REPORT ON ANNUAL STOCKS. 283 



REFERENCE COLLECTIONS OF FRUITS.— Pending 

 the organisation of the Local Fruit Committees, whose province 

 it would be to send collections of fruit for comparison and refer- 

 ence for the use of the Central Committee, it was thought that a 

 few special collections of the most esteemed varieties of Apples 

 and Pears from different parts of England might be advan- 

 tageously placed in the Fruit-room of the Society during the 

 autumn, for examination and comparison with the kinds grown in 

 the Garden ; and it was resolved : — 



XLVI.— REPORT ON ANNUAL STOCKS 



[FLOPvAL COMMITTEE.] 



A large number of varieties of this favourite flower {Matthiola 

 annua) was contributed for comparison at the garden by the 

 undermentioned seedsmen: — Messrs. Carteb & Co., Holbom; 

 Mr. W. Thompson, Ipswich; and Mr. C. Turner, Slough. 

 Those sent by Mr. Thompson being mixed varieties, though of 

 good quality, are not enumerated below. 



Notwithstanding the unfavourable season a very good bloom 

 was obtained. It was found, however, that so little fixity of nomen- 

 clature or even of classification had been hitherto attained, that a 

 detailed report would have been altogether useless; and the 



most usefully directed towards making an effort to remedy the 

 evils just referred to, by endeavouring to group the various forms 

 into definite sections. "The groups that have been adopted may, 

 it is hoped, be approved and employed by English growers; and 

 wiien the groups themselves have become generally recognised, it 

 may be found possible to apply fixed names to such individual 

 varieties as are of choice quality, in order to admit of their 

 being recognised and purchased with something like certainty. 

 This, at the present time, it must be considered as almost 

 hopeless to attempt to do. 



