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Book Review. — The Evolution of our Na- 

 tive Fruits. L. H. Bailey. 472 pagen. 

 Pubs. MacMiiian Co., N.V. Price, $2.00. 



To me this is one of the most fascinating 

 sides of Horticultural investigation. The 

 development of our native fruits has been so 

 marvellously raging that men have forgotten 

 the fact of the establishment in less than a 

 century of an American pomology. Think of 

 the growth of the grape industry, raspberry 

 and strawberry culture, all due to the 

 origination of varieties suited to American 

 conditions, and almost wholly by the ameli- 

 oration of the native types of these fruits. 



Unfortunately the early history of fruit 

 growing is in most countries wrapped in more 

 or less obscurity. It has been the fashion in 

 the past that which political and social events 

 have been recorded with some precision and 

 accuracy, the introduction of important 

 agricultural and horticultural factors bearing 

 upon the happiness and welfare of the human 

 race have often being entirely overlooked 

 unrecorded, and their influence thus under- 

 estimated. 



Prof. Bailey has recorded in this volume 

 the primary and fundamental steps of .Ameri- 

 can Horticulture. He says that those motives 

 run through the book : " An attempt to ex- 

 pound the progress of evolution in objects 

 which are familiar and which have not yet 

 been greatly modified by man ; an effort to 

 make a simple historical record from unex- 

 plored fields ; a desire to suggest the treas- 

 ures of experience and narrative which are a 

 part of the development of agriculture and 

 from which the explorer must one day bring 

 material for history and inspiration for 

 story." 



The discussion is divided into nine cap- 

 tions : 



1. The rise of the American grape. 



2. The strange history of the mulberries. 



3. The evolution of American plums and 

 cherries. 



4. The native apples. 



5. The origin of American raspberry grow- 

 ing. 



6. Evolution of blackberry and dewberry 

 culture. 



7. Various types of berry-like fruits, (in- 

 cluding gooseberries, currants, juneberries, 



etc). . , J. 



8. Various types of tree fruits, (including 

 persimmons, thorn apple and nut fruits). 



9. General remarks on the improvement of 

 our native fruits. 



Besides the historical value of the book, it 

 marks some important botanical discoveries. 

 The author says, "The prosecution of the 

 study has demanded the consultation of 

 original sources of information and has re- 

 quired much travel, including a visit to 

 European herbaria in which the types of 

 certain species of plants are deposited." 

 Here then we have an inkling of the scientific 

 value of this work. The botanical nomencla- 

 ture of each of the groups of native fruits has 

 been thoroughly examined and errors 

 synonomy and identity 



possible. As an example he found that the 

 botanical name commonly accepted as belong- 

 ing to our native blackberry Hidnis Vil/osus 

 was given by the botanist Alton to the com.- 

 mon dewberry ; on looking the whole matter 

 over it [transpired that the common high- 

 bush cranberry was at present without a 

 name to the scientific world. Thereupon 

 Prof. Bailey named it Nigrohaccun (black- 

 berries. A complete monograph of the wild 

 raspberries with there cultivated varieties is 

 given ; in the same way the botany of the 

 native grapes is worked over and brought up 

 to date. 1 regard the evolution of our native 

 fruits as Prof. Bailey's master-piece, although 

 scientific and philosophical it is full of 

 practical suggestions and the record of the 

 past should prove inspiration and guide to 

 our work in the future. Mechanically the 

 book|jis|'gotten up in excellent form, with 

 heavy, glossy paper, which records perfectly 

 the numerous half-tone engiavings, clea 

 type and high class binding. 



This volume now presented to the public 

 represents a study covering a period of ten or 

 more years. Prof. Bailey has evidently put 

 into it his best thought and effort, and the 

 result is such that it reflects the highest 

 credit upon our leading writer on American 

 Horticulture. J. C. 



of 



Book Review.— Bush-Fruits, by Fred. W.- 

 Card. Size 5x7 inches, pp. 537. Published 

 by MacMillan & Co., N. Y. Price, SI. 50. 



This is an attempt to monograph, in a hor- 

 ticultural fashion, the raspberries, black- 

 berries, dewberries, currants gooseberries and 

 other bush like fruits. In giving these plants 

 the name of bush -fruits, the author follows 

 an English custom, which seems appropriate 

 and more accurately descriptive than the 

 common American equivalent of " small 

 fruits " ; this latter, however, has a broader 

 application. 



'J'o describe the scope of the book is simply 

 to define *' a horticultural monograph." Does 

 a grower, amateur or commercial, wish to 

 know how to cultivate and market any class 

 of these fruits ? This volume will give him 

 the best practical information to be had. 

 Does he wish to learn the history of a new 

 variety ? A full account will be found here 

 and brought down to Sept. 30, 1898. The 

 enemies of bush- fruits are treated at length 

 in a practical way. The book is not without 

 interest to the botanist and mycologist, as 

 considerable space is given to the affinities of 

 wild species and their cultivated forms. The 

 fungus enemies are classified in the same way, 

 and will be of much value to the student and 

 investigator. The insect enemies are treated 

 in a like manner. The great value of the 

 book lies in its completeness. After reading 

 it and looking up the numerous references, 

 one may feel that the subject has been 

 thoroughly investigated. The book has been 

 edited by Prof. Bailey, and is the first of a 

 proposed series of monographs on the various 



liminated as far as * types of American fruit. 

 485 



J. C. 



