250 SYSTEMATIC POMOLOGY 



i.e., ripe. For the first exercise they should 

 be of some standard variety well known to 

 all the students. Unusual varieties and speci- 

 mens which are off type should be left for 

 later exercises. Each student should have at 

 least five specimens if that is practicable. In 

 many instances, with small classes particularly, 

 it will be best to bring in the apples in a large 

 basket or box, or to spread a quantity of them 

 on a large laboratory table, allowing each 

 student access to the entire pile. If the in- 

 structor thinks best, he can then assign one 

 single fruit to each student for the final writ- 

 ing of the description ; but in general it is 

 recommended to make descriptions only from 

 a number of specimens. This exercise may 

 be repeated as often as the instructor thinks 

 best, offering the student at each exercise 

 some new variety. All these descriptions 

 should be made with the greatest possible 

 care. Each description should be minutely 

 criticized, the choice of every adjective and 

 adverb being specially scrutinized. The 

 selection of happy descriptive terms is largely 

 the result of experience and training, and in 

 this the teacher has a large opportunity to 

 help It is doubtless best to require that the 



