88 
THE FLORIST AND POMOLOGIST. 
AM AD OTTE.— Merlet . 
Identification. —Merlet Abrege, 96. Mill. Diet. 51. Fors. Treat. 167. 
Synonymes. — Muskirte Winter amadot, JDiel Kernobst, iv. 166. L’Amadot Musque 
d’hiyer, Ibid. 
Figures. —Kraft Pom. Aust. t. 166. Zink Pom. tab. ix. 
Fruit medium-sized, 2£ inches wide, and the same in height, of a roundish 
obovate shape, and flattened at the apex. Skin thin, of a pale green colour, 
which changes as it ripens to clear lemon yellow ; but where exposed to the 
sun it is of a deeper yellow and faintly tinged with red. In some parts it is 
thickly marked with rough, brown, russetty dots, particularly round the eye, 
and sometimes it is entirely covered with fine cinnamon russet, except on some 
parts that are very much shaded, and then the ground colour appears. Eye 
half open, with long acuminate segments, and placed in a small and sometimes 
pretty deep basin. Stalk stout, 1£ inch long, obliquely inserted on the summit 
of the fruit with a fleshy 
protuberance on one side of 
it. Flesh yellowish white, 
crisp and juicy, half melting 
like Passe Colmar, and with 
an unusually sugary, rich, 
and very strong musky or 
rather anise flavour, which, 
as Diel says, “one seldom 
meets with.” 
An old French Pear, 
which, for a crisp-fleshed 
variety is of first-rate quality. 
It ripens in the end of Oc¬ 
tober and continues in use 
till about the middle or end 
of December. 
The tree is a vigorous 
pyramidal grower, and the 
branches are furnished with 
thorns, which Merlet says 
disappear when grown on the 
quince. But the fruit is 
preferable from a tree that is 
grown on the Pear, being 
more juicy and melting. 
Miller says this variety is 
the best stock for grafting 
melting Pears upon, as it communicates to them a portion of its fine musky 
flavour. Whether or not such is the case I cannot certify, as I have never 
tried it; but the following extract will show what upwards of a century ago 
was the opinion of this Pear :—“ This fruit, as well as other dry and per¬ 
fumed fruits, are much better upon dry soils than upon wet and moist land, 
the latter bringing large but watery and insipid fruit. Chiefly it should be 
observed, that all of the melting or butter Pears, which seldom are very high 
flavoured, should be planted in light soils; and it has been an observation 
worthy notice, that the Buree Pears, or those that are melting like the Thorn 
Pear, l’Echafferie, &c., are greatly improved by grafting them upon the Ama- 
dotte, for the juices or sap of the Amadotte is musked and richly flavoured; 
Amadotte. 
