Annual Meeting at St. Joseph. 239 



what, but a lew centuries ago, was the comparative darkness of 

 almost vmiversal ignorance of nature's actual laws. 



But it would be outside of the purpose and the necessary 

 limits of this paper to follow, even in outlines, the course and 

 results of observation in the wide domains of scientific research. 

 Nay, even in the limited field of horticulture alone, it will be 

 necessary to carefully guard against such fullness of scope as would 

 too much extend the limits and consume the time to which I 

 should appropriately be confined. And I am" fully aware that 

 much of what I nlay have to leave unsaid herein will be fai- more 

 intructively referi'ed to by the intelligent members of this society, 

 m the after discussion. 



Unfortunately for the modern students of pomology, the past 

 course of its development, previous to the present century, is, for 

 the most part, an unwritten history. In ancient classic literature, 

 and also in that of medieval times, and onward to nearly the close 

 of the 18th century, we find occasional references to the subject ; 

 though but little, if any, real light is thereby thrown upon the 

 actual stages of its development. Doubtless the critical observa- 

 tions and the practical experiments of those earlier ages must have 

 been incoiceivably numerous ; and had the records thereof been 

 duly preserved they would have constituted most interesting 

 volumes of horticultural literature. This, however, must be left 

 largely to the imagination ; and while we must deeply reget the 

 loss of that which would have afforded us so much both of 

 scientific and antiquarian interest, we have abundant reason to 

 rejoice in the fullness of pomological science and literature 

 developed within our present century. 



Opening with the valuable, but rather unmethodized writings 

 of such men as Knight, Forsyth, and others, of England, and 

 Coxe, Fessenden and Prince, of the United States, in the first 

 quarter of our century ; and still later, largely enriched by those 

 eminent writers, Thomas, Kenrick, Manning and Barry, it was 

 reserved for the latter part of the second quarter of the century to 

 lift our favorite study from its previously unorganized condition 

 to the proud distinction of a highly developed science. When 

 the labors of the venerated A. J. Downing culminated in the 

 publication of his " Fruits and Fruit Treesof America," in 1845, a 

 broad scientific basis for horticultural study was at once recognized 

 by all intelligent pomologists. And guided by the great light of 

 that admirable production, a briliant constellation of stars suc- 

 cessively arose in the horticultural firmament, culminating in the 



