Pears exhibited during the year 1852. 105 



specks ; flesh greenish white, meUing, very juicy, sweet, but 

 rather wanting in flavor, and with some astringency about 

 the skin. Nov. Bore for the first time the past year. Tree 

 appears to be very proUfic. 



LeuisE d'Orleans. — The hopes and expectations of culti- 

 vators have been greatly excited about this pear, in conse- 

 quence of representations from Europe of its great merit, it 

 having been decided, it was said, by Col. Van Mons, to be 

 the best pear ever produced by his father, and dedicated, by 

 permission, to the Glueen of Belgium. The seed from which 

 it originated, it was further said, was planted in 1827, and it 

 bore fruit in 1843. It was described as resemblihg, in size 

 and form, the Bonne des Zees. Stem about an inch long, set 

 in a slight hollow ; eye small, almost on a level with the 

 fruit, preserving the divisions of the calyx, and those short, 

 narrow, and slightly prominent ; skin of a beautiful bronze 

 green ; . flesh very fine, white, melting, with a superfine 

 sugary juice, that caused this pear to be ranked among the 

 noblest of its kind : ripening in Oct. and Nov. This fervid 

 description naturally excited the desires of amateurs and cul- 

 tivators for its possession, and trees obtained from diflerent 

 sources fruited the past year in several collections. The trees 

 of this variety, to which the following remarks particularly 

 refer, were received from M. Louis Van Houtte, in 1845. 

 It so happened that M. V. H., on that occasion, sent out two 

 distinct varieties under this name, — one being a very strong 

 growing, upright tree, with large, thick, deep green foliage ; 

 the other, a tree of more feeble growth, with a narrow leaf of 

 a lighter green color. Trees of both these varieties fruited 

 the past year ; those of the first mentioned, bore a pear under 

 the medium size, of a yellow color, with a white, rather 

 coarse, half melting flesh, and in no respect answering the 

 European representations of the Louise d'Orleans ; while 

 those of the last, bore fruit greatly resembling, if not identi- 

 cal with, the Urbaniste, — and being the same with the fruit 

 produced by trees in other collections, imported from different 

 European nurseries, it is probably the true variety to which 

 the above glowing description of the Louise d'Orleans was 



VOL. XIX. NO. III. 14 



