1885-] 



AND HORTICULTURIST. 



317J 



ration of inferior sorts, and thus educated the 

 taste of the public for those of better quahty, so 

 that kinds once common in our markets have 

 become obsolete, and are now considered unworthy 

 of propagation. In doing this portion of its work 

 it has discarded by general consent more than six 

 hundred varieties, either worthless or superseded 

 by better sorts. 



It has established a uniform system of rules, by 

 which fruits are to be shown and judged. But, 

 what is of the highest importance, it has instituted 

 a much needed reform in the nomenclature of 

 fruits, by which all long, unpronounceable, indeli- 

 cate, inappropriate, and superfluous words are to 

 be suppressed in the dedication of our fruits. 



One of the grandest achievements of the Society 

 is its Catalogue of Fruits, published biennially, 

 with isothermal divisions and columns for fifty 

 States, Territories, and districts, in which are 

 recorded the fruits which may successfully be 

 grown in those divisions, with stars to designate 

 the merits and seasons of each. This is a work 

 of great merit, and not attempted by any other 

 society. And here let me say, that we should 

 never forget how large a debt of gratitude we owe 

 to Mr. P. Barry, as Chairman of the General Fruit 

 Committee, for its compilation and classification. 

 He has performed this duty for a long course of 

 years ; and fortunate indeed is it that we have, as 

 his successor, his son, Mr. W. C. Barry, who has 

 been so well educated for this duty. 



Few things in the history and progress of Amer- 

 ican Pomology have been more effective in the 

 past and more promising of valuable results in 

 the future than our system of State Reports. 

 They embrace correct information from trust- 

 worthy persons, having special reference to the 

 varieties most successfully grown ; new kinds 

 worthy of special notice ; the chief obstacles to 

 successful fruit culture in each district ; and cor- 

 rect information in regard to the extent and pro- 

 gress of fruit culture in each section of our 

 country, and are published under the supervision 

 of the chairman of the General Fruit Committee 

 of our Society, and contain a vast fund of infor- 

 mation not elsewhere to be found. 



These reports constitute a mine of pomological 

 wealth, and contain not only all the modifications 

 and changes which may have been made in col- 

 lecting information concerning the culture of 

 fruits, but also in the naming of them, and the 

 synonyms by which they are known ; the most 

 desirable varieties being designated in our cata- 

 logue by stars, according to their several merits. 



I cannot close my remarks on this subject with- 

 out expressing the very great interest I feel in 

 continuing this most important branch of our 

 researches through generations to come, so that 

 for all time we may have a system for the advance- 

 ment of pomology, which shall be worthy of our 

 nation and the great interests we represent. Had 

 it done nothing else, this alone would entitle our 

 Society to the universal approval which it now 

 receives, and the gratitude of the generations 

 which are to succeed us. 



Before the organization of the .Society, while 

 we had around us, an immense region ready for 

 the cultivation of the finest fruits, great confusion 

 prevailed in nomenclature, and the difference 

 between good and bad sorts was very dimly 

 appreciated. At that time, pomologists experi- 

 enced great difficulty in obtaining varieties true to 

 name ; and sometimes, after repeatedly procuring 

 fruits, and losing years in waiting for them to bear, 

 found themselves where they started. The Am- 

 erican Pomological Society has performed an 

 immense labor through its meetings and its com- 

 mittees, in correctmg this confusion, and it is 

 wonderful to contrast the early condition of pomo- 

 logy with its present mature state. Its future labor 

 will be continuous and of vital moment, in intro- 

 ducing new and valuable varieties; and what will 

 be of the greatest importance, maintaining an ac- 

 curate nomenclature. It will inform fruit-growers, 

 in every State and Territory, what fruits they are 

 to look to for successful culture. But most im- 

 portant of all, its business will be to give American 

 Pomology a high character as a science ; to prevent 

 the appearance of mere money-making and petty 

 attempts to impart undue prominence to new 

 favorites by laudatory names. The continued aim 

 of the Society will be to maintain a position of 

 dignity, integrity, and impartial usefulness. 



To record all the good the American Pomologi- 

 cal Society has accomplished would be equivalent 

 to writing the history of American Pomology 

 during the period of the Society's existence. Its 

 proceedings are not only a record of the events 

 of the time, but they clearly show that the Society 

 has been pre-eminently instrumental in shaping 

 and directing the pomological destinies of our 

 continent. It has organized and systematized 

 everything pertaining to fruit culture, and has 

 developed and elevated American Pomology. 

 The Fruit Catalogue is a grand and glorious 

 work, but far greater is the educational and refin- 

 ing influence which the Society exerts over its 

 members. No one — unless he be irredeemably 



