Because an Apple is very large it does not follow that it is also very good; therefore great size alone should not be made the criterion of merit. As regards Pears, in deciding between competing varieties we ought to take into consideration all their merits and demerits, and not found our decision upon a single property. According to this rule, then, the Seckel cannot be considered a better Pear than the Beurre Diel or the Duchess d'Angouleme. Judging by flavour only, the Seckel certainly stands first, but there are other points to be looked at, and of these size is of some importance, especially when the difference between the competitor is so great that a well grown fruit of one would cut up into half a dozen respectable specimens of the other. Then, again, we should look at their respective periods of ripening. The Seckel comes into use at the same season as several superior sorts - the Jersey Louise Bonne, for instance - while the Duchesse d'Angouleme usefully succeeds the Marie Louise, and the Beurre Diel ripens still later, when Pears are much less plentiful.

Besides the latter is a really good Pear when grown on standard trees and in a soil that suits it.