596 ANNUAL REPORT OF THE Off. Doc. 



This condition made it necessary that special attention be paid to 

 i he nomenclature and identification of fruits in the early years oi 

 the Department pomological work. In co-operation with the Amer- 

 ican Pomological Society, the State horticultural organizations, and 

 the horticulturists of the experiment stations, a fair degree of uni- 

 form"/ ' n the various names in formal catalogues and volumes has 

 been attained. A large number of public spirited fruit growers and 

 nurserymen throughout the country have generously aided in this 

 work, which is still in progress. 



In connection with this work, an invaluable collection of accurate 

 varietal descriptions, photographs, waiter color paintings and fac- 

 simile models and herbarium specimens has been accumulated which 

 constitutes an important feature of the working equipment of the 

 office. The continuous policy of those in charge has been to assem- 

 ble in this collection all varieties of fruits grown in North America, 

 so that workers interested in pomological questions may have access 

 to them for the prosecuting of their investigations. 



Necessarily the identification of varieties from specimens sent by 

 growers and others has become an important feature of the work, 

 the receipts for this and allied purposes having averaged nearly 

 3,000 lots of fruit per annum during the past five years. Such work 

 is recognized as having a distinct and immediate value to fruit 

 growers as well as a definite bearing on systematic pomological 

 work, so that growers are, upon application, furnished with mailing 

 packages and franks with which to forward specimens for this pur- 

 pose. 



Publications on particular fruits embodying the results of these in- 

 vestigations are in preparation. One, "The Nomenclature of the 

 Apple" (Bulletin 56 of the Bureau of Plant Industry), was issued in 

 1905. This comprises the known varieties of this fruit referred to 

 in American publications between 1804 and 1904, the first century of 

 American pomology, and includes some 15,000 apple names and 

 synonyms, with tabular descriptions and references to places of 

 origin and first publication so far as determined. 



Actual and supposed new varieties, whether yet introduced or 

 not, are received in large numbers from originators and nurserymen 

 for opinion as to their exact identity and their relative value in 

 contrast with sorts already known, also for suggestions of suitable 

 names not previously used. 



Such work as this, in addition to a large volume of correspondence 

 upon matters relating to various phases of the fruit* industry both 

 systematic and economic, makes up the distinctive office of indoor 

 work in pomological investigations. 



FIELD INVESTIGATIONS. 



Since 1901, the distinctive field problems in pomology, most of 

 which are of direct economic importance, have been separately 

 grouped for convenience in administration. These comprise those 

 lines which embrace experimental studies of problems connected 

 with fruit marketing, transportation and storage, viticultural in- 

 vestigations, fruit district investigations, and a number of miscel- 

 laneous field problems. 



Under the general head of fruit marketing, a systematic experi- 

 mental study of the various questions involved in that subject is 



