we have fruited here, usually in eating in December, and November to February. I think it not improbable that it may be a cross of the old St. Germain and Brown Beurré."

The pears sent us by Mr. Goodale were of large size, and proved to be a very excellent fruit,—not quite first-rate, but well deserving a place in a select collection. Our drawing was made on the 15th of December, and some of the pears kept till January, though in a rather warm room. We subsequently wrote to Mr. Goodale for some account of the origin of this variety, and his statement is as follows:

As you requested, I give you all the particulars known to me in regard to the McLaughlin pear. There are some dozen trees on the McLaughlin farm, about ten miles from here; all are evidently grafted, some of the older near the ground, the others in the branches. The widow of the man who planted them says the scions came from Westbrook, an adjoining town, but no such pear is known there, that I can ascertain. It is believed to be a seedling raised in this vicinity. The fruit, though not strictly first-rate, is usually very good, and, in favorable seasons, when the trees are not overloaded, little inferior to any pear of the season; last of November to January, and they have kept sometimes nearly through February. The trees grow in grass land, and have received no culture whatever for many years, and bear well.

Gen. Wingate, in his letter dated October, 1831, states, that a person in Oxford County, (whose name, he believes, was Lamb,) many years since, raised a number of pear trees from seeds, all of which produced, as he understood, inferior fruit, with the exception of one tree; and, from that tree, the scions were taken and engrafted by Mr. McLaughlin, of Scarborough. There is no doubt of its native origin.

Size, large, about three and a half inches long, and two and a half in diameter: Form, oblong, tapering slightly towards the crown, and contracted near the stem, where it ends obtusely: Skin, fair, slightly rough, of a bright cinnamon russet, tinged with brownish red on the sunny side, showing a few traces of a bright yellow ground on the shaded side: Stem, short, about half an inch in length, rather stout, swollen at its junction with the tree, little curved, and obliquely inserted in a shallow cavity on one side of a small

projection: Eye, medium size, open, and moderately sunk in a rather shallow, uneven, ridged, or puckered basin; segments of the calyx, broad, short, wavy, and pointed: Flesh, yellowish, rather coarse, melting, and juicy: Flavor, rich, sugary, slightly perfumed, and excellent: Core, rather large: Seeds, large, plump, pointed, light brown. Ripe in November, and keeps till January.

71. ROPES.

Last autumn, our correspondent, Mr. J. F. Allen, of Salem, presented us with a very handsome pear, much resem

pears

Fig. 22. Ropes.

bling the Seckel, which he proposed to call the Ropes, (fig. 23,) from its having originated in the garden of Mr. Ropes, of that city, about the year 1833 or 1834. It first produced a few in 1844, but none were eaten until last. summer, (1846,) when it was found to possess very good qualities, which will undoubtedly improve as the tree attains age and finer specimens are produced. It resembles the Seckel so much, that one not well acquainted with the latter would scarcely detect the difference. The following is our description :

Size, medium, about two and a half inches long, and two and a half in diameter: Form, obovate, regular, tapering toward each end, and very obtuse at the stem: Skin, fair, of a uniform pale cinnamon russet, slightly tinged with red on the sunny side: Stem, rather short, about half an inch in length, stout, dull brown, curved, and rather deeply and obliquely inserted in a small cavity, swollen on one side: Eye, small, open, and slightly sunk in a smooth, shallow basin; segments of the calyx, round. short, projecting: Flesh, yellowish, coarse, melting, and juicy: Flavor, sugary and good, with a rich perfume: Core, small: Seeds, medium size, black. Ripe in October and November.

72. PENNSYLVANIA. Mag. of Hort. Vol. X. p. 213.

Our first knowledge of this pear was from Mr. Manning, in

Fig. 23. Pennsylvania. the fall of 1843, when he gave us some fine specimens pro

duced in his collection, from which we made a drawing at that time. Wishing to have another trial of it before giving a figure and description, we last year had some very fine specimens from the collection of Mr. Cabot, and we were gratified to find it prove a very excellent pear,-not first-rate,— but a good-sized, handsome variety, worthy a place in a large collection,-its productiveness and hardy character giving it a claim over some of the better, but more delicate foreign sorts.

The Pennsylvania pear is a seedling found on the ground of Mr. J. B. Smith of Philadelphia, the original tree of which is stated to be nearly forty feet high, of a pyramidal form, and remarkably robust habit. Its origin and age are not known. It received its name from the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society. As an American fruit, it may be ranked with the Buffum, Cushing, Fulton,-other not strictly firstrate varieties.

Size, large, about three inches in length, and three inches in diameter: Form, obovate, largest in the middle, little swollen on one side, and tapering to the stem, where it ends obtusely: Skin, fair, and slightly rough, dull yellow, very much russeted, particularly around the crown, with a ruddy tinge on the sunny side: Stem, long, about one and a half inches, stout, straight, wrinkled, brown, slightly fleshy at the base, and inserted with scarcely any cavity, but with a swollen projection on one side: Eye, small, closed, and rather deeply sunk in an uneven, ridged, contracted basin; segments of the calyx, short, pointed, stiff: Flesh, yellowish white, coarse, melting, and juicy: Flavor, rich, sugary, slightly perfumed, and good: Core, small: Seeds, very small, plump, light brown. Ripe in October, and keeps some time.

ART. III. Notice of a new Seedling Apple. By A. FahnesTOCK, Lancaster, Ohio.

A NEW Seedling Apple has been raised by the Rev. C. Springer, Meadow Farm, near Zanesville, Ohio, which, on account of its great productiveness and late keeping, I consid

er quite an acquisition, or, at least, very desirable. Mr. Springer informs me, under date of May 3d, that its season of maturity is about the 10th of March, and that it is still improving, and rots the least of any apple he has in his orchard, (and he has a fine collection.) He also stated to me that it produced enormously-far beyond any other tree he has. I will endeavor to forward you scions in the fall, with others you requested of me.

In relation to your remarks on the American White Winter Calville, I wrote to the Mr. Mathews, of Coshocton, and he says it is certainly different from the old White Winter Calville.

I hope to be able to bring to your notice some other fruits of merit, from time to time.

Have you Feast's new Seedling Grape? I think it desirable. Lancaster, Ohio, May 17, 1847.

Our correspondent will find a brief note in a future page from a friend in Montreal, in which he states that Mr. Fahnestock's description of the American White Winter Calville answers perfectly to the old White Calville, a variety well known in Canada.-Ed.

ART. IV. Some Account of the Beautiful New Shrub Spira`a prunifòlia, var. flore pleno, with a Drawing of the Same. COMMUNICATED BY M. LOUIS VAN HOUTTE, Belgium.

SOME time since, in our article on the Hydrangea japónica, (p. 122,) we announced the introduction of a new and elegant shrub, called the Spira a prunifòlia, with double flowers, which was another of the great acquisitions of Dr. Siebold, in his Japan Expedition. We now have the gratification, through the kindness of our correspondent, M. Van Houtte, the celebrated nurseryman of Ghent, in Belgium, to furnish a drawing of the same, which has been forwarded for this purpose, together with some account of this charming plant :

It is difficult to convey an impression of the beauty of this