244 SYSTEMATIC POMOLOGY 



learned already in the chemistry class ; it 

 may have had some other application in the 

 agriculture or zoology class. But the fact that 

 the horticultural explanation falls into touch 

 with something already known, tends very 

 much to strengthen the student's command 

 of the subject and his confidence in it. 



This is why the student should see, ^ r hen 

 he is making descriptions of fruits, when he 

 is studying their nomenclature, and when he 

 is practicing their classification, that he is at 

 work upon a subject as broad as the whole of 

 science. Everything he does has its imme- 

 diate and direct application in zoology and in 

 botany, and sometimes also in geology, min- 

 eralogy, and the related sciences. 



The teacher will probably find it best in 

 most cases in the administration of a course 

 in systematic pomology to follow the labora- 

 tory method. This means simply that the 

 subject should be taught objectively. The 

 students should handle the fruits just as much 

 as possible. They should become thoroughly 

 familiar with them from every point of view. 



In the descriptive work this is as easy as it 

 is obvious. One variety after another can be 



