PREFATORY REMARKS. 



To the Horticultural Society of London, the botanical 

 world, and more especially the lovers and cultivators of good 

 fruit, are largely indebted. 



With an unbounded zeal, and at an expense almost unli- 

 mited, they have procured from all parts of the world every 

 variety of fruit that Health or influence could obtain. These 

 have been planted in the Society's garden, and with praise- 

 worthy liberality, grafts, cuttings, and in many instances spe* 

 cimen trees have been gratuitously distributed to nursery- 

 men and other cultivators. 



The catalogue published by the Society in the year 1826, 

 is evidence of the zeal and industry with which their labours 

 had been prosecuted. It contains of Apples, 1205 names ; 

 of Pears, 622 ; Plums, 298 ; Peaches, 224 ; Apricots, 54; 

 Cherries, 2^6; Nectarines, 72 ; Grape Vines, 157; with 

 more than half as many names, which were even then con- 

 sidered as synonymes or mere duplicates of the same va- 

 riety, together with (we quote from the advertisement to 

 the catalogue,) "nearly 1000 more of less certain authority, 

 all of which were actually under a state of cultivation in the 

 garden of the Society." 



It was manifest from the very appearance of this list, that 

 it was altogether too large, that a great proportion of the 

 names admitted into the text were mere synonymes, and that 

 a number were fruit of no value whatever. Indeed this was 

 well known to the compilers of the catalogue, who intimated 

 that when all the fruits came into bearing, the good would 

 be selected from the poorer sorts, and something like order 

 be restored. Were not this to be the case, vain had been 

 the labours of the Society, and their catalogue a chaotic 

 mass worse than useless, tending only to mislead, perplex, 

 and bewilder. 



To exemplify: Suppose from a catalogue of Pears, the 

 following names should be selected by a person wishing a 

 variety, viz: Brown Bern-re*, Beurre Gris, Beurre Rouge, 



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