Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume XIII.djvu/223

 PEARCE PEARL 213 lett, doyenne Boussock (early), Duchesse d'An- gouleme, beurre Clairgeau, Seckel (autumn), beurre d'Anjou, Lawrence, and Vicar of Wink- field (winter). No pear exceeds the Bartlett in popularity, though ranked by pomologists as only second class in quality ; it origina- ted in England about 1770, and being propa- gated by a nurseryman named Williams, it is known in Europe as Williams's Bonchretien ; it was disseminated in this country by Enoch Bartlett, near Boston, and the proper name having been lost, that of Bartlett has become so firmly fixed that it is impossible to rectify it ; it is much more popular here than in Eng- land, as our climate suits it better ; it is a thrifty tree, comes into bearing when young, and gives abundant crops of large fruit; it succeeds so well in all parts of the country, that it is estimated that out of every 100 trees planted for profit 90 are Bartletts. The Seckel, though small, is universally popular, and no native or foreign variety yet known surpass- es or even equals it in quality. The beurre d'Anjou, of French origin, is regarded by our most eminent pomologists as combining more good qualities in a higher degree than any other single varie- ty known. Pears are much better if picked when mature and al- lowed to finish ripen- ing in the house ; al- most all are improved by this treatment, while many which are of first class when treated in this way are worthless if ri- Oblate Pear-Fulton. the color of the seeds and the ease with which the stem of the fruit parts from the tree in- dicate the proper time for gathering ; win- ter varieties are left on until frosty weather, when they are picked and treated like winter apples. Considerable quantities of pears are canned, but the drying of the fruit is more practised abroad than with us. Perry is pre- pared from pears in precisely the same man- ner that cider is made from apples; it is scarcely known in this country, but in Eng- land there are large orchards exclusively of perry pears, which are mostly coarse kinds unfit for eating ; when well made, perry brings a price equal to that of some kinds of wine. PEARCE, Zacliary, an English prelate, born in London, Sept. 8, 1690, died at Little Baling, June 29, 1774. He was educated at Trinity college, Cambridge, and while there is said to have written two numbers of the "Spectator" (572 and 633), and Nos. 114 and 121 of the "Guardian." In 1739 he was made dean of Winchester, in 1748 bishop of Bangor, and in 1756 bishop of Rochester with the deanery of Westminster added, and later declined the bishopric of London. When 73 years old he wished to resign his offices, but was refused permission. He published "An Account of Trinity College, Cambridge," " The Miracles of Jesus Vindicated," in 4 parts (8vo, 1727-'8), and numerous discourses ; but his chief work is "A Commentary, with Notes, on the Four Evangelists and the Acts of the Apostles, to- gether with a new Translation of St. Paul's Epistle to the Corinthians " (2 vols. 4to, 1777). PEARL, a concretion, consisting chiefly of car- bonate of lime, found in several bivalve mol- lusks, but especially in the avicula margari- tifera (meleagrina margaritifera, Lamarck), or true pearl oyster, and among fresh-water bivalves in the unio margaritiferus. Pearls are usually spheriform and yellowish or bluish white. The purest white pearls are most val- ued in Europe and America, while those of a yellowish hue are preferred by the Hindoos and Arabs. The pearl is rather harder than calcareous spar, but it has the same chemical composition, with the exception that it has in addition, between the many layers of mineral deposit of which it is made, films of animal membrane, which becoming dry give it its hardness. The substance of the pearl is nor- mally deposited upon the interior surface of the shell in the form of a slimy secretion of the exterior of the mantle. Grains of sand or other foreign bodies, lodging between the man- tle and the shell, produce an irritation of the delicate tissues which causes the deposition of pearly matter around them for protection. Advantage is taken of this by man, and by the introduction of different foreign bodies pearls of various shapes and dimensions are made to grow. In this way the Chinese compel one species of fresh- water mussel, unio hyria, to produce pearls. A plan of making pearls was suggested to the Swedish government by Lin- naeus. He bored a hole through the shell, thus easily reaching the exterior of the mantle. He was rewarded with 450 for the plan, but it was not found practically successful. The pe- culiar iridescence of the pearl is of the same nature as the colors of thin plates. (See LIGHT, vol. x., p. 444.) The mother of pearl on the inner side of the shell has the same structure. From a very early period pearls have ranked among gems, and been highly esteemed as ornaments. The book of Job refers to their great value, and frequent allusions are made to them in other parts of the Scriptures. The Greeks and Romans used them in profusion, and even decorated their feet with pearls. Pliny, after referring to the prodigal display of pearls in his time, adds : " Nay, even more than this, they put them on their feet, and that not merely on the laces of their sandals, but they must needs tread upon them and walk with them under foot as well." He also al- ludes to the breastplate which Caesar brought home and dedicated to Venus Genetrix, saying it was formed of British pearls ; which con- firms the statement of Suetonius that pearls were Caesar's chief inducement for his British