REPORT OF THE APPLE AND PEAR CONFERENCE. 



81 



placed in the order in which they ripened here : Williams' Bon 

 Chretien, Fondante d'Automne, Beurre Superfin, Marie Louise, 

 Thompson's, Doyenne du Cornice, Glou Morceau, Winter Nelis, 

 Josephine de Malines, Huyshe's Victoria, Easter Beurre, and 

 Bergamotte d'Esperen. 



These twelve kinds constitute the cream of all the varieties 

 (nearly one hundred) that are grown here, and out of the twelve 

 there are but two that are at all liable to prove of doubtful 

 quality, and this from a cause over which we have no control, 

 namely, a sunless season. The two kinds in question are Easter 

 Beurre and Bergamotte d'Esperen, both of them late varieties, and 

 requiring a longer season of sunshine than the others. I may, 

 however, add that I have occasionally in a sunless season had 

 recourse to means that have tended to make both of the kinds 

 palatable, namely, by wrapping the fruit separately in tissue 

 paper, and placing them in shallow baskets in a dry, warm 

 room for ten days or a fortnight before the fruit were required 

 for use. And now with respect to the question of the number of 

 varieties " necessary to ensure a continuous supply of ripe fruit." 

 I have, after considerable deliberation, founded on the practical 

 experience of many years, come to the conclusion that it is next 

 to impossible to accomplish the feat with a less number than 

 twenty-five varieties. To some this number may appear 

 excessive, and to such I ought to explain that my experience is 

 given from the standpoint of a private gentleman's gardener — 

 say of a large garden — and from which liberal supplies of pears 

 are demanded all the season through, and therefore it is necessary 

 to have, as it were, two strings to one's bow ; as, for instance, if 

 Williams' Bon Chretien Pear run short, I ought to have Beurre 

 de l'Assomption to supply the lack ; or if Marie Louise be searce, 

 I must eke out with Beurre Bosc ; and so on, to the end of the 

 chapter. 



I regret that I have not practically tested with how few it is 

 possible to keep up a constant supply, but I am sure I should 

 fail if I undertook the task with a less number than twenty-five, 

 and the following are their names, and placed in order of ripen- 

 ing : — Souvenir du Congres, Williams' Bon Chretien, Beurre 

 d'Amanlis, Fondante d'Automne, Louise Bonne of Jersey, 

 Madame Treyve, Beurre Hardy, Beurre Superfin, Seckle, Marie 

 Louise, Doyenne du Cornice, Thompson's, Duchesse d' Angouleme, 

 Glou Morceau, Winter Nelis, Comte de Lamy, Beurre Bachelier, 

 Josephine de Malines, Winter Crassane, Huyshe's Victoria, 

 Olivier de Serres, Easter Beurre, Ne Plus Meuris, Knight's 

 Monarch, and Bergamotte d'Esperen. All these are generally 

 well-known varieties in most parts of Britain — proof sufficient, I 

 think, of their excellence ; and I can vouch for their reliability 

 for this district in respect of constant and free bearing, and their 

 high quality. 



