the Medlar; a genus of the pentagynia order, belonging to the icofandra clas of plants. There are seven species, viz:
1. The Germanica, German medlar, or common medlar, rises with a deformed tree-stem, branching irregularly 15 or 20 feet high; spear-shaped leaves, downy underneath; and large close-fitting, white flowers, singly from the sides of the branches; succeeded by large roundish brown fruit, the size of middling apples, which ripen in October, but are not eatable till beginning to decay. The varieties are, common great German medlar—smaller Nottingham medlar—pear-shaped Italian medlar. This species and varieties are all cultivated in the English gardens for the fruit: but the German or Dutch medlar, and the Nottingham kind, are the most common; and the latter of which two, though a smaller fruit, is rather preferable for richness and poignancy of flavour. These kinds of fruit are never eatable until they begin to rot; for when firm and sound, they are of a singularly austere disagreeable taste; yet having lain some time after being gathered, till they begin to assume a state of decay and become soft, they acquire a delicious flavour, extremely agreeable to many, though to others altogether unpalatable.
All the sorts ripen in the latter-end of October, or beginning of November; when being gathered, some should be laid in moist bran, in several layers, to forward their decay; others on straw in the fruiteries: those in the bran will begin to be ready for use in about a fortnight, and those laid on straw will come gradually forward in succession.
2. The arbutifolia, arbutus-leaved mespilus, hath a shrubby stem, branching erectly five or six feet high; lanceolate, crenated, alternate leaves, downy underneath; and from the sides and ends of the branches, small white flowers in clusters; succeeded by small, roundish, purple fruit, like limes.
3. The amelanchier, or shrubby medlar, with black fruit, rises with several shrubby, slender, hairy stems, branching... branching moderately about four feet high, having purplish branches; oval, serrated leaves, downy underneath; and small white flowers, in clusters at the ends of the branches; succeeded by small black fruit.
4. The chama-medillus, or dwarf medlar, commonly called bastard quince, hath a shrubby, slender, smooth stem, branching weakly four or five feet high, having purplish branches; oval, serrated, smooth leaves, on long foot-stalks; and from the axillae, purple flowers, collected into round heads, with narrow, purplish, deciduous bracteas; succeeded by small red fruit.
5. The cotoneaster, commonly called dwarf quince, rises with a shrubby, smooth stem, branching four or five feet high, the branches slender and reddish; oval entire leaves on short foot-stalks; and from the axillae, small close-fitting purple flowers, two or three together; succeeded by small, roundish, bright-red fruit.
6. The Canadensis, Canada snowy medlars, hath a shrubby, smooth stem, branching four or five feet high, with smooth, purplish branches; oval-oblong, serrated, smooth leaves, on long footstalks; and all the branches terminated by clusters of snow-white flowers; succeeded by small, purplish fruit, like haws.
3. The pyracantha, or ever-green thorn, rises with a shrubby, spinous stem, branching diffusely 12 or 14 feet high, the branches slender and flexible, with a dark-greenish bark, armed with long sharp spines; spear-shaped-oval, crenated, ever-green leaves; and all the shoots terminated by numerous clusters of whitish flowers; succeeded by large bunches of beautiful red berries, remaining all winter, and exhibiting a very ornamental appearance.
All these seven species of medillus are of the tree and shrub kind; the first six sorts are deciduous, the seventh an ever-green: the leaves are universally simple; those of the medillus Germanica very large, the others mostly of moderate size, and which in most of the sorts grow upon short foot-stalks. They all flower abundantly every summer, the flowers universally hermaphrodite, and consisting each of five large roundish petals, 20 stamens, and five styles. They are all very hardy, and succeed in any common soil and situation, and their propagation and culture is very easy.
The first sort and varieties are cultivated as fruit-trees, principally as standards, sometimes also as espaliers for variety. The other species are very proper furniture for any ornamental plantation, where they will make an agreeable variety with their different foliage; and their flowers make a fine appearance, as also their fruit in autumn and winter, which, if not devoured by birds, remain long on the branches, and afford a fine variety in those seasons. The pyracantha, being rather of flexible growth, is most commonly trained against walls or the fronts of houses, both for the support of its flexible branches, and that it may exhibit its berries more ornamentally.
When it is designed to have any of the common medlars as fruit-trees, they may be trained either as dwarfs, for dwarf standards, or as espaliers, or trained as half or full standards; and managed in either of those modes of training nearly as other fruit-trees, particularly the apple and pear; and are raised either by seed, by grafting, or by budding, but either of the two latter methods are the most certain for continuing the sorts without variation: observing, after shortening their first shoots from the graft or bud, where it shall seem necessary to force out a proper supply of wood to form a head, to train the branches afterwards principally at full length, and let the standards branch out in their own way.