106 



POMOLOGICAL REFORM. 



every variety of fruit which is spoken of, 

 either at home or abroad, as possessing su- 

 perior qualities ; for that is their legitimate 

 business. And so long as people continue 

 to estimate nurseries (as we suppose many 

 persons do,) by the size of their catalogues, 

 there will be no lack of long lists. Nurse- 

 rymen will retain old sorts, which they ad- 

 mit to be of little or no value, because other 

 nurserymen put them into their catalogues, 

 and because buyers order such sorts, which 

 they do, from real ignorance of their de- 

 merits. 



But if any one, who has at heart the be- 

 nefit of the whole community, will consider 

 for a moment, the loss of time, money, and 

 satisfaction which this state of things forces 

 upon the country at large, he will quickly 

 see the great importance, if the thing is pos- 

 sible, of endeavoring to winnow the wheat 

 from the chaff; in a few words, of puttino- 

 the public in possession of the experience 

 of those who really know what are the 

 good and valuable sorts, and what those 

 unworthy of cultivation. 



A man ignorant of fruit culture wishes 

 to plant an orchard. He goes to a nursery 

 and takes, of the varieties in general culti- 

 vation, the usual proportion of the sorts 

 grown by the nurseryman. After ten or 

 fifteen years, his orchard comes into bear- 

 ing, and he finds that not more than half 

 the varieties are precisely those which he 

 ought to have planted ; they are either of 

 inferior quality, indifl^erent bearers, or are 

 quite unprofitable cumberers of the ground. 

 Here are ten or fifteen years lost ; to say 

 nothing of the difference in value between 

 the indifferent and the superior fruit, and 

 the vexation of ascertaining that a little 

 knowledge at the outset, would have se- 

 cured perfectly satisfactory results, first 

 rate fruit, and profitable crops. 



It may be said that it is the business of | 



pomological writers to make known the 

 merits of varieties, and to guide public 

 opinion in this respect. This is quite true, 

 and, to a certain extent, they do effect this 

 object. But pomological writers are not 

 omniscient ; and there are many who dis- 

 trust the capacity of a pomologist, or a so- 

 ciety, in one section of the country, for pro- 

 nouncing upon the value of certain fruits 

 in another section. So, after all, beginners 

 are largely at the mercy of catalogues, and 

 orchards abounding with poor fruit are 

 planted, where orchards of the best fruit 

 only ought to grow. 



Our attention is drawn to this subj ect, at the 

 present moment, by an examination of the 

 circular for the national pomological conven- 

 tion, to be held in New-York this autumn, of 

 which a copy will be found in a subsequent 

 page. This convention will, no doubt, be at- 

 tended by persons from most of the northern 

 and western states at least ; and we observe 

 one distinct feature in its plan which appears 

 to us to be one of great importance. It is 

 to be composed not merely of fruit growers, 

 nurserymen, pomologists, and amateurs, of 

 experience, but of such persons of this class 

 as may be selected and sent as JcZeg-af'es to the 

 convention, from the dilTerent horticultural 

 societies in various parts of the country. 



Now, if the different horticultural socie- 

 ties would weigh well the importance of 

 this subject, and each send a delegation 

 composed of the ablest fruit growers and 

 fruit judges in their districts, it appears to 

 us that a convention would be formed 

 which would embody the best part of the po- 

 mological information in the country ; tha^ 

 such aconvention would be able, this season, 

 to make at least a commencement towards 

 clearing away some of the rubbish of po- 

 mology, that has actually and by general 

 consent been ascertained to be rubbish ; 

 and that, if thought advisable, its meetings 



