tree assimilate to the St. Germain, and we should think it a seedling from that old pear, probably impregnated with the Doyenné blanc. The wood is of a dull yellow color.

Size, medium, about two and three quarters inches long, and two and a half in diameter: Form, roundish obovate, full at the crown, ending obtusely at the stem: Skin, fair, slightly rough, yellowish green, becoming lemon yellow when mature, very broadly tinged with bright red on the sunny side, and covered with rather large, irregular shaped, pale russet specks: Stem, medium length, about one inch long, rather stout, pale brown, dotted with gray, slightly curved, and inserted with scarcely any cavity on the obtuse point: Eye, rather small, open, and slightly sunk in a very shallow basin; segments of the calyx broad, irregular, and partially recurved Flesh, yellowish white, coarse, melting and juicy: Flavor, rich, sweet, perfumed, and excellent: Core, large: Seeds, medium size, very pale brown. Ripe in December.

111. BURLINGAME. N. E. Farmer, Vol. IX, p. 82.

The Burlingame pear (fig. 31,) is one of the pears early brought to notice by the Massachusetts Horticultural Society, through their honorary member, Dr. S. P. Hildreth, of Marietta, Ohio. In the fall of 1830, he sent a drawing and a description of this variety to the Society, and requested that, as it was a seedling, they should give it a name. In accordance with Mr. Hildreth's request, they called it the Burlingame, in honor of Mrs. Burlingame, of Marietta, a daughter of the late Rufus Putnam, who saved the seeds from pears eaten on the way from New Jersey to Ohio, as long ago as 1790. Owing to the tree having been planted in an unfavorable soil and situation, it did not bear till the fourteenth or eighteenth year; from that time, up to 1830, it continued to be a regular bearer, and free from the blight which affects the pear trees in the

west.

Scions were sent to the Horticultural Society in the spring of 1831, and distributed among the members; but, from some cause, it does not seem to have become generally known, and even our pomological writers appear unacquainted with it. Kenrick mentions it in his last edition of the American Or

chardist, (1842); but neither Mr. Manning or Mr. Downing give any account of it; and, among the multitude of varieties cultivated around Boston, the Burlingame is rarely seen. Last autumn, Dr. Hildreth sent us some of the pears, accompanied with the following note:

DEAR SIR,-I send you five Burlingame pears; four are hard yet, and one ripe, to give you the color of the fruit. They are below the average size. Some years ago, I sent a drawing and description of the fruit to General Dearborn, the

Fig. 31. Burlingame Pear.

first president of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society. When fully ripe, we think it a fine pear, both in appearance and taste. I have not seen the name amongst your fruit, although scions were sent to Messrs. Kenrick and Manning many years ago.-Yours, &c., S. P. Hildreth, Marietta, Ohio, August 25th, 1848.

The specimens, when they came to hand, were all fully ripe, though not so much so but that we could make a good drawing as well as judge of the quality of the pear, which was nearly first rate.

Dr. Hildreth describes the tree as growing pyramidal, and

broad at the base; wood strong, light brown, inclined to green, and speckled with fine light-colored dots; leaves large, oval, pointed, nearly flat, and serrated on the margin; petioles long. In Marietta, it ripens from the middle of July to the last of August,-best when ripening on the tree, but very good if gathered when hard and ripened in the house.

Size, medium, about two and a quarter inches long, and two and three quarters in diameter: Form, round, largest at the crown, and slightly depressed at each end: Skin, fair, smooth, pale yellow when mature, deeply shaded with light red in the sun, and thickly covered with small russet specks: Stem, medium length, about three quarters of an inch long, rather slender, curved, and deeply sunk in a rather large, open cavity: Eye, medium size, open, and very slightly depressed; segments of the calyx short, pointed: Flesh, white, slightly coarse, melting and juicy: Flavor, rich, sugary, and perfumed Core, large, somewhat gritty: Seeds, large. Ripe in August and September.

