1870, ] 
PEAR PRINCE ALBERT. 
203 
mountain side, only a little below tbe line of untliawed ice and snow, notwithstand¬ 
ing their great beauty; and even Linnaeus is said to have been quite enraptured 
at the sight of the common furze in bloom, growing profusely as a weed on waste 
land; but after all the displays of flowers that I have seen at exhibitions and in 
private collections, I cannot help saying that acres of golden whin blossom, and 
square miles of various-coloured heather bells, are glorious sights when seen where 
they are perfectly at home. It is no wonder, then, that I set perhaps undue 
store by the clump of Houseleek which I found at home after twenty-two years’ 
absence, for it seemed to welcome me back, and it had literally a green-old-age 
look about it that indicated happiness. I had planted a wild cherry tree in the 
garden no thicker than the quill I am writing with, and it had grown into a 
large tree, cumbering the ground, and shading a neighbour’s garden ; but the 
Houseleek had never been in any one’s way, and had not risen into any undue 
importance.— Alex. Forsyth, Salford. 
PEAK PRINCE ALBERT. 
FEW years ago I was induced, by the very favourable description given of 
it in various quarters, and in different catalogues which came to hand, to 
purchase this new variety of Pear. I find, however, so far as my experi¬ 
ence has gone, that it is, as a dessert pear, a very worthless variety. 
Following the hints attached to its recommendations, that it required a warm 
place to grow in,” &c., I planted a tree against a wall with an east aspect, and 
in a very favourable position both for growth and fruit-production. The tree 
has branched out most evenly on either side of the main stem, into sixteen pairs 
of branches, and forms in itself a very handsome object; but the fruits which it 
has borne for three consecutive years have been utterly worthless. It will last 
on till midsummer of the following season, 'without showing symptoms either of 
decay or of ripening, so very coarse-grained is the flesh. 
Now, a question arises in regard to these new Continental varieties, which are 
ever and anon sent over here with most enticing characters, namely—whether the 
difference between our climate and that from whence they are introduced, and in 
which they are said to have been proven or tested, is sufficient to account for 
such great disappointments. For there can be no greater disappointment in 
gardening than that of giving a somewhat high price for a new fruit which is 
said to exceed in merit those you are already possessed of, to give assiduous care 
and attention thereunto for five, or six, or seven years, and then, when both one’s 
employer and oneself are expecting to reap the return so well earned, to find 
that means, labour, space, hopes, and anticipations are all destroyed or wasted. 
I admit it is a moral impossibility for our own nurserymen to know for certain 
the goodness or otherwise of these introductions, and I exonerate them from all 
blame in the matter; but I do hope that some plan will be found whereby to 
test the merits of all such new introductions, so that we may have some mean* 
