PLATE XXXIV. 
i. FONDANTE D’AUTOMNE. 
[Syn : Arbre Super be; Excellentissime; Literate; Belle Lucrative; Beurre Lucratif; 
Beurre d' Albret; Bergamotte Fieve ; Gresiliere ; Seigneur D' Esperenl\ 
There is no account given of the origin of this favourite Pear, but judging from its last 
synonym, it is probably one of the many excellent pears raised by Major Esperen, of Malines 
(c. 1830—40). 
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Description .—Fruit : large, obovate, and handsomely shaped. Skin : lemon yellow, with 
tinges of green over the surface, marked with patches of yellowish brown russet. Eye : small and 
open, set in a shallow basin. Stalk : long, fleshy at the base, and obliquely inserted without 
depression. Flesh : white, very tender, fine grained and melting ; very juicy, sugary, and aromatic. 
A delicious early Autumn pear ; ripe during September and October. 
The tree makes an excellent dwarf standard, but as it does not grow very vigorously, it is 
better on the pear than on the Quince Stock. It bears well, rarely failing a crop. There is one 
draw-back to it, and that is, the birds are very fond of it. In a garden near Hereford it is called 
the “ Tomtit pear,” because these birds will scarcely wait until it is ripe, before they set to work 
upon the fruit. 
