52 SYSTEMATIC POMOLOGY 



84. Kinds of fruits. — Fruits wliich develop from a single 

 pistil and consist only of the mature ovary, as a p:rape or cherry, 

 are simple. WIhmi a cluster of carjx'ls of tlic sauK; flower is 

 crowded into one fruit, as in the l)raml)les, it is said to be 

 a(/(/re(j(itr. When a fruit is composed of more than the ripened 

 ovary and its contents, as in the strawberry and apple, it is 

 arcrssory, spurivus, or a pscudocarp. When formed from several 

 flowers, as in the curious fruits of the mulberry and pineapple, 

 a fruit is loudiiple or collective. Besides this rather loose classi- 

 fication of fruits, they may be further divided into family or 

 sub-family tyj^es of Avhich the pome, drupe, and berry are of 

 interest to pomologists. 



The Pome 



A pome is a spurious fruit in which the true fruit is embedded 

 in the succulent receptacle. The carpels and the seeds within 

 them constitute the true fruit of the pome and form a hard 

 central portion, which because it is the heart, both as to position 

 and as the essential and vital part, is the core. The apple, pear, 

 and quince are the best-known pomes, closel}^ allied to which 

 are the medlar, hawthorn, juneberry, and mountain ash. Besides 

 the edible receptacle and the inedible core, other parts of a 

 pome are : the stems by which the fruit is attached to the tree ; 

 the calyx which persists in most but not all pome-fruits ; and the 

 withered stamens and styles, some of which are found on most 

 pomes. 



Of the several groups of fruits, pomes lead in importance as 

 foods. It is significant that pomology, the name accepted for 

 the science and practice of fruit-growing, is derived from pomus. 



85. Shapes of pomes. — The shape is usually the first external 

 character of pomes to be used in classification. It is fairly 

 constant in any one locality but varies considerably in difi'erent 

 regions. A New York Baldwin differs somewhat in shape from 

 one grown in Oregon, low^a, or Virginia. Shape is the best of 

 all characters for identification of pomes when the fruits are 

 not quite ready for use, as is very often the case ^\ith apples 

 and pears. Color and quality change materially after the fruits 

 come from the tree, but no pome alters in shape after it is ready 

 to be picked. 



