November 24, 1892. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
455 
THE NEW INDUSTRY; 
BOTTLING PEARS. 
The fruit industry in our own country is indebted to Mr. 
Iggulden for his suggestions as to bottling Pears. Anyone who 
can help us to depend on ourselves and not on the outer world, 
even though they be colonists, is conferring a benefit on our little 
island and its industries. It may be a “ tight little island,” and 
there is no doubt about the tightness of the landed interest just at 
present. Though canned or bottled fruits cannot make up for 
corn in case of war, yet whilst we are at peace and corn is an 
unprofitable product, much may be done by way of fruit growing 
as a help to pay our way, and so keep money in the country instead 
of sending it away. 
Mr. Iggulden is quite right. Stewed Pears are popular, and 
deservedly so. They form a very pretty dish faintly tinted with 
cochineal, and they are decidedly grateful to the palate. I fancy 
all coarse Pears will do well for the purpose—Beurre Diel certainly 
will. In former years, when living in rather an elevated part of 
Somersetshire, I grew very fine specimens on a south wall, but they 
never were eatable in a raw state. Fortunately a happy moment 
suggested stewing, and henceforth while there that was the 
purpose to which this Pear, ironically styled “ Beurre,” as it appears 
to me, was always devoted. Thus treated its shape is favourable 
as it is comely in form, and looks handsome on a dish. Coming 
hither to my new abode, in a warmer part of the county I hope, I 
went round the garden with the gardener, who had been renting it, 
and asked what he knew about the trees. I noticed a large standard 
Pear, the fruit unshapely, like a very deformed Bishop’s Thumb. 
“ What is that ?” I asked. “ Oh ! it’s a Pear.” “ Yes,” said I, “I can 
see that ; but what sort is it ? ” Oh ! he did not know, but “ it 
warn’t no good for anything.” Not being very large, the idea 
of stewing these did not at first occur to me, but as they lay about 
the inspiration came, and quickly being put to the test, I soon 
had the rest picked and stored for use. They might not do for 
every dinner-table for guests, but they do for me, and few who 
taste despise the dish. 
There is always some difficulty as to bottling. For successful 
keeping it always appears to me that the contents should be tied 
down when nearly at boiling point. In tins of meat this is so 
managed, only a trace of air at high temperature being in the tins. 
Thus closed the pressure of the atmosphere as cooling goes on 
presses down the tin in a hollow, and if no damage happen, as by 
a stray nail accidentally driven in, the contents remain sound in¬ 
definitely. Bottling, however, is not so easy. It is not possible 
to obtain bottles of the same thickness throughout, and therefore 
when heat is applied to them they dilate unequally, and the 
ominous click tells that one has cracked and is useless, and possibly 
the contents already lost. Can this be avoided ? Well, so far 
as I can see, the safest plan is to put the bottles in cold water, 
and very gradually, say in two or three hours, the bottles being 
full of water, raising the whole to boiling point. When emptied 
the quartered fruit must be quickly placed in them while in the 
hot water, the nearly boiling syrup poured in almost to the 
top of the neck, and at once tied down very tightly with sound 
string and parchment or bladder. Or if the wool has been well 
heated in the oven, a plug of it enclosed in muslin taken out of 
boiling water may be used as a cork under the parchment. 
Since writing the greater portion of this note I was in a friend’s 
house, and the owner being rather noted for his Pears some were 
brought out of the store room while I was there, most of them 
showing signs of decay. The housekeeper said to me, “ Oh ! these 
are no good ; they are never fit to eat.” I looked ; they were 
small Beurre Diels, and I found that they had arrived at the same 
conclusion as myself—that they were only fit for stewing. From 
the shape of the canned fruit I certainly lean to Mr. Iggulden’s 
opinion that the colonists have discovered this use for them, as 
well as we have.—Y. B. A. Z. 
Cypripediums at Messrs. Pitcher & Manda’s. 
Cypripediums are a speciality at Messrs. Pitcher & Manda’s 
nursery near Swanley. They have a large collection admirably 
grown, and comprising a considerable number of choice varieties. 
Of the insignes in flower a fortnight ago three of the most note¬ 
worthy were Chantini, albo-marginata, and a fine form of the 
latter with larger flowers, having a paler lip and a broader margin 
of white to the dorsal sepal. Of the Spicerianum9 there were 
three attractive varieties in pendulum, aureum, and virescens. 
O; Euryandum majus, C. Ashburtonias expansum Cooksoni, 
C. Harrisianum superbum, and others were also in bloom. A fine 
plant of Cattleya Dowiana aurea is also worth mentioning. It 
was in flower some time ago, and at the time of my call was bear¬ 
ing a second spike.—W. 
Cypritedium Tityus. 
This charming hybrid was exhibited by Messrs. J. Yeitch and 
Sons, Royal Exotic Nursery, Chelsea, at the meeting of the Royal 
Horticultural Society, November 15th, when a first-class certificate 
FIG. 61. —CYPRIPEDIUM TITYUS. 
was awarded for it. As briefly mentioned in our last issue 
C. Tityus is the result of a cross between C. oenanthum superbum 
and C. Spicerianum, the latter being the seed parent. No less than 
four species are, moreover, concerned in the ancestry of this 
beautiful hybrid, inasmuch as C. oenanthum superbum was obtained 
from C. insigne Maulei X C. Harrisianum superbum, and the latter 
from C. bar Datum x C. villosum. It will thus be seen that 
C. Tityus is one of the most interesting crosses of recent years. It 
is compact in growth and the flower (fig. 61) is of a moderate size 
and well coloured. The dorsal sepal is large and broad, white, the 
centre being spotted with chocolate colour, and the base a pale 
green. The petals are greenish yellow, similarly spotted to the 
sepal, while the lip is of an olive green shade. 
VINE LEAVES AND LATERALS. 
Can any of your correspondents taking part in the interesting 
discussion on Yine leaves give a reason for the beautiful colouring 
of the leaves in some places and not in others ? Is it some¬ 
thing in the soil or their general treatment ? Here nearly all our 
varieties ripen off the most exquisitely coloured leaves imaginable. 
We send samples of a few varieties. Gros Colman is very beautiful, 
even the small young leaves, no bigger than the palm of the hand, 
colour a bright crimson, streaked and blotched with darker and 
golden shades. We have a span house, 300 feet long, planted with 
this variety, the canes one year old, and from top to bottom the 
roof is a blaze of crimson foliage, which has a very beautiful 
appearance from the inside, the leaves showing up against the bright 
light. Black Hamburgh and Gros Moroc are a bright golden 
