PREFACE. Vil 
trial. Some little thing which seems to the 
unskilled to be unimportant, may in fact be 
essential. 
It is pleasant to know that so many intelli- 
gent cultivators are now turning their attention 
to the production of these fine fruits, and we 
may reasonably expect much additional light 
will be thrown upon some points, which shall 
be included in subsequent editions of this 
work. | 
The writer is happy to acknowledge his 
obligations to a large number of cultivators of 
these fruits during the last few years, for valu- 
able suggestions which he has become so 
familiar with in practice, that doubtless even 
their precise language has been sometimes un- 
consciously woven into the text of this work. 
if it were possible, he would be more specific 
in his acknowledgments, for it is pleasant to 
speak of such authors as A. J. Downing, John 
J. Thomas, P. Barry, C. M. Hovey, and latterly 
