Mr. Cay wood complains that a pear which grew on a neighbor's farm, and which with that owner's knowledge and tacit consent he named Comet, has been distributed by another firm as the Lawson.

This pear, referred to in the May number of Gardeners' Monthly, was introduced as a new pear, which it is not, but is a very old variety, believed to be more than 100 years old. The original tree is still standing on the estate formerly belonging to John Lawson the elder, descended to his children and grandchildren, who now own and occupy the premises, have several orchards in bearing, and have marketed 150 crates of pears a season, and to whose generosity the person who applied the name of Comet to this pear is indebted for grafts.

When we purchased the exclusive privilege of propagating and selling them to others, being the first sale ever made of this variety, a clause was mserted in the contract that it should be "under the true name of Lawson pear." So that if our firm is the one alluded to as distributing the pear "as the Lawson," we reply that we are under obligations to do so. Those were the terms of our purchase. We have no right to do otherwise. It was agreed in the contract in writing, signed by all the parties, that it should be propagated and distributed as the Lawson pear. The children and grandchildren of said John Lawson the elder were not willing that the name of their revered father and grandfather, who had purchased the premises (their old homestead) on which the original tree was then in full bearing, more than fifty years ago, should now be discarded by a propagator and a new name given, and sold as a new variety. We enclose a copy of our contract, and will send a similar one, with the history of the original tree, to all persons who apply for it.

Parry P. O., New Jersey. [The object of our note was chiefly to note that there were two names given to the same pear by different firms; and the public had a right to know this, in order to be kept from buying the same tree twice over. As to the right of the question, there can be no question that the owners of the original tree have the right to name it. They say its name is Lawson, and Lawson it must be___Ed. G. M].