E OF FRUIT 89-91

APPENDIX

THE PROPAGATION OF THE PEAR 92

ILLUSTRATIONS

PAGE

PEAR BLOSSOM
(from a drawing by Ethel Roskruge) _Frontispiece_

BERGAMOTTE ESPEREN ON WALL 17

PEAR--MARECHAL DE LA COUR 25

PEAR--MARGUERITE MARILLAT 27

PEAR--BEURRE DIEL 31

FAN-SHAPED PEAR TREE, ONE YEAR AFTER GRAFTING, SHOWING
THE LENGTH OF RESULTING SHOOTS 41

ESPALIER TRAINED TREE CUT BACK FOR GRAFTING--THE GRAFTS
INSERTED AND CLAYED OVER 49

PLUM--RIVERS' EARLY PROLIFIC 64

PLUM--CZAR 64

A CHERRY ORCHARD 85

THE BOOK OF PEARS AND PLUMS

HISTORY OF THE PEAR

The Pear is my theme, and a pleasant one it is. Only those who have
planted trees, pruned them, watched their growth, plucked the fruits,
enjoyed them at almost all hours, seen them on the table month after
month as an appetising dish, can fully realise the value of the Pear. A
good Pear-tree is like a faithful friend--treat him properly and he will
not fail you. Circumstances, as for instance, a late frost, may render
him incapable of helping you; he may have nothing to offer you; no doubt
he is sorry, but with patience he will do you a good turn.

_Pyrus_ (or _pirus_), the Latin name for Pear-tree, is the name of a
genus of plants belonging to the natural order Rosaceae. _Pyrus
communis_, the wild pear, from which the numerous cultivated varieties
have sprung, is found over a great part of Europe and Asia, within the
limits of the temperate regions. Its origin is lost in obscurity. The
lake-dwellers in Switzerland are said to have stored the fruits for
winter use. It was probably brought by the Greeks, possibly by birds,
from Asia, and after a time became a favourite with the Romans as well
as the Greeks. It is mentioned by Horace, Vergil, Juvenal, and others.
Pliny refers to numerous varieties, describing those with special
flavours. He tells us that many of the sorts were called after the
countries from which they came, such as the Syrian, the Alexandrian, the
Numidian, and the Grecian. Thus he mentions _p