PYRUS, PEAR TREE. 213 



The stems are very broad & not very elevated. 



The leaves are medium-sized, oblong, and terminate in a point. Some are finely & 

 not very deeply denticulate; others have only a few teeth near the tip. The margins form 

 large undulations. The petioles are two inches in length & often are longer. 



The flowers are fifteen lignes in diameter. Their petals are almost round and 

 concave spoonlike. Some have a light red color on the margins. The tips of the stamens 

 are a beautiful bright purple. 



The fruit is very large. Some are pyriform, others look like a gourd. Most are 

 shaped like a truncated pyramid. The top end is very much enlarged. The eye is set in a 

 wide & deep cavity that's often oval or compressed. It's bordered with bumps that extend 

 along part of the fruit & form ridges on it; as a result it's totally angular. The end near the 

 stalk diminishes considerably in size without coming to a point. It's obliquely truncate. 

 The stalk usually is fifteen lignes long & somewhat plump at its origin. It inserts into a 

 cavity whose edges are elevated with bumps or ridges. Some of the fruits are up to four 

 inches in diameter by six inches high. 



Its skin is delicate. On the shaded side it's light yellow bordering on green & a 

 striking red flesh-color on the side in the sun. 



Its flesh is delicate & tender, although crisp. 



The juice is quite plentiful, sweet, sugary & even a little fragrant or winelike. 



This fruit starts to ripen in January & lasts until the spring. A completely ripe 

 Bartlett pear in good condition can be kept for a month without spoiling. 



Some of these pears have coarse & gritty flesh; others have rough skin. Still 

 others are flat, 



