JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
December 28, 1882. ] 
697 
Finally, I must strongly recommend the soluble fir-tree oil, 
together with the spray-diffuser, which enables the operator to 
direct a spray of the vapour in every cranny, and without injury 
to the most delicate plant life. The spray-producer is especially 
valuable, as it carries its insidious vapours where the syringe 
would be ineffective.—W. Litchfield, Coventry. 
PEAR PRINCE NAPOLEON. 
Asa late Pear the merits of this variety are not perhaps sufficiently 
known. It is of comparatively recent introduction, having been 
raised from the seed of Passe Crasanne in 1860. Mr. Haycock, 
Barham Court Gardens, tho grower of the fruit now figured, writes 
to us relative to this Pear :—“ My experience with Prince Napoleon 
is that it is a most excellent late Pear, and one worthy of attention. 
It does not succeed here on the Quince, hut grows well on the Pear 
stock. It makes rather thin weak short-jointed wood, and forms 
fruiting spurs very freely. It also succeeds very well double- 
grafted. I find Beurre Hardy makes a good stock for it, but I much 
prefer the Pear stock. The fruit is rather small, and very much 
like Passe Crasanne, but, though not so large, is a little longer; 
skin dark brown russet. In use during January and February, and 
has a sharp brisk flavour—a quality that many people like.” 
Our description of Prince Napoleon is as follows :—Fruit uneven 
in its outline, roundish or Bergamot-shaped, somewhat knobbed at 
the stalk and the crown. Skin entirely covered with rough brown 
russet, so much so as to leave the ground colour exposed like 
yellow speckles. Eye large and open, with long erect segments 
set in a deep, uneven, and knobbed basin. Stalk very stout, 1 inch 
long, inserted in a doep uneven cavity. Flesh yellowish, buttery, 
melting, sweet, and juicy, with a very high balsamic flavour, which 
to some may be unpleasant. It is really a strong Seckel flavour, A 
very fine Pear in the end of February. 
AZALEAS FOR FORCING. 
A few notes on some varieties of Azaleas that have been proved 
by the writer may be acceptable to some of your readers. 
Narcissiflora. —A general favourite, which is invaluable for 
early forcing. Though the individual flowers are not particularly 
fine, the large quantity of them compensates in a great measure 
for this slight defect. No collection can be considered complete 
without some of this variety. 
Fig. 103 .—Pear Prince Napoleon. 
A. Borsig. —A very fine white, a good forcer and neat habit; 
the individual flowers much finer than Narcissiflora. 
lverya/na. —Another good white, but it hardly forces so well as 
the previous two. Madame Camile von Langenove is a beautiful 
variety, semi-double, white striped with red. It proved with me 
a fair forcer. 
Baron dc Vriere. —A fine large white with small pink stripe. 
The only objection I have to this is that it sometimes flowers 
unequally, half the plant being in full bloom, and the other half 
with the buds hardly swelled. This has often perplexed me. 
Apollon. —This has a handsome large flower, white with slight 
rose stripe ; it also proved a rather unequal flowerer. 
Bernard Andreas alba. —This is a'superb kind, and should be 
in every collection. The rose variety is equally fine. 
Raphael. —White, double, and in addition sweet-scented ; it 
did not prove a very equal flowerer. 
Flag of Truce. —Another double white; very large flowers, 
forcing very well. 
Souvenir dc Prince Albert. —A very free-flowering semi-double, 
rose and white ; should be in every list. 
Sigismund Rucker. —One of the very best, rose and white, 
large-flowered, and very profuse; should have a place in every 
collection. 
Baron Ossey. — A very good forcer, flowering very freely; 
flowers not very large, and of a brownish crimson. 
Madame Vander Cniysen.— This is a grand variety, forcing 
admirably, and flowering very profusely. The flowers are large, 
of a beautiful rose colour. 
Rachel von Vornhagan. —Another variety in a great measure 
resembling the last mentioned, of a rosy red, and a very free 
flowerer. I consider the last two very splendid varieties for 
making a display, and all who wish for that should grow a large 
proportion of them. 
Roi d Ilollande. —Red ; a good free-flowerer, individual flowers 
not particularly fine. 
Punctulata. —Dwarf rosy red, flowering very freely, and in¬ 
valuable as a dwarf decorative flowering plant. 
Jean Vcrvaene. —A beautiful variety, red and white ; flowers 
very large. This is admired by all who see it, being a striking 
object among many others that are not mean rivals. 
Comtesse dc Flandres.— Rosy, very free flowerer, and good 
forcer. 
These are some of the varieties that have been tried by me, and 
I have endeavoured to speak of them exactly as I found them. 
The descriptions in catalogues, though not meant to be deceiving, 
are naturally rather glowing, and in some cases the objects of 
