£54 HORTICULTURAL TOUR. 



man, and although they may possibly hang together for, 

 centuries to come, yet it is not easy to divest oneVself of the 

 idea of insecurity, in a shattered steeple constructed of 

 brick. 



Flora's Hof. 

 We next paid a visit to the Garden of Flora, belong- 

 ing to Messrs Van Lunteren, who have long been esta- 

 blished as florists and nurserymen at this place. Consi- 

 dered as a sale collection in a provincial town, this 

 nursery-garden is respectable. One of the partners point- 

 ed out what were considered as rarities, and readily an- 

 swered such inquiries as we made. Besides showy her- 

 baceous plants, there is a considerable collection of orna- 

 mental shrubs and forest-trees, with a catalogue of which we 

 were presented *. There is likewise a small assortment 

 of fruit-trees of various kinds. Our attention was princi- 

 pally attracted by the Calebasse pear, already mentioned 

 as occurring at Bruges, p. 31. It evidently receives its 

 name from resembling in shape a bottle-gourd. In size it 

 nearly equals our jargonelle ; the skin, however, is not 

 green, but of a greyish hue. It is an early autumn fruit, 

 some specimens being now almost ripe. It has a firm but juicy 

 pulp, with a good deal of flavour. It possesses this supe- 

 riority over most summer pears, that it continues in season 

 for about two months. The tree grows vigorously when 

 grafted on a free stock, and trained as a standard : and we 

 are told that it seldom fails to yield an abundant crop. 

 This is evidently a distinct variety of pear, of recent ori- 

 gin, and not yet known at Edinburgh. It seems highly 

 worthy of introduction, and of the attention of the Society. 



• u Catalogs van in den open grond overwinterende Boomen en Hees- 

 ters, welkc tc bckomen zijn bij H. en D. van Lunteren, bloemisten en boom- 

 kwelo-r in Flora's FJof !<• Utrecht." 



