Pomological Gossip. 273 



its name. The duke received it from the late Mr. Barker, 

 of Suaidia, in Syria, a gentleman whose attention had long 

 been turned to the acquisition of the finest fruit trees of the 

 East, in the hope that they might be valuable in his native 

 country. It was his anxious desire, that such as proved to 

 be adapted to the climate of the United Kingdom, might be 

 immediately dispersed ; and the sale now announced is in 

 furtherance of Mr. Barker's benevolent design. In surren- 

 dering his property in it to the public, the Duke of Northum- 

 berland has resolved that the proceeds, after paying the 

 expenses of propagation, &c., should be transferred to a fund 

 in aid of the Benevolent Institution for the Relief of Infirm 

 Gardeners : a plan in which Mr. Barker heartily concurred, 

 and which we trust that the well-wishers to this excellent 

 charity will heartily support. The sale will take place on 

 the anniversary of the Institution, and the purchasers will 

 have the satisfaction of knowing, that in this instance they 

 may contribute materially to its funds, while at the same^ 

 time they are consulting their personal interests. 



In excellence, the Stanwick nectarine is as far beyond all 

 other nectarines as a Green Gage plum is beyond all other 

 plums. Beyond this, praise cannot reach. It may, neverthe- 

 less, be as well to repeat, on the present occasion, what we 

 stated some time since, when the high quality of the nectarine 

 first become perfectly ascertained : 



' The nectarine forming the subject of this notice is about 

 the size of an Elruge, and like it in shape, except in being less 

 heart-shaped at the base. Its skin is pale, like that of the 

 white nectarine, where shaded, with a violet tinge next the 

 sun. The flesh is white, exceedingly tender, juicy, rich, and 

 sugary, without the slightest trace of the flavor of prussic 

 acid. The stone is middle-sized, ovate, with rather a promi- 

 nent sharp edge, very rugged, and of a chocolate color. The 

 kernel is sweet, like a nut, possessing none of the bitter al- 

 mond flavor. The fruit of the peach and nectarine, partaking 

 so much as it does of the quality of the bitter almond, must 

 have been very deleterious in its unimproved state ; but the 

 varieties, now generally cultivated, retain but little of the 



VOL. XVI, NO. VI. 35 



