FRUIT CULTURE. 313 



of Pears we may have them in perfection during eight or 

 nine months of the year — or even longer — and the variety 

 in flavour is perhaps greater than in the case of any other 

 fruit. 2nd. We are quite behind the French growers in 

 its production. Our stocks of Apples are usually good and 

 abundant ; our stocks of Pears are frequently scarce and 

 very poor in quality. I have seen many large gardens in 

 the British Isles where a really good Pear was almost as rare 

 as a Mangosteen. 3rd. I believe we can increase the quan- 

 tity and quality of our Pears in a tenfold degree over the 

 greater part of England and Ireland, and even in time to 

 come export the fruit that we now import so largely. 



It is indisputable that the brighter sun of France is more 

 favourable to the culture of the Pear than our own climate ; 

 but it is equally as true that by the aid of walls for some 

 sorts, by judicious selection of ground, locality, and kinds, 

 we may grow it to perfection. The quantity of pears the 

 French send to our markets is surprising. Messrs. Draper, 

 the salesmen of Covent-garden, showed me by their books 

 that from one importer alone they sell from 601. to 100/. 

 worth of French garden produce (chiefly Pears) each market 

 day ; and a fruit merchant has told me of one dealer in 

 pears who annually collects in France and sells in our 

 markets 10,000/. worth of that fruit. Are not these signi- 

 ficant facts for the British cultivator ? 



It is quite a mistake to suppose that the climate does all 

 this for the French — the winter and spring in many parts of 

 northern and north central France being quite as difficult 

 for the fruit grower as those of England. The pear loves a 

 moist, genial climate, and in many parts of England and 

 Ireland our advantage in this respect will be found to 

 compensate in some degree for the difference in sunlight. 

 Some pears are grown better in England than in France, 

 and it is a curious fact that some that ripen and go off 

 quickly in the neighbourhood of London remain in an 

 eatable state much longer and acquire a more delicious 

 flavour in the cooler climate of Yorkshire. Let it be borne 

 in mind that we are talking of the culture of a fruit which 

 grows in a wild state as far north as southern Sweden, and 



