486 
CULTURE OF PEARS. 
thoroughly ripe. Indeed we have now, October 5th, some fruit of 
the St. Germain de Martin quite sound, although they were per¬ 
fectly ripe more than a month ago. As soon as the winter pears 
begin to change colour, take them carefully from the tree without 
bruising them, and spread them out of doors on a mat, in a situation 
where they will receive the full force of the sun. Allow them to lie 
in the sun for two or three days, taking care to remove them into a 
dry place at night. This will absorb the superabundant moisture, 
and usually has a much better efleet than packing them up directly. 
Though laying them in aheap to sweat was much practised formerly, 
it is found to do them material injury. With regard to stowing 
them away for winter, many methods are practised ; the usual method 
of laying them upon straw is almost wholly discontinued, they 
are found to do exceedingly well when laid on the naked boards of 
the shelves. Light and air appear to have a good effect, upon them ; 
we recommend that the pears intended for keeping lie a fortnight or 
three weeks on these shelves, previous to being packed up for winter. 
When they* have remained about three weeks, select such as are not 
bruised, and pack them in boxes, jars, or baskets. Mr. Lindley re¬ 
commends that the boxes be filled with fine sand, to prevent the fruit 
touching each other, this sand being well dried either in an oven or 
on a flue, previous to being used. This system appears to answer well 
for preserving them plump and fine, but the flavour is often inferior 
to those packed in fern. If this be well dried, and the fruit be laid 
carefully in the baskets, with plenty of fern hetwixt them, they will 
preserve both a good plumpness and excellent flavour. These jars, 
boxes, or baskets must be placed in a perfectly dry place, where 
they will not be affected by the changes of the atmosphere, and the 
fruit will keep long without suffering injury. 
Mode of Draiving the Fruit .—The easiest method of taking the 
shape and size of either a pear or an apple, is to divide through the 
stalk, core and eye, particularly delineating the bisection of the stalk, 
and the shape of the top or calyx. The section is laid upon paper, 
and the shape traced by a pencil, which will give an exact figure. 
Insects that infest Pear-Trees. —This tree is often infested 
by a slimy insect, (Fig. 62, 1) which preys on the upper surface 
of the leaves, it emits a very disagreeable smell, which when the 
tree is much infested may be perceived at some distance. It is 
nearly the colour of a leech, but is much smaller. One of my youug 
men brought me some of them a short time ago, which I enclosed 
in a little box, intending to watch them go through their trans¬ 
formation, but unfortunately they made their escape, previous to 
