In the February number of the Horticulturist, a correspondent of the Leader mentions the extravagant price which was asked for some pears at Chevet's, in the Palais Royal, Paris. He says that Madame Chevet informed him that the price for the largest was only ,£25, or $125; quite modest. I think he must have been mistaken. On the 28th of November last, attracted by the fine display of fruit in the windows of Chevet, I stopped in and made many inquiries: there were very fine specimens of the Duchesse, of the Vicar, and many others which I did not recognize: those were selling at from one to two francs each. There was one specimen in the window, very showy and very large, weighing probably two pounds; this likely was the pear alluded to by your correspondent; the price was twenty-five francs, as I was told by the woman in attendance, and might have been misunderstood by him for twenty-five pounds; twenty-five francs was enough for it, at any rate. I gave one franc for a good specimen of the old Crassane, and found it a very good pear; at a restaurant, on another occasion, I gave a franc for two, rather smaller than the above.

Pears and apples were plenty in Paris; in the shop windows were some very fine specimens; there were a few apples at Chevet's of a golden color, large and ribbed, such as I never saw before. In the streets there was a great variety of inferior quality, trundled about in barrows or hand-carts, by women, which sold at from a few sous each to four or five francs a dozen.

A ride by the cars gave me a slight opportunity to see the environs of, Paris; there were many curious and picturesque cottages to be seen, some of them small, with little gardens filled with rock-work, piled together in a most grotesque manner, yes, in the most absurd manner, considering that the whole garden was often not thirty feet square. Arbors were often noticed, and vines and fruit trees were trained to the walls.

We saw many places where the grape was cultivated; they were planted in rows, perhaps two or three feet apart, and trained to slender sticks about four feet in height. Grapes were quite plenty in Paris, but I saw only one variety, - a light-colored and sweet grape, much resembling the Golden Chas-selas, and cost about one franc a pound. Some beautiful specimens of preserved fruits were seen in a shop in the Rue St. Honore; the apricots especially beautiful.

The grape vines are not always treated as above, for at Clermont I saw one clambering in a most luxuriant manner, - that would equal any of our own, - over an apple and an elm tree, entirely innocent of the pruning-knife.

Pear trees were very numerous about Paris, and with apple-trees were often noticed in the route to Calais; some cherries, plums, arid apricots, were seen near Versailles.

I don't know when I have been more pleased than with the little gardens of the old soldiers, at the Hotel des Invalides. Though not more than twelve by twenty feet, yet each one was enclosed by a low fence, had an arbor at one end, overrun by a grape vine, or some creeper, and in it was a seat with a small table, where the old veterans "made themselves comfortable." In the centre of most of the gardens was planted an apricot, cherry, or pear-tree, and in many of them a variety of roses or other plants, currants, gooseberries, etc.; some were very neatly kept, with narrow walks, edged with box, and were quite charming in appearance.

In London, pears were plenty, and apples also; in the shops, Duchesse and Vicars were most common, and were selling at three shillings and sixpence to four shillings a dozen - very fair specimens as to size and quality; large and smooth St. Germains were of the same price; in the streets less was asked, though they were smaller in size. The Vicars were raised in England, - many of them, - though the Duchesse and St. Germains came from France; the Vicars were much better in quality than any which I ever ate raised here; in fact I never ate so good raised in America; I have tasted better and larger Duchesses here, especially some raised by F. L. 0., of Staten Island.

At Windsor, I bought some Beurre Ranz, a variety which I never knew to do well here, but which was raised in that vicinity. I brought home one very large and fine specimen, which was juicy, melting, and of very good, though not very high flavor.

Many orchards of pear-trees were seen in England, especially about London; they were planted near together, and were trimmed up high, perhaps to allow of the cultivation of vegetables underneath.

It is difficult to persuade an Englishman that anything superior can be found out of England. "There are no apples in America equal to our apples," said a cockney on board ship," "and as for strawberries, why," - turning up the nose most contemptuously - "you don't pretend that you have any strawberries in America that are as good or as abundant as ours." Though he heard of something which was done every summer in the strawberry business in the vicinity of Cincinnati, I don't suppose it had much effect upon him. The very embodiment of selfishness, sometimes, is an Englishman. But I refrain.