80 DEPARTMENTAL REPORTS. 



correspondence, administration, and laboratory, including the exami- 

 nation, identification, description, illustration, and modeling of fruits 

 for record, as well as the preparation of the varietal index of fruit 

 varieties. The second group, which is designated under the subhead 

 " Pomological field investigations," includes the subjects of fruit mar- 

 keting and storage, viticultural investigations, and fruit district 

 investigations. The work of the first group is directed by the Pomolo- 

 gist in person ; that of the second by the Pomologist in charge of field 

 investigations, Mr. William A. Taylor. The following outline of the 

 work of this office has been submitted by the Pomologist : 



ROUTINE WORK. 



The general routine work of this office has been heavier than in any 

 previous year, and has yielded important and interesting results. The 

 personal correspondence with individuals in relation to pomological 

 topics sliows a material increase, notwithstanding the fact that a large 

 proportion of ordinary correspondence is accomplished through the 

 agency of circulars. More than 13,000 letters have been written dur- 

 ing the year. The receipts of specimens were considerably heavier 

 than in any previous year, and represented 48 different States, Terri- 

 tories, and dependencies, as well as 12 foreign countries. A large 

 proportion of tlie fruits received was sent by the growers for identifi- 

 cation, and of these it is gratifying to state that fully 75 per cent were 

 satisfactorily named for the senders. 



In cooperation with the office of Seed and Plant Introduction, seeds, 

 scions, or vines of a large numl)er of fruit varieties from foreign coun- 

 tries have been distributed to private experimenters and experiment 

 stations in different parts of the country. The more important fruits 

 distributed through the agency of this office have been as follows: 

 Apple, 350 varieties; grape, 75 varieties; pecan, 19 varieties. A 

 cooperative test of the relative adaptability of Mazzard and Mahaleb 

 stocks for the cherry in the South has been started, the plantings being 

 located in Virginia, West Virginia, and Tennessee. In a few instances 

 material of this sort has been purchased for distribution, though by 

 far the larger portion of the material distributed has been donated by 

 generous originators or fruit growers wlio desire to have their prom- 

 ising varieties tested in other sections than their own. In coopera- 

 tion with the Horticulturist of the Bureau, about 400 varieties of the 

 apple have been root grafted as a nucleus for an orchard of standard 

 varieties on the newly acquired Arlington Farm. Work along this 

 line will be continued and increased during the coming year. 



In the regular routine work of the office more than 700 fruits have 

 been described, nearly 400 have been painted, somewhat over 300 

 models have been added to the collection, and about 1,300 herbarium 

 specimens have been added to the varietal herbarium during the year. 



The work has been continued on the varietal index, with special 

 reference to completing the catalogue of the apple at the earliest pos- 

 sible date. This is res:arded as our most important economic fruit, 

 and the one in which the greatest confusion as to names exists among 

 growers. An additional feature of this index is being developed in 

 the way of an historical index, in which are recorded as many of the 

 authentic historical facts relating to fruit varieties as can be located 

 in literature or through correspondence. The usefulness of this fea- 

 ture has already been frequently demonstrated in the current work of 

 the office. 



