164 
PEAR-TREES. 
is of much smaller dimensions; and, in this case, fortunately, the 
fossil has detached itself from the roof, thus affording an opportunity 
of examining the upper surface of the central portion, which none of 
the before cited instances did. This exhibits the same wrinkled 
appearance, with indistinct circular spots, as the under side descri¬ 
bed, Vol. 1, page 104; it has nine arms, five of which sub-divide 
into two branches, at about eighteen inches from the centre of the 
fossil, and one at three feet; in this, as in the other instance, they 
are all broken off short. This fossil, as before observed, occurred in 
the bed of shale immediately over the coal, towards which all the 
branches slanted. Two of these, which were longer than the others, 
were seen to reach the coal, where they were lost in the mass ; whe¬ 
ther the others had done so or not, could not be ascertained. 
ARTICLE V. 
TO PROMOTE THE FRUITFULNESS OF PEAR-TREES. 
BY MR. B. SAUNDERS, NURSERYMAN, JERSEY. 
The fact that many disappointments are experienced by gardeners 
and amateurs, in their endeavour to procure crops of many fine sorts 
of pears, is well known. The practical application of the following 
suggestion will, however, in many instances, remove these disap¬ 
pointments and insure good crops. 
There are many varieties of pears, which every year blossom very 
abundantly; and yet, to the great disappointment of the cultivator, 
the whole of the flowers fall off without setting a single fruit, although 
the soil and situation may be very congenial, and every care has been 
taken in planting, &c. This is the case with the Duchesse d’Angou- 
leme, and with many others. The trees of these varieties devote the 
