88 ROUEN CONGRESS REPORT. 



for the Table Fruits represented in the Work ; and a second was 

 also given by the Association Pomologique de L'Ouest for the 

 Vintage Fruits. 



A Gold Medal was also specially awarded to Dr. Hogg, for his 

 life-long work in Pomology. 



The receipt of these high honours, did not cause your 

 Committee to forget, that the chief objects of their visit to Rouen 

 were, first, to ascertain whether the Apples called " Norman " in 

 Herefordshire, were really Norman varieties ; and secondly, if they 

 were not so, to select a few of the most valuable varieties from the 

 Norman Orchards, to introduce into Herefordshire. 



Eighteen of the best so-called Norman Apples of Hereford- 

 shire, were placed together on the exhibition tables at Rouen. 

 Your Committee carefully compared them with the three thousand 

 plates of Vintage Fruits present : the attention also of the leading 

 exhibitors from Normandy and Brittany, was specially called to 

 them ; but, with one exception, they were quite different to all 

 others there, and were unknown to the Norman nurserymen and 

 growers. The exception was the " Foley Noimati" which local 

 tradition states to have been introduced into Herefordshire, by 

 Mr. Edward Thomas Foley, of Stoke Edith (c. 1810-20). This 

 Apple was the same as the Blanc Doux of the Rouen Catalogue, 

 but it is one that has not borne well the modern test of exact 

 analysis, and it has therefore lost much of its repute in the Norman 

 Orchards. 



Your Committee next proceeded to select a few of the best 

 real Norman varieties, to be introduced into Herefordshire. They 

 decided that the following characteristics were essentially necessary. 



I. — The fruit must possess the very best quality of juice. 



2. — The trees must be hardy, vigorous, and fertile. 



3. — They must blossom at varying intervals. 



4. — The fruit must attain maturity in late autumn or winter. 



And 5. — They must have obtained the highest repute in the 

 Norman Orchards. 



With the kind assistance of Monsieur A. Ilauchecorne (one of 



