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ity: Eye, small, closed, and slightly sunk in a small, shallow, and slightly ribbed basin; segments of the calyx narrow, twisted: Flesh, yellow, fine, crisp, and tender: Juice,

Fig. 9. Mother Apple.

abundant, rich, brisk, and very pleasantly acid, with a high spicy flavor: Core, medium size, nearly close: Seeds, medium size. Ripe from October to January.

XXVI. HOOKER. Magazine of Horticulture, Vol. XIII. p. 112.

The Hooker, (fig. 10,) has been briefly noticed by us in a previous volume, (XIII. p. 112,) and a short account of its origin given by our correspondent, Mr. J. W. Bissell, of Rochester, N. Y. The original tree is yet growing on the farm of Mr. Hooker, in Windsor, Conn., and the scions were carried to New York some years ago by E. B. Strong. It is a great favorite where it is known, having much the flavor of the Westfield Seek-No-Further. As a productive apple, it is almost unsurpassed; we recently saw trees in the garden of Mr. Hooker, of Rochester, (Vol. XIV. p. 533,) which were

literally covered with fruit. Mr. Hooker, having kindly forwarded us some fine specimens from his trees, we are enabled to give an accurate description with an engraving of the fruit.

Size, large, about three and a quarter inches broad, and two and three quarters deep: Form, roundish, irregular, swollen on one side, flattened at the base, and narrowing to the crown, which is rather small: Skin, fair, smooth, with a greenish yellow ground, slightly russeted at the stem, and pretty nearly

Fig. 10. Hooker Apple.

covered with dark, dull crimson, considerably striped on the shaded side, and dotted with large, prominent, russet specks: Stem, short, about quarter of an inch long, stout, and inserted in a small, round, smooth, shallow cavity: Eye, small, partially open, and moderately depressed in a round even basin; segments of the calyx broad and short: Flesh, greenish white, fine, crisp, and tender: Juice, plentiful, pleasantly acid, rich, and high-flavored: Core, medium size, close: Seeds, rather small, light brown. Ripe from November to January.

XXVII. BEN.

Eustis, of some collections.

Under the name of Ben, or Eustis apple, (fig. 11,) this variety is tolerably well known to cultivators in the vicinity of Boston, where it has been occasionally exhibited before the Massachusetts Horticultural Society, by Mr. James Eustis, of South Reading, in which town, we believe, it originated, who introduced it to notice. Tried with other well known and esteemed apples, by the Fruit Committee of the Society, the past autumn, when Mr. Eustis exhibited some fine speci

Fig. 11. Ben Apple.

mens, they pronounced it "good for the season, and worthy of cultivation." Mr. Eustis gave us some of the apples, and agreeing with the Committee in their opinion, we have thought it well deserving a place among the select varieties which we intend to describe and figure in our pages. The tree is a healthy grower, and an abundant bearer.

Size, large, about two and a half inches broad, and two and a half deep: Form, roundish conical, regular, broad at

the base, and narrowing considerably to the crown which is small: Skin, fair, somewhat rough, rich yellow, much russeted around the stem, and broadly marked on the sunny side with pale orange red: Stem, medium length, about three quarters of an inch long, slender, and moderately sunk in a small contracted cavity: Eye, small, closed, and moderately sunk in a rather large and abruptly depressed basin; segments of the calyx short: Flesh, yellowish white, rather fine, crisp, and tender: Juice, plentiful, pleasantly acid, with a sprightly and rich pearmain flavor: Core, rather large and open: Seeds, small, angular. Ripe in November and December.

ART. V.

The Howell Pear, a New Native Seedling; with a Description and Engraving of the Fruit. By the ED

ITOR.

AMONG the American pears which have been brought into notice recently, the Howell occupies a prominent place. Some very beautiful specimens of it were exhibited at the last annual show of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society at Faneuil Hall, in September, and a few were forwarded to us, at the same time, by our correspondent, S. D. Pardee, Esq., of New Haven. Highly gratified at finding it a fruit of so much merit, we requested Mr. Pardee to send us an account of its origin, which we were desirous of appending to a full description of the pear. He has kindly complied with our request, and we publish at length his interesting communication, as follows:

DEAR SIR,-Agreeably to your request I give you the annexed history of the Howell pear, which was exhibited at the last Annual Fair of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society, and of which you had a few specimens to test the quality of the fruit. The seed was planted by the late Thomas Howell, Esq., in his garden in this city, in 1829 or '30, and the tree is therefore about 18 years old.

Mr. Howell's premises adjoined those of the late Governor Edwards, whose seedling pears have acquired such deserved

celebrity, and it was about the time that the Governor's first trees began to bear fruit that Mr. Howell, incited doubtless by his neighbor's example, planted his seed, from which there are now in his garden about twenty seedling pear trees in bearing. John English, Esq., the present proprietor of the garden, was informed by Mr. Howell, that the seeds he planted were all from fruit known in this city as the Jonah pear. This is a very hard and tough winter pear, producing enormous crops every year, that seldom becomes mellow and fit for a dessert fruit, but, when it does, it is very good, being full of rich, sub-acid, slightly astringent juice. The tree which produced these pears stood in Mr. Howell's garden, with a Virgalieu on one side, and a Summer Bon Chrétien, or Pound pear, as they were formerly called here, on the other; and the Howell pear evidently partakes of some of the characteristics of each of these fruits.

The tree is healthy and vigorous, and is now about sixteen feet in height, of an upright growth, with diverging and pendulous branches; young wood pale reddish gray or brown.

It first fruited about seven years ago, and has borne good crops regularly every year since it began. It ripens from the 15th September to the 10th October. The fruit has improved from the first, both in size and quality; and, in the judgment of our Pomological Society, it is now of the first class, and worthy of cultivation in every place where the soil and climate are congenial. The specimens exhibited in Boston this fall were only a fair average of the fruit produced this year, and you noticed them, I presume, as much above medium size, and very fair.

As you have seen and tested the quality of the fruit, I shall leave a description of it to you, knowing that you can describe it in accordance with pomological rules much better than myself.

Several of the pears produced by Mr. Howell are very good, and their quality improves with the age of the trees, but the Howell pear is decidedly the best, and perhaps the only one that, amongst the multitude of good pears now cultivated, will stand forth as of superior excellence.

One of Mr. Howell's pears has been called, by Mr. English, the New Haven Beauty. It is certainly the most beautiful

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