Just why some pears are astringent in some localities and not in others, has never been carefully developed, that we know of. Under the head of Glout Morceau, Downing says: "sometimes astringent in heavy soils." Notwithstanding the great weight attached to any opinion by Mr. Downing, we have had some reserve in accepting this, that soil had much to do with the astringency. Recently we received some remarkably fine specimens of this variety from a correspondent at Allentown, Pa., but which had the slight astringency referred to. We wrote to enquire the circumstances. Our correspondent says: "The soil in which the Glout Morceau pear tree is growing is a yellow stiff clay".

This certainly confirms Mr. Downing's opinion. While we are on the topic, it would be well to receive notes from any one who has astringent pears, of either this or other varieties, so that we may have some conclusive evidence from a num. of cases, and perhaps definitely settle the relation of soil to astringency.