THOUGHTS UPON THE CULTURE OF THE PEAR. 
163 
frost in the middle of April ; whilst the other against an east wall had 
not attained half the size, and had not above two or three infant spurs. 
Now if some of your observant correspondents would once in two or 
three years favour you with a return of similar memoranda, with their 
remarks, adding, at the same time, the nature of the soil, subsoil, 
elevation, and aspect of their orchards and gardens, it might, I conceive, 
be the means of furnishing very useful directions to all, in the neigh¬ 
bouring counties, desirous of securing the best and most productive 
varieties. It would save trouble to have their observations directed 
chiefy (when so many sorts under so many names are cultivated) to 
those excellent Flemish and French ones not long introduced, and of 
which your two lists, page 834, vol. i. and page 485, vol. ii., contain an 
ample list, and, indeed, I must hope, of the best, as in my small 
collection I find I have twenty-five out of the thirty (not bakers) 
mentioned in the last, and forty-one of the former. Of many of these, 
my trees being mostly very young, I cannot speak from my owui 
experience, but I can most highly of those already named in the 
preceding table, and also the Glout Morgeau, Marie Louise, Napoleon, 
Winter Nelis, Vallee Franche, and the Beurres Diel and Easter, and 
particularly for their early and free bearing. The Urbaniste, too, 
usually held to require a wall, bore abundantly and good fruit as a 
standard last year, when almost all the blossoms of others were 
destroyed by the frost of April 16th. All those against my walls were 
effectually protected by coverings of calico cloth sewn together, two or 
three breadths, according to the height of the wall; being only 2-|c/. or 
2fc/. per yard, two feet wide : the expense is trifling, and as my curtain 
are readily drawn aside every morning, the closeness of the texture is 
not objectionable. I will not trouble you with my mode of putting 
them up. Every one prefers his own, and it might make a tedious 
letter yet more tedious. I shall only add respecting them, that later 
in the season I protect my ripe currants with them, and, after being 
washed and folded, they are spread over the pears in the winter on the 
shelves, which issists in preserving them. Woollen nets, or any nets, 
I am convinced ire of little or no use in keeping off frost; but whatever 
article be used, it should be dipped, for durability, in Mr. Kyan’s 
anti-rot composition—corrosive sublimate and water—the proportions 
I forget, but, probably, you know them. 
Whilst speaking of protection from frost, I must take the opportunity 
of mentioning a beautiful and cheap article made here {eight feet wide , 
at 10c/. per yard !!) by Mr. Brough, of Pelham-street, which he terms 
his “ conservative” lace-net. It is an effectual guard against wasps 
and flies, when placed before fruit-trees, and, being so very open, most 