112. STEVENS's GENESEE. Am. Orchardist, 4th Ed., 1842. Guernsey, Pom. Manual, Vol. I, p. 145.

Genesee, Ken. Am. Orchardist, 1st Ed.

Stevens' Genesee, London Hort. Soc. Cat., 3d Ed., 1842.
Stephens's Genesee, of some.

For the earliest account of this excellent American pear, (fig. 32,) we are indebted to Mr. W. R. Prince, of Flushing, L. I., who briefly described it in his Pomological Manual, published in 1831, under the name of the Guernsey pear, in honor of J. K. Guernsey, of Monroe County, N. Y., who sent him scions for propagation; subsequently, however, to the publication of that volume, and before the index was put to press, Mr. Prince inserted the name of Stevens's Genesee, with a note, that, "in future, that name would be adopted, Mr. Guernsey having informed him that it was raised from seed by Mr. Stevens, and that it ought to bear his name.” . It is somewhat remarkable, that a pear possessing so many fine qualities should have been so briefly noticed by pomological writers. We could find no correct account of its origin in any of our treatises on fruits, and we are indebted to the Transactions of the New York State Agricultural Society for

1847, (p. 327,) for the following history, which had never before been published :—

"In 1794, James W. Stevens, Esq. removed from Philadelphia to Batavia in this State; but previous to such removal, however, he procured pear seeds from fruit grown in the vicinity of Philadelphia, and took them with him to Batavia, where he planted them. Mr. Stevens succeeded in fruiting a large number of varieties, from which he selected this one for general dissemination, and distributed scions pretty exten

Fig. 32. Stevens's Genesee Pear.

sively among gentlemen in that region of our State, and, among others, he gave some to a Mr. Guernsey, of Pittsfield, Monroe County, who gave it the name of Stevens's Genesee, and first brought the fruit to the notice of pomologists in Rochester."

This pear is but little known, except in Western New York; it is there extensively cultivated, and justly holds a high rank,-nearly equalling the well known Doyenné blanc, so generally disseminated under the name of VIRGALIEU in

that region. During our visit to Western New York last autumn, we saw some very beautiful specimens of the fruit at Rochester, and, through the kindness of our friends, brought home several, from one of which our drawing was made. Its only fault is that of occasionally rotting at the core: it should be gathered rather early, and ripened in the house.

The tree is moderately vigorous in its growth, of a rather diverging habit, with dark grayish wood. At Rochester, it often ripens the last of August, about the time of the Williams's Bon Chrétien, but in New England, its period of maturity is September.

Size, large, about two and three quarters inches broad, and two and three quarters in diameter: Form, roundish obovate, somewhat of the shape of the Doyenné blanc, but rounder, and fuller at the base, and broader at the crown: Skin, fair, smooth, of a pale yellow when mature, considerably covered with small russet specks: Stem, medium length, about one inch long, rather stout, thick at the base, and inserted in a rather shallow, one-sided cavity: Eye, medium size, open, and little sunk in a broad shallow basin; segments of the calyx short, stiff, projecting: Flesh, white, fine, melting and juicy: Flavor, rich, sugary, perfumed, and delicious: Core, medium size: Seeds, ?. Ripe in September.

113. GUSTINE'S SUMMER.

This new pear, (fig. 33,) of which we have already given a brief account, (p. 106,) was sent to us by J. M. Earle, Esq. of Worcester, president of the Worcester County Horticultural Society, and, so far as we could judge from a single specimen, it appears to be worthy of cultivation among our limited number of early pears. Not having fruited it ourselves, we requested Mr Earle, who has a fine collection of the best pears, to give us some account of its origin, and general qualities, and the following is his reply:

FRIEND HOVEY,-Thy letter is at hand. I did not fruit Gustine's Summer pear till last year, and then had but eight or ten specimens. I do not recollect about the one sent thee, only that it was one of two or three of the last of them, and I thought it was hardly a fair specimen. I think they will