Page:Willich, A. F. M. - The Domestic Encyclopædia (Vol. 3, 1802).djvu/325

Rh of onions; on which account the trunk arrives only at a moderate height.

n. The Green Summer Sugar-Pear, of Hoyerswerda; an excellent new fruit of a moderate size, and which has taken its origin from the kernel of the Winter-pear (Sucréverd) cultivated in Lower Lusatia: it is oblong, but arched toward the bloom; of a grass-green shade; spotted in every direction with green and grey dots: the pulp is mellow, without stones, and surpasses in taste all other summer-pears. Its juice is of a vinous, sub-acid taste, decidedly superior, at least in flavour, to its parent fruit before mentioned. If the Green Sugar-pear be suffered to ripen on the tree, it acquires a greenish-yellow shade, and its flavour approaches to that of the French Muscat Robert. Its period of maturation is from the middle to the end of August, and it can be preserved only a few weeks after being deposited on the floor.—The tree bears fruit every year; its blossoms resist the most unfavourable weather; and the wood remains sound in the severest winters.

o. The Spicy Muscadel-Pear, a handsome and delicate fruit, of the smaller kind; being of a roundish form, with a very small depressed bloom, but a long slender stalk; yellow when ripe, and of a bright orange-colour, inclining to red on the southern aspect; marked with greyish-red dots, somewhat rough to the touch. Its pulp eats short, and is partly granulated; contains an excellent spicy and saccharine juice, which maturates in July and the beginning of August, but cannot be preserved above eight days, as is the case with the generality of summer-pears.—The tree is of a prolific kind, and bears solitary fruit: the wood has a fine grain.

.

For a specific account of these inestimable productions of Nature and Art, we refer the reader to the article.

.

1. The Red Stettin, Rostock, or Iron Apple, is large, globular, dark-red, sometimes light-green on the shaded side; has a glassy, hard pulp, containing a large proportion of an excellent vinous juice: this fruit is equally regarded at the table till the latter end of August, and serviceable for boiling, baking, and convening it into perry.—The tree grows freely, and attains a great size; is not easily injured by unfavourable springs, while in blossom; and possesses other qualities which greatly recommend its culture.—The Green Stettin Apple, a variety of the preceding sort, also deserves to be reared.

2. The Reine-claude (see No. 4 on the western side of the Espalier) in the progress of this essay.

3. The Blessed Pear (Poire benite: Belle fertile), is thus justly denominated; as it is one of the most plentiful productions of the vegetable kingdom. XIV, who was the first encourager of fruit-gardening in France, introduced this admirable plant into his dominions, and intrusted the nurture and propagation of it to the Carthusians, an order of Monks then flourishing at Paris. The French King had judiciously commissioned all his Ambassadors in Europe, to collect and send the most valuable fruit-