39 



ENGLISH SIASDARnS. 



An}' attempt to stud}- the cider apples of England, or tal)le varieties 

 for that matter, is greatl}- complicated b}^ the endless maze of names 

 of similar orthography which have been given to apples. ))oth cider 

 and table varieties, and bv the fact that there is no reeoo-nized 

 authority on the nomenclature of orchard fruits in the entire countrv. 

 Every local connnunity appears to delight in applying names of its own 

 choosing to the fruits grown, and there seems to be no general dis- 

 position to reduce the nomenclature to a system under some comj)etent 

 authorit}', as for instance, a national committee on pomological nomen- 

 clature. Of recent writers on pomology in its broader sense, there 

 are very few, but the older works, as those of Knight. Marshall, 

 Evelyn, and others are classics of their time. 



The best modern treatment of the subject of pomology, in a some- 

 what limited sense, which was secured is The Apple and Pear as Vin- 

 tage Fruits, by Robert Hogg, LL. D., and Henry Graves Bull, M. D., 

 a charmingly prepared general dissertation upon the subject of cider 

 and perry making, with critical notes and cuts showing many varieties 

 of cider fruits. In the way of recent litei-atiire, the Bath and West 

 Society deserves great praise for the efforts it is making to develop a 

 reliable literature on modern cider making. In fact, it is putting forth 

 an effort to arouse the popular interest so necessarv to the future 

 progress in pomology as an art. and more specilically as it relates to 

 cider making as an important industry. 



However, in this literature it does not appear that a successful 

 attempt has been made to establish a standard toward which the grow- 

 ers of cider fruits should direct their attention. The nearest approach 

 to a standard as to quality of cider fruits which was found in the 

 works mentioned is in tlu^ report of the committee of the AA'oolhope 

 Clul), which visited the congress of the pomological societies of France, 

 at Rouen, in October. ISS-t. ^^'hen this conunittee determined to 

 select a set of French varieties of apples for introduction into Here 

 fordshire thev laid down the following rules:" 



(1) The fruit must possess the very best quality of juice. 



(2) The trees must be hardy, vigorous, and fertile. 



(3) They must bloom at varying intervals. 



(4) The fruit must attain maturity in late autumn or winter. 



(5) The varieties must have obtained the highest reputation in the Norman 

 orchards. 



The fact that these gentlemen from Herefordshire recognized the 

 importance of securing some of the best Norman varieties of cider 

 apples for introduction into England indicates that some of the best 

 English growers are alive to the importance of producing fruit of 

 high qualit}' for the upbuilding of the cider industry. But such apples 

 are alreadv verv common in England. The oldest English writers tell 



« Hogg and Bull, Vintage Fruits, p. 88. 



