PEARS. 



159 



quet, but a very discriminating pomologist of that vicinity 

 doubts its identity with that variety. The whole confusion in 

 regard to that pear and the Early Rousselet, the Skinless and 

 Rousselet de Rheims, has arisen from the adoption of the 

 title of Catharine — some pears being called Early Catharine, 

 another the Green, and a third the Late Catharine, when cor- 

 rectly speaking, we have no such fruit as a Catharine pear ; 

 these being merely local titles applied to old established fruits 

 of other names, and not even mentioned by Duhamel, Rozier, 

 Miller, or Forsyth, and it is to be regretted that Mr. Coxe 

 should have adopted them in his work in two cases as leading 

 dtles, although he no doubt did it with the best intentions. 



SECKEL. Pr.cat. 



SecJcle, Coxe. Lend. Hort. Trans. Pom. Mag. Fes. Amer. 

 Gardener, and other publications. 



This incomparable little pear, which is now becoming so 

 widely disseminated in our country and abroad, originated on 

 the farm of Mr. Seckel, about four miles from Philadelphia. 

 It is at least equal in flavour to any European pear I have met 

 with, and by far the highest flavoured one that has originated 

 in this country. It is melting, and its taste is that of a rich 

 spicy concentration. The fruit is of a brownish russet colour, 

 with a red cheek next the sun, but in some situations it is 

 of a yellowish hue, and occasionally without any touch of red, 

 and it usually grows in clusters of from two to seven in each. 

 I have noticed, that much of its fine spicy flavour is contained 

 in the skin, and in eating this should not be taken ofl^*. It 

 grows more slowly than any other pear tree I am acquainted 

 with ; and in fact, at maturity, forms a tree of only moderate 

 size, but peculiarly compact and regular in its form, with rich- 

 ness of foliage, and a general flourishing appearance. Al- 

 though this pear has been figured in the Transactions of the 

 London Horticultural Society, and both European and Ame- 

 rican gentlemen conversant on the subject have stated, that 

 no fruit similar to it existed in Europe, still there is a pear 



