GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS 25 



records of events. Anyone who is accus- 

 tomed to use such books as Downing's " Fruits 

 and Fruit Trees of America," Dr. Warder's 

 " American Pomology," or Thomas' " Fruit 

 Culturist," has certainly learned that the fig- 

 ures of fruits therein given are often more 

 useful than the descriptive text. 



In making descriptions, therefore, the value 

 of a good figure should be duly recognized. 

 No description can fairly be allowed to be 

 complete without some sort of drawing or 

 photograph of the fruit in question. 



A good pen or pencil drawing of the fruit 

 is excellent for record, but it is difficult to 

 make. Only a few persons, usually such as 

 have had some training in drawing, can draw 

 such sketches with sufficient lifelikeness to 

 make them very serviceable. 



The outline of a fruit may be taken much 

 more easily, and this is the method adopted 

 by the ordinary man whose fingers are all 

 thumbs and whose thumbs are all stiff and 

 sore. Such a fruit as an apple can be readily 

 cut in half and laid upon a sheet of paper. Its 

 outline is then traced with a pencil, and the 

 tracing may be subsequently reinforced with 

 ink. Plums, peaches, and softer fruits must 



