autumn of 1S2S, Mr. 

 Downer visited the " highly cultivated vegetable fields of 

 A. D. Williams, in Roxbury ; " there was a fine young 

 tree, grafted from the above mentioned tree, in full bearing 

 (about three bushels on it) fair and large sized fruit, also 

 bearing the same the year previous. It resembled the St. 

 Germain in taste but not so highly flavored. Mr. Lewis 

 states that the tree sprang from seeds of the common button 

 pear, planted many years since. The tree of this variety 

 growing more vigorous than the others, and showing larger 

 and handsomer leaves, induced him to let it remain, and it 

 had then (1829) been in bearing twenty 3^ears. Suckers 

 from the original tree as well as the parent, have given 

 constant c?~ops of fruit for the last ten years. 



Size, medium, two and three quarter inches in length, 

 and two and three quarter inches in diameter : Form, 

 rounded, obovate, large at the crown, tapering in a swollen 

 manner to the stem when it ends obtusely : Skin, fair, 

 nearly smooth, yellowish green when mature, very regu- 

 larly covered with russet points: Stet}i, long, about one and 

 a half inches, smooth, dark brown, with some greyish 

 specks, inserted in a very shallow cavity : Eye, medium 

 size, open, slightly depressed in a broad shallow cavity; 

 segments of the calyx, short : Flesh, yellowish, coarse, 

 melting and juicy, with a slight grit at the core : Flavor, 

 rich and sugary, with an agreeable spicy perfume : Core, 

 large : Seeds, large, pale brown. Ripe from November to 

 February. 



The tree grows vigorous and handsome, with long 

 branches, often bending like the weeping willow. 



