October 10. 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
25 
It is certainly a pity that we have no Pears for late 
winter use which can at all compare with those in season 
now. Our Williams Boncretien and Marie Louise, would 
so far outstrip the late ones in merit, were they, by some 
act of conjuring, or other contrivance, saved through the 
winter in all their melting sugariness, that we would be 
dissatisfied with the kinds we have in use then; and I 
know there are many growers who would place some 
other of their early autumn favourites before the two I 
have named; whichever it is, certain they all agree, that 
as the season advances, the Pear whose turn it comes 
to to serve at the table, gradually falls off, and shows less, 
and less merit, until the latest of all, when in its best 
possible order, would have a poor chance of competing 
with a Jargonelle Pear in August, could they by any 
means he both brought together at the same time; but, 
as it seems impossible to make the late one as delicious 
as the earlier variety, still, a judicious treatment will 
make it much better than it often is, and that treatment 
is what I have recommended for the Melon, &c., as 
above, coupled with some other treatment, which I will 
here point out. 
In late seasons, and late situations, I believe I am 
right in saying that no treatment whatever will make 
very late kinds of Pears really good; for they do not 
arrive at that maturity necessary to their ever attaining 
a good flavour; consequently, some of those not so very 
late must be made to serve their places, and must be 
kept as well as they can be, in order to prolong the 
season. In that way the Winter Neilis, not by any 
means a very late Pear, will, nevertheless, last much 
longer in some places than it does in others, and in some 
seasons it will do so longer than in others also. The 
reason is obvious: certain years it is as far advanced 
towards perfection by the first of October as in other 
seasons it is by the first of November; and we need 
hardly tell our readers that this is telling much more 
than a month, because its progress in October would be 
much more than in November, all the agents which 
assist it being in much greater activity in the earlier 
month than the later one—hence the difference; and it 
is by taking advantage of this, that we are able to retard 
or perfect the variety of fruit we have in view, as the 
case may be ; or rather, it is owing to that cause, whereby 
fruits of certain kinds come on quicker or slower in 
some years than in others, from causes purely natural, 
and over which we have no control whatever—a fine 
autumn, like the present one, perfecting them earlier 
than usual; while a dull, wet one, like that of 1852, has 
a contrary effect. 
While mentioning the early and late ripening of the 
same kinds of Pears in different seasons, it calls to my 
recollection the care of a Late Admirable Peach , which I 
had many years ago, but in another place, yet equally 
favoured as to latitude, &c. This Peach usually ripened 
in October, in tolerably good order; but I remember one 
season, in which I was not able to save a single fruit to 
the first of that month, while, on another occasion, I 
have had good fruit up to the first of December, and 
one or two solitary ones up to the 20th of that month, 
nearly to Christmas, but this was the very latest, while 
the case recorded above was the earliest; now, in these 
two extremes, there is a space of nearly three months, 
and that, too, in the Peach, which is a fruit by no means 
calculated for lengthened servitude; but I record it here, 
as showing the/lifference which certain seasons make in 
fruits, when the same attention is paid them in the shape 
of culture, &c., which, I need hardly say, was the same in 
the two cases of early and late Peach-ripening recorded 
above. 
It is easy to multiply instances like the foregoing; 
but enough has been said to satisfy the amateur whose 
late autumn Pears are this season coming on as early 
ones; but I would, nevertheless, strongly advise some 
of them being laid in the coolest place that can he had; 
only, be it observed, a retarded fruit loses flavour in 
like manner as a hastened one never gains it; so 
that if there be a sufficient succession of fruit to carry 
on the supply, without an intermission, throughout the 
season, I would rather advise the kinds which would 
come naturally on in rotation, to be allowed to do so, 
as they will, in most instances, be better than either 
the forced or retarded onas, other things being the 
same; so that when necessity does not require either the 
one or the other to be put in practice, they might both 
be dispensed with. J. Robson. 
THE MISTAKE. 
By the Authoress of “ My Flowers." 
(Continued from Vol. XII., page 500.) 
The letters written by John Henry, at this time, to his 
kind and interested friends, continued to be of the most 
satisfactory kind. Strong and unmistakeable evidence of 
the “ divine life ” were shown forth in them, “ shining 
brighter and brighter unto the perfect day.” In one of 
them, he, with simple, yet heaven-taught, truth, thus writes : 
“ We have a beautiful picture of a Christian’s life set forth 
in the ‘ Pilgrim’s Progress.’ Christian first leaves the City 
of Destruction; he sets his affections upon things above, 
and not on things beneath; nor is he ashamed to tell any 
one that he has left the City of Destruction, and is travel¬ 
ling to another, like Abraham, to a heavenly one. Christian 
had many difficulties in his journey, and so with all Chris¬ 
tians. It is through tribulation we must enter the kingdom 
of heaven. ‘ If the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall 
the ungodly and sinner appear?’ When we consider how a 
man is saved, it is wonderful; it is of the tender mercies of 
God that any is saved; ‘ We are as brands plucked from 
the burning.’ ” 
There are those among us who think there is no need of 
repentance; there are others who think they can repent 
when they please. Let such ponder a moment upon John 
Henry’s words, “ When we consider how a man is saved, it 
is wonderful.” Is there anything unnecessary, or easy, then, 
in being saved? It is a wonderful work of God, and not of 
man—we are as “ brands snatched from the burning.” We 
cannot snatch ourselves, we must be snatched. We are burn¬ 
ing now; the wrath of God is kindled, and the flames are 
rising higher and higher around us. We must be, dear 
readers, we must, indeed, be, if we are saved at all, “ brands 
snatched from the burning.” Another fragment of a letter 
calls upon his beloved pastor to labour for dead souls:—“Be 
strong in the Lord, and of good courage. It is a sorrowful 
thing to be speaking or preaching to dry and dead bones. 
But when the Lord puts His breath or Spirit into them, 
and they begin to move and live, then, and not till then, is 
your rejoicement. If these bones still remain dead, be not 
weary in well doing; still speak to them, and pray for them, 
that they may live. May God still enable you to speak a 
word in season, and may His Holy Spirit apply the word of 
His servant, or servants, to the hearts of men for Jesus 
Christ’s sake.” 
In the year 1849, four years from the time of his conver¬ 
sion to God, John Henry prepared to seek another earthly 
country. He prepared to go out as an emigrant among the 
crowds who began about that time to depart from their j 
father-land. Mr. Johnston says, “ He had for some time 
attended the week-day school of the parish, with the view 
of qualifying himself to act as schoolmaster, but from the 
want of early training he made but little progress ; so that, 
after a short time, he abandoned the idea altogether, and 
began seriously to think of applying for a passage to Aus¬ 
tralia with the other emigrants from his own neighbour¬ 
hood." 
It seems to me that Christians rarely act up to their pri¬ 
vileges. There is a “going down to Egypt for help" in 
many things where the arm of God would soon bring deli 
verance, if it was only looked to, and rested on. Many 
Christians have faith to believe unto salvation, and yet have 
not faith to wait simply upon the Lord in daily concerns. 
