MISCELLANEOUS NOTICES. 
191 
I 
served in early seasons, "when there happened to be 
frosts, that the female organ, even before the flowers 
had opened, was desti-oyed or injured, and this -vYhilst 
the male organs "were perfect : and hence the loss of the 
crop. It has been long since observed, that the flowers 
of Pears are apt to be injm-cd before' opening. This 
question is important on two grounds : first, as indicat- 
ing the necessity of early protection of the flower buds ; 
and, nest, for the purpose of ascertaining whether, as 
the shapes of the different varieties of Pears are very 
diifereut, the quality or hardiness may not in some 
measure aiise from the corolla of some kinds affording 
a more complete protection to the pistil than others ; 
and if this should be so, these kinds would furnish the 
most desii'able plants from Avhich to attempt to raise 
new fruitful varieties. I thiiik, with the object of ob- 
taining hardiness, the late Mr. Elnight usually selected 
the Swan's Egg Pear as one of the varieties from which 
he obtained his seed. — John TFooIei/, Cheshunt. 
Heine des Beiges Strawberry. — M. Lorio, (of Ghent) 
sowed, in 1847, seeds of the British Queen Strawben-y, 
and raised about two thousand plants, among which he 
obtained this new variety, which is distinguished by its 
vigorous habit and large fruit. The petioles measm-e 
from six to eight inches long ; they are strong and 
haiiy. The leaf measm'es fi'om four to five inches long, 
and from three to foiu: inches across, ha"\Tiig numerous 
large, haiiy, and shai-ply pointed teeth, which are 
ciliated at the edges ; the form of the leaflets is oval, the 
nerves strong, deep green above, and pale below. The 
pedLmcle is erect, and from flve to six inches long to 
the point of dirision ; each division of the cyme is 
trichotomous, and the fruit is largest on the central 
pedicel ; the pedicels are velvety. The flowers are 
large, the petals undulated, round ; the calyx very large 
at the fr-uit, which is large also. The largest we have 
seen, measured, on an average, two inches in diameter, 
and about the same in length. It is a poppy red, the 
achiEnia are orange coloiu'ed, deeply sunk, and growing 
thickly together. The flesh is vinous and perfumed, of 
a very delicious flavour. We do not know any Straw- 
berry which will rival this, except the Caroline, raised 
about two years ago by M. Canoy, of Malines. These 
two are analogous. The Queen of the Belgians excels 
the British Queen by being more productive, and equal 
in colouring ; the latter being generally green on one 
side, and red on the other. To Market Gardeners the 
British Queen is not so valuable, as the fruit does not 
keep so long. The Queen of the Belgians, if cut in the 
evening, vriR keep fresh and fragrant for a considerable 
time, and being, besides, earlier by eight days than the 
other, is better suited for general cultivation. — Ann. de 
Qand., v. 257. 
Mode of Drying Plants. — The specimens intended for 
preservation, after having been kept in a press for a few 
hours, are placed in an apparatus called the Coquette, in 
which they are exposed to the sim, or placed in a stove, 
or in an oven. The coquette consists of two open covers, 
between which the paper containing the plants is pressed 
by straps or other means. The best kind of covers are 
pieces of strong iron wire network fastened into frames 
made of light iron rod. These open frames aUow the 
moisture to escape freely, while boards, or milled boards, 
absorb and retain it. The name coquette was given 
to this contrivance, partly on accoimt of the beauty of 
the specimens prepared with it, and partly in remem- 
brance of its inventor, M. Lecoq, Professor of Natural 
History at Clermont-Ferrand, {Joiirn. de Pharm. et 
de Chini). A pair of frames of this kind, with plenty 
of BentaU's paper, leave nothing to be desfred. — Bot. 
Gazette, ii. 55. [The same result is obtained by using 
wooden frames formed of laths seoui'ed together by 
cross bars so as to leave small vacancies between the 
laths]. 
Geant de Basele Pear. — Some years ago the Countess 
Vilain received from the Marchioness de Trazeg-nies, a 
yoimg Pear tree, which was planted at the Chateau of 
Basele, situated between Tamise and Anvers, on the 
river Escaut. This tree bore in 1848 forty Pears, the 
average weight of which was nearly throe pounds. We 
think the size of the fr-uit renders the name given to it 
very appropriate. The largest Bon Chi-etien d'Hiver 
cited by Du Hamel, Noisette, Jacques, Lindley, &c., 
measm-e sis inches in length, by four in diameter, and 
these dimensions are very remarkable. But the Geant 
de Basele Pears measured on an average, fuUy eight 
inches in length, and five inches in diameter. The 
fruit is generally pyriform; some have considerable 
resemblance to a calabash. The part near the crown 
is considerably swollen, but without angles or fm-rows ; 
there is only some appearance of broad pimples, which 
are confined to the upper part of the fr-uit. The eye is 
not placed, as in the Bon Chretien d'Hiver, very deep, 
but rather rests on a broad and flat surface. The por- 
tion towards the stalk diminishes about a third of the 
breadth ; it is round, and obliquely turned neai- the 
stalk, which measm-es something less than an inch, 
proportionably thick ; rather fleshy at the extr-emity, 
next the fruit, and inserted in a deep cavity. The skin 
is thin, gi-eenish, on the side exposed to the sun tinged 
with rose and purplish coloiu-. All the siu-face is freely 
marked with small bro-mi dots, of which some are 
scarcely -visible, while others are large and distinct. 
The flesh is soft and melting, ha-ving a gritty zone near 
the centre. The juice is mild and sugary, slightly 
perfumed, hut not very abundant, so that this Geant de 
Basele is Hkely to become a good cooking Pear. It 
ripens (in Belgiimi) about January. The white colom- 
of the flesh becomes nearly red by exposure to the air. 
It keeps good tiU the spring. The confections and 
marmalade which are prepared fi-om it are excellent, 
very agreable to the palate, with aU the flavour com- 
mon to the best Pears which are used for this purpose. 
The tree is a good bearer, and is trained to espaliers. 
It is of a very -vigorous habit. — Ann. de Gand., v. 95. 
Climatology. — In comparing two distant portions of 
the earth's surface with each other, in both of which 
the same plant is extensively distributed, we are not 
hence to conclude that the zone which it occupies has 
in both coimtr-ies the same average annual temperature. 
Were this the case, such discrepances as the follo-sving 
would be inexplicable. On Moimt Etna the beech, the 
Bh-ch, and the Scotch Fir ai-e said to occupy the same 
zone. In the Pyrenees, the Beech ceases before the 
