Marshall Pinkney Wilder. 185 



gan next year, and let Wisconsin come with her host of friends and 

 fruits. * * * I am mucli interested in the reports of Prof. Budd and 

 Mr. firibbs in regard to Ru.-'sian fruits, and from which we are to derive 

 much benefit, especially in the northern sections of our country. We have 

 in past time raised some excellent fruits of Russian origin, and among 

 which, besides her apples, the Black Tartarean Cherry, in quality diflficult 

 to surpass. But our great reliance for the ]iroduction of new fruits adap- 

 ted to the cold regions of the north must ever be from the seed, either by 

 natural or cross fertilization. 



About your "agricultural collfge," I Like what Mr. Curtis says (severe 

 criticism). In regard to Massachusetts, let me say that I protested against 

 its connection with Harvard College, even if we could have the Bessey 

 fund of |400,000, and I attribute its prosperity to the fact that it is estab- 

 lished upon an independent basis of its own. 



Again Mr. Wilder writes, August 18, 1885: Please stir up your pomolog- 



ists, that they and their good fruits may be on hand at Grand Rapids, and 



thus help on the benificent work of our grand old American Pomological 



Society. 



As ever, yours, 



MARSHALL P. WILDER. 

 To J. C. Plumb. 



PRESIDENT WILDER ON NEW FRUITS AND NAMES. 



The later years of Mr. Wilder's life were largely devoted 

 to two lines of improvement in our pomology. His Reform 

 in Nomenclature, which the American Society so cordially 

 adopted, and which has been also adopted in whole or in 

 part by many state and local societies, provided for the 

 adoption of simple names for all fruits, and rejecting all 

 high-sounding as well as vulgar titles. " No more Generals, 

 Captains, Presidents, Kings, Princes, ne-plus ultra, or Hog- 

 pen, Sheep-nose, Big Bob," etc., etc., and substitute Lucra- 

 tive for " Belle Lucrative," Nellis for Winter Nellis, etc. 

 As a busy man of business he saw that even his long life 

 was too short, and the subject too sacred to be burdened 

 with useless or debasing titles in the long lists of fruits. 



The second point on which he grew more and more en- 

 thusiastic was that of New Fruits, and on which we quote 

 from his last published address to his loved Society. 



" And now in fulfillment of my promises to urge upon you 

 while I live, the importance of producing from seed, new 

 varieties adapted to the various soils and climates of our 



