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XXXIX. Notes upon some French Stewing Pears. By John 

 Lindley, Ph. D. F. R. S. Assistant Secretary. 



Read February 19, 1833. 



If it has been an object of great horticultural interest to improve 

 the varieties of the Pear which are intended for the dessert, it is 

 scarcely less important to obtain a better class of stewing Pears 

 than those in common use in this country. The varieties that are 

 now almost exclusively cultivated, are either the Catillac or the Uve- 

 dale's St. Germain, both of which are large and handsome sorts. The 

 former is tolerably hardy, and bears pretty well as an open standard : 

 but its fruit is so heavy that it is very subject to be blown down by 

 high winds, and so rendered unfit for keeping ; the latter will only 

 bear when trained to a wall. Both become a bright clear red when 

 stewed, but their flavour is chiefly owing to the substances added to 

 them in the process, and they have also the defect of being incu- 

 rably gritty. Another variety called the Black Pear of Worcester, 

 or Red Warden, is also occasionally met with in English gardens, 

 but it is still more gritty than the others. 



A far better race of stewing Pears is cultivated in France, which 

 are very hardy, most abundant bearers, so light that they are but 

 little damaged by storms, long keepers, not gritty when stewed, 

 and very high flavoured. As they are almost unknown in this 

 country, it has been thought that a short account of them, illus- 

 trated by figures of the most remarkable, would prove of interest to 

 the public. 



From those in the Garden we have selected four as being the 

 most valuable; these are— 1. The Bezi d'Hery ; 2. the Bequene 

 Musque ; 3. the Chaptal ; and 4. the Double de Guerre. 



