124 . NINTH REPORT. 



mixed up, fruit and leaves from one tree and flowers fro'm another. We 

 must start aneAv, have type specimens and type trees to refer to. Fruit, 

 leaf and power specimens must come from tlie same tree. A mistake in this 

 matter cannot be tolerated. Tf there is any doubt at all about where the tree 

 material comes from, by all means throw it away. Burn it up. The best 

 time, in my judgment, to select trees for study is in Sei)tember, when the 

 the greatest and most essential differences in fruit and leaves can easil}' be 

 seen. Pick out healthy and vigorous trees. Use a field book for notes 

 and do not try to get along without one. Have a regular Crata?gus.book in 

 which all trees are paged and numbered, written up in ink, and into which 

 all field notes are to be finally copied as time will pei;init. Number and lo- 

 cate every tree selected for observation as carefully as possible, remember- 

 ing that the general appearance of a locality differs very materially in Sep- 

 tember and May. Do not rely altogether on tags tied or tacked to the tree, 

 as they are easily lost and there may be great uncertainty. The first vandal 

 of a boy that spies a tag promptly tears it off, and wants to know what fool- 

 ish fellow has been acting like that. Wind and weather easily destroy 

 them. Carry a small can of good red paint with a prush and put the num- 

 bers on in several places. Also with a jack-knife or pocket ax scrape or cut 

 off the rough or outside bark on the north side -/and mark the mmiber 

 on with a lead pencil. BetAveen the two methods not a tree will 

 be lost. This must be kept up every year in many instances. Be as 

 careful as possible in selecting trees that are not liable to be cut down. Note 

 particularly color, flavor and size of fruit, that is, the thorn apples, so called, 

 height of tree, form of top, diameter of body one or more feet from ground, 

 compound spines, whether spines on branches are very rare, few or plentiful, 

 whether bark is smooth, or rough and flakey, kind of ground in which tree 

 grows, whether trees are alone, in clumps, branched at or near the base, or 

 a number of them from the same root. Those who are skilled in drawing 

 will certainly not forget to transfer to their Crata?gus book the form and 

 exact dimensions of the largest and medium sized apples and spines. Many 

 will find much more to record than is mentioned here. Such a Crataegus 

 book with even rude maps locating the trees may be used by others to ex- 

 amine type trees long after we have passed away. My Crataegus book will 

 be deposited in the Carnegie public library at Port Huron. It is well to re- 

 member that without doubt, the genus, Crataegus, will sometime hereafter 

 be critically reviewed by botanists. 



In collecting fruit and leaf specimens make careful selections, branches 

 if })Ossil)le 10 or more inches long. Do not press hard enough at first to 

 crush the fruit. Press rather light at first, harder afterward. With care- 

 ful maniiDulation one will be surprised at the way in which large fruited 

 specimens, with mmierous twigs and spines, can be pressed into shape. 

 Watch carefully the early-fruited thorns. The fruit specimens of most 

 Molles and a few others should be collected, at least in my locality, not much 

 later than from the first to the fifth of September. If later the apples will 

 fall off. Collect fruit specimens of other groups from the tenth to the thir- 

 tieth of September, according to the condition of the fruit. Some may be 

 collected at any time afterward before a killing frost. If fine specimens are 

 desired change driers at least once in 24 huours for three consecutive days 

 and use plenty of driers. 



In my locality the early-flowering thorns, particularly the Molles, begin 

 to bloom on or shortly after the tenth of May, on Walpole Island, Lambton 

 Co., Ontario, and near Algonac, St. Clair Co., Michigan. Near the city of 



