50 STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



(American Pomological) society. The managers of that society, however, were 

 earlv forced to the conclusion that so greatly do varieties vary, even within 

 comparatively narrow limits, tliat there could be no reasonable ho})0 that they 

 would succeed in the framing of satisfactory lists to be recommended for gen- 

 eral cultivation throughout any considerable region of our common country. 

 That society, therefore, as early as 1858 or 18G0, appointed a committee 

 embracing several of the most eminent and noted pomologists of our country to 

 devise a i)lan of operations that should, as far as possible, avoid these difficul- 

 ties, at the same time providing, as far as practicable under the circumstances, 

 for the special requirements of the various localities. 



After two vears of labor over this difficult ])roblcm this committee submitted 

 H report in which they borrowed, in part, from the plan of the catalogue of the 

 London (England), Horticultural Society; and in part, perhaps, from other 

 sources, elaborating from the whole the plan of the present catalogue of the 

 American Pomological Society, — a catalogue that has now come to be recog- 

 nized and quoted as authority by the pomological writers, not of this country 

 only, but also of Europe. To the plan of this catalogue, therefore, we may 

 very naturally turn for hints by whicli to be guided in casting about for an im- 

 proved plan of o[)crations ; and we may feel the more confidence in doing so 

 from the significant circumstance that other and older organizations have 

 already led the way in this direction. 



In the catalogue under consideration the names of varieties are arranged in 

 alphabetical order at the left side of the left hand i)age. Immediately at the 

 right of the names are arranged seven columns, in whicli, by a very simple sys- 

 tem of abbreviations, are given descriptions of these fruits ; including size, 

 form, color, quality, uses, season, and })lace of origin. The remainder of the 

 two adjacent pages is devoted to a series of fifty vertical columns, — one to each 

 of the States and Territories, including the British Provinces. In these 

 columns the varieties recommended are indicated by a star in line opposite the 

 name, and if esteemed very valuable, by two stars. Varieties newly introduced 

 and considered j)romising are indicated by a dagger. From this explanation it 

 will be seen that the names of each fruit recommended from any one of these 

 localities appears in its regular alphabetical order in the column of varieties, 

 and that by tracing its parallel across the columns spoken of we find first its 

 description and farther on the stars which determine in which of the States it 

 is recommended for cultivation. The large number of localities represented 

 involves the employment of two pages for the purpose, and to facditate the 

 tracing of each, the varieties are numbered consecutively, upon the left margin 

 ■of each page. 



For the purjiose of illustrating the manner in which this general ])lan may 

 be adapted to the local requirements of the State of Michigan, we nuiy e.\})lain 

 that a serious difficulty in the framing of our lists, as they at present stand, 

 arises in part from tlie practical impossibility of meeting the wants of localities, 

 and in ])art, doubtless, from the mere lack of experience with certain sorts in 

 some localities. These circumstances would seem to point to the necessity of 

 dividing the State into districts, each of which may be allowed a column in the 

 manner already indicated. The smaller S])ace required would render it practica- 

 ble to provide for a more full and minute designation of the qualities or uses 

 of each variety, as well as of its measure of success and desirability in our 

 State; while, by devoting the two opposite consecutive pages to the purpose, 

 with a resort to numbering as heretofore described, abundant space may be had 



