s very
large, and on a cordon often handsome; in warm seasons of good quality,
golden yellow when ripe. Bush trees on Quince bear well (October,
November).

Duchesse d'Angouleme was a great favourite formerly, the tree growing
and bearing well. Fruit often very large, but coarse and gritty. Crossed
with Glou Morceau it has given us a child Pitmaston superior to the
parents.

Josephine de Malines is pronounced by Mr Barron to be "always good."
Hardy, and bears well on Quince (January-April).

Fouqueray is a large, good pear, an improved B. Bachelier (October).

B. Hardy is a great favourite with birds; they prefer and peck the best
fruit.

B. Alexandre Lucas is large and handsome; pyriform, the tree is a good
grower (October, November).

Triomphe de Vienne is a large and handsome September pear tree (D. G.),
grows and bears well, comparatively new.

Marguerite Marillat, a very large, handsome September pear, bears well:
comparatively new.

Michaelmas Nelis is a new variety, of which a specimen fruit has just
been sent me by Messrs Bunyard. It is as delicious as the Winter Nelis
pear (December and January).

RECEIPTS (from Cassell's "Dictionary of Cookery," slightly
abridged)

1. _To bake Pears._--Rub half-a-dozen large hard pears with a soft
cloth. Put them on a buttered baking tin into a slow oven, and let them
bake gently for five or six hours. When tender, they are done enough,
and are excellent if eaten with sugar. Probably cost 4d. Sufficient for
three or four persons.

2. _Another way._--Pare very smoothly a dozen large baking pears. Halve
them, take out the cores, put them side by side into a well-brightened
block-tin saucepan with a closely fitting cover. Pour over as much cold
water as will cover them, add the thin rind of a small lemon, a
tablespoonful of strained lemon juice, an inch of stick cinnamon, and
fifteen grains of allspice. Put on cover, place the dish in a gentle
oven, let it remain until the pears are tender, add a little white wine
if liked. If such a saucepan is used, no cochineal will be needed. Time
to bake six hours. Probable cost 1s. 8d. Sufficient for eight or ten
persons.

_To Preserve Pears._--Gather the pears before they are quite ripe, pare,
halve, core and weigh them, put into a deep jar, allowing 3 lbs. of
sugar to every 4 lbs. of pears, and just enough water to moisten the
sugar, and to keep the fruit from burning. The strained juice and
thinly-pared rind of a lemo