THE XOMEXCLATURE OF FRUITS. 167 



BUSINESS MEETING. 



Saturday, March 14, 1885. 

 An adjourned meeting of the Societ}' was holden at 11 o'clock, 

 the President, John B. Moore, in the chair. 



The Secretary read a letter from Mrs. Martha F. Winship, 

 acknowledging the receipt of the resolutions passed by the Society 

 in memory of her husband, the late Francis Lyman Winship, with 

 the thanks of herself and her children therefor. 



Adjourned to Saturda}', March 21. 



MEETING FOR DISCUSSION. 



The following paper was read by the Secretary : — 



The Nomenclature of Fruits. 



By Hon. Marshall P. Wilder, Dorchester. 



3fr. President: — I deeph* regret that my health will not permit 

 me to be present and take part in the discussions of today. The 

 subject of this paper has claimed m}' attention for many years ; and 

 as president of the first great leading pomological society in the 

 world I felt it my duty, in conjunction with a special committee 

 of that society, to incorporate in ms' last address my views on the 

 importance of the subject. These have been communicated to 

 the principal horticultural and pomological societies of our own 

 and other lands, and have been accepted and approved of as a 

 necessary reform in the nomenclature of fruits. The Massachu- 

 setts Horticultural Society has joined most heartily in this reform, 

 and I hope will continue to progress in it. 



It is surprising that this work has not been entered upon before. 

 By some it has been considered as too aggressive ; but all reforms 

 are necessarih' aggressive, and, as shown bj' experience, must be 

 gradual in their progress.. All agree, however, that long, super- 

 fluous, inappropriate, indelicate, ostentatious, and nnraeaning 

 titles should no more be applied to our fruits. We may not be 

 able to correct all the errors of the past, but we may prevent the 

 repetition of them in the future. Hundreds of varieties once known 

 in our catalogues have become obsolete for want of good proper- 



