Novembku 27 . COUNTRY GENTLEMAN'S COMPANION. 139 
WEEKLY CALENDAR. 
D 
M 
D 
W 
NOV. 27— DEC. 3, 1855. 
.i. 
Weather near London in 1853. 
Moon's 
Age. 
Cl 
af. 
ock 
Sun. 
Day of 
Year. 
Barometer. 
Thermo. 
Wind. 
Rain in 
Inches. 
Rises. 
Sets. 
K.&S, 
27 
Tc 
1 
Oak leafless. 
29.702—29.371 
49—42 
S.W. 
24 
40 a 7 
56 a 3 
6 45 
18 
12 
18 
331 
28 
\V 
Elm leafless. 
29.199—28.990 
50—29 
W. 
06 
41 
55 
7 58 
19 
11 
58 
332 
29 
Th 
Song Thrush sings again. 
29.516—29.123 
51—37 
W. 
22 
42 
54 
9 11 
20 
11 
37 
333 
30 
F 
St. Andrew. 
29.730—29.422 
51—30 
W. 
44 
53 
10 24 
21 
11 
16 
334 
1 
S 
jTachyporus chrysomelinus. 
29.951—29.768 
46—34 
N.W. 
— 
46 
53 
11 a35 
10 
54 
335 
2 
Sen 
Advent Sunday. 
29.937—29.762 
50—40 
N.W. 
— 
47 
52 
morn. 
23 
10 
31 
336 
3 
Anobium tessellatum. 
30.025—29.894 
50--38 
W. 
— 
43 
52 
0 44 
24 
10 
7 
337 
Meteorology of the Week. —At Chiswick, from observations during the last twenty-eight years, the average highest and lowest tern, 
peratures of these days are 47.7“. and 3!t.7°, respectively. The greatest heat, 60°, occurred on the 28th, in 1828} and the lowest cold, l 6 °, 
on the 29 th, in 1849. During the period lOl days were line, and on 95 rain fell. 
THE FRUITS AND FRUIT-TREES OF GREAT 
BRITAIN. 
NO. VII. 
LOUISE BONNE D’AVRANCHES PEAR. 
Synonymes. —Louise Bonne d’Avranches, Duval Hist- 
Pair, 60. Bonne Louise D’Avranches, Bravy Arh. 
Fruit, 52. Berganaotte d’Avranches, Duhreuil Coin’s, 
577. Louise Bonne of Jersey, Hort. Soc. Cat. ed. 3. n. 
299. Bonne de Longueval, Bavay Cat. Poire de Jersey, 
Ihid. Bonne Louise d’Arandor^, Acc. Hort, Soc, Cat. 
'WRliam the Fourth, Ibid. 
There are some fruits that may be grown, and others 
that to be grown, in every collection; of the former 
we could enumerate a considerable list, but of the latter 
the range is very limited. Even of those which ought 
to be grown, there are very many for which our soil and 
climate is, generally speaking, unsuitable, and it is only 
in favoured spots that they can be brought to anything 
approaching perfection. But the Pear we have chosen 
to illustrate in our present number is one of those 
which, from its great excellence, and the freedom with 
which it accommodates itself to almost all soils and 
situations in this country, is worthy of a place in every 
garden. We have seen it in the warm, genial soil of 
Devonshire, and in the more exposed regions of some 
parts of Scotland; in light loam and stiff clay, we have 
seen it equally healthy and luxuriant. 
The fruit varies in size from three - inches - and-a- 
quarter to three-inchesand-three-quarters long, and 
from two-inches-and a-quarter to two-inches-and-a-half 
wide at the thickest part. Its shape is pyriform; the 
greatest diameter is at two-thirds of its length, from 
which it is rounded towards the apex, and tapers gradu¬ 
ally towards the stalk, and generally more swollen on 
one side than the other. The skin is smooth, green at 
first, with dull red on the side next the sun, and marked 
with large, russetty specks; but as it ripens, the green 
becomes yellow, and the red crimson; the russetty spots 
are encircled with a crimson ring, and the surface is 
smooth and shining. The eye is small and open, with 
long, erect, linear segments, placed in a rather deep and 
round basin. Stalk from three-quarters to an inch long, 
obliquely inserted on a level with the surface of the 
fruit, and generally surrounded with a patch of thin 
delicate russet. Flesh white, buttery, and melting, with 
a rich, sugary, and brisk vinous flavour. Ripens in 
October. 
The tree is healthy and vigorous, assuming a hand¬ 
some pyramidal shape ; the wood is of a greenish-brown 
colour; and the young shoots are powdered in their 
early growth. It blooms profusely, and, in situations 
where they are not injured by spring frosts, is an 
abundant bearer. It succeeds well either on the Pear 
or Quince stock, but when cultivated in heavy soils 
and cold situations, it is much more healthy, and 
produces finer fruit on the Quince than on the Pear. 
We have observed, in the nursery of Mr. Rivers, of 
Sawbridgeworth, where there is a plantation of up¬ 
wards of 2,000 trees of this variety, all grafted on j 
the Quince, that trees which have thrown out roots I 
above the graft, and are, therefore, uninfluenced by j 
the Quince, although they exhibit a more luxuriant | 
growth, have the leaves spotted and unhealthy, the I 
shoots cankered, and the fruit small and few in 
number; while those that are wholly under the in¬ 
fluence of the Quince produce short, firm, well-ripened 
wood; and an abundance of large, handsome, and highly- 
No. CCOLXXIV. Von. xVl 
