164 SYSTEMATIC POMOLOGY 



the Kieffer group are spoken of as hybrids, 

 or varieties are simply referred in so many 

 words to the Kieffer group. No further at- 

 tempt at classification is usually made. 



Still, the pears ought to be more carefully 

 classified, and doubtless some student of po- 

 mology will soon offer that service to his Amer- 

 ican brethren. In the meantime it will be 

 worth while to review one or two of the best 

 European classifications, to see what they 

 suggest along this line. 



What seem to be the most methodical clas- 

 sifications are given by Lucas, who provides 

 both a natural and an artificial arrangement, 

 with the expectation that the two shall be 

 used together. It will be seen on examina- 

 tion that neither one is so exact and satisfac- 

 tory as the same author's classification of 

 apples. The " natural " system, in particular, 

 comes back to an artificial basis at many 

 points. 



We will now take up the natural system 

 devised by Lucas for the classification of 

 pears.* The classes and characterizations are 



* Lucas, " Pomologische Tafeln." Stuttgart, 1869. Also, 

 " Einleitung in das Studium der Pomologie," p. 180. Stutt- 

 gart, 1877. 



