13G 
TIIE FLORIST AND POMOLOGIST. 
[ September, 
only in the Imperial Garden of Vienna, in 1874, 
under the care of Mr. F. Antoine, a good re¬ 
presentation of Mr. Antoine’s plant, from a 
photograph, being given in the Gardeners' 
Chronicle, n.s. iii., 234. This, according to M. 
Morren, the highest living authority on this 
order of plants, is the same as regina , and has 
been called Tillandsia ( Vriesia) gigantea. It 
is a native of Brazil.—M. 
TPIE CULTURE OF WALL- 
FRUITS. 
CHAP. XXIV.—THE PEAR. 
GfpN treating on the culture of the Pear as a 
6 n5 wall fruit, so many considerations, bear- 
ing either directly or indirectly on the 
subject, become so impressed upon the mind, 
that it would seem to be injudicious to endea¬ 
vour to lay down a hard-and-fast line of prac¬ 
tice, since there is probably no other kind of 
fruit so much affected, in respect to the 
quality of the fruit, both as regards flavour 
and appearance, by the various conditions of 
soil and climate in which it may happen to 
be placed. There can be no doubt but that 
many sorts are greatly improved, both in quality 
and appearance, by a judicious course of culture 
against walls. Of others, again, although much 
improved in size and appearance by the same 
mode of culture, it cannot be denied that it is 
at the expense of flavour, and that far more 
highly-flavoured fruit of certain sorts may be 
obtained from Dwarf Pyramids or Standards, 
than from walls. At the same time, it must 
be owned that this improved quality is too often 
accompanied by a deficiency in regard to that 
clear skin and tempting appearance which render 
them so desirable as dessert fruit. Examples 
of what I refer to in regard to improvement in 
size and appearance, but not in flavour, by 
wall culture, may be found in such old sorts as 
Beurre Diel, Bezi d’Esperen, Easter Beurre, and 
Knight’s Monarch. On the contrary, Glou 
Morgeau, Doyenne du Cornice, Louis Bonne of 
Jersey, Duchesse d’Angouleme, Williams’s Bon 
Chretien, Marie Louise, &c., are familiar exam¬ 
ples of sorts that retain their exquisite flavour 
under wall culture, whilst at the same time 
they gain greatly in size and clearness of skin. 
It will, I think, be generally allowed that these 
effects are very much influenced by conditions 
of climate, soil, drainage, moisture, and stock. 
In dealing with the subject we cannot, then, 
lightly pass over these points, since they must 
form the groundwork of our practice, wherever 
we have to resort to artificial means to pro¬ 
duce in a border a medium somewhat ap¬ 
proximating to those natural conditions under 
which, without any preparation, they are found 
to flourish best, and to become large, healthy, 
and fruitful. This, so far as my own 
observation goes, will generally be found, where 
there is a deep strong loam, on a gravelly or 
otherwise porous subsoil, not on the one hand 
liable to be parched up with drought in dry 
times, nor swamped with stagnant water in wet 
ones. These I conceive to be the sort of con¬ 
ditions which should regulate our practice in 
the formation of artificial borders for Pears. 
In advancing this, I do not mean to assert that 
it will suffice to dig out a deep hole, fill up the 
bottom with a good layer of gravel, and then 
heap in a good depth of soil; but taking 
thorough drainage as the first great essential, 
to take every possible means to secure it in 
accordance with the principles and practice so 
often detailed in these pages; and then so to 
make use of and mix all available material at 
hand, as that when the border is finished it 
may approximate in some degree to the above 
natural conditions. 
I have generally considered a depth of from 
2 ft. to 3 ft. quite enough for all stone fruits, 
but with Pears it is different, and a depth of from 
3 ft. to 4 ft. upon the drainage will best meet 
their requirements, because it must be observed 
that borders for Pears are generally constructed 
for a permanency, and, provided the constitu¬ 
ents are such as to secure an open and porous 
condition, such a depth will be found more 
serviceable in the long-run—always provided 
that the drainage is perfect, with a good out¬ 
let, otherwise all the conditions for which we 
are striving will be rendered useless. 
The principal object sought for in the culture 
of Pears on walls, is to increase the size and 
beauty of the fruit, and at the same time to re¬ 
tain, as far as it is possible to do so, the exquisite 
flavour which characterises so many of our best 
sorts. As I believe this to be mainly in¬ 
fluenced by the condition of the medium in 
which the roots are placed, I may well be for¬ 
given for exhorting that earnest attention 
should be given to this matter. Now, if we 
