310 



Description of Scotch Pears. 



XV. Hazel Pear. The history of this Pear is doubtful ; 

 some affirm it to be a native of the Netherlands, intro- 

 duced some fifty years ago, to Meikelour, Perthshire, by 

 Colonel Mercer, at the same time with the White Beurre. 

 If so, it must have soon disappeared, for there was no ves- 

 tige of it at that place twenty-five years ago. Others say it is a 

 seedling of the Kinnoul nurseries, 

 and sent in the way of trade to 

 Newcastle, about thirty years ago, 

 under the name of the Grey Beurre, 

 and the variety at Kinnoul having 

 been lost, it found its way back there 

 in the same way, under the name 

 of the Hazel Pear; at all events 

 it is certainly by far the best of 

 our orchard autumn Pears, growing 

 freely, bearing early, and plentifully ; 

 it is a fine market Pear, and with 

 many a favourite dessert Pear ; we 

 have no old trees of the sort. The 

 leaves are long, acute, very slightly pubescent, when old 

 not serrated; footstalks very long. Tree a free grower. 

 Branches rendered pendulous by the loads of fruit they 

 regularly bear. Fruit ripe towards the end of October; keeps 

 a few weeks; colour, yellowish, strongly freckled. It is 

 coming fast into most extensive cultivation. 



