46 Account of Pears formerly cultivated. 



The Eye of this fruit is sometimes large, but generally of a 

 middle size, very hollow, and sunk deep into its head, some- 

 times preserves part of the blossom leaves and pendants, 

 sometimes none of them ; round and open, and yellow within. 

 The Stalk commonly is very short, thick, and fleshy, and a 

 little curved or bent, of a green and russet colour, spotted 

 with white, and hollow-sett like an Apple : it takes pretty 

 good hold within. The Skin is smooth, sleek, and glossy, 

 neither thick nor tough in substance, of a grass-green colour, 

 pounced thick with specks of a darker green, with a black 

 eye, and it colours a little with red upon one side : it turns 

 yellow, and smells perfumed, as it comes in fit for eating : 

 the true time is to eat it whilst the colour is upon the turn. 

 The fruit colours most upon Quince Stocks ; but if they hang 

 exposed to the sun, they contract on that side spots of a 

 bright clear red. The Pulp is rather of the breaking than the 

 melting kind, and a little gritty and stony next the core; 

 well furnished with rich sugared juice, very strong, of a musky 

 perfumed flavour, but when over ripe, eats coarse, mealy, 

 and dry. It must be eaten at the time the colour is upon 

 changing, before it comes to be a tawny or orange colour. 

 The Core lieth about the middle, not deep, is but small, and 

 free from any stony matter as the rest of the body; it pro- 

 duceth between two and four kernels, plump, of a full brown 

 colour, and edged round with a darker tincture : they are 

 round in the head, with a tip on one side, longish in shape, 

 but growing taper to the end. The kernels from Pear Stocks 

 are commonly paler than those from Quince Stocks. This 

 is the best of summer Pears. 



