484 Appendix. 



characterizations, these attributes are omitted (having previously been 

 given in a general sentence), and only those features are mentioned 

 which distinguish any variety from the other nine. It follows that 

 when varieties are arranged alphabetically, only descriptions are of 

 value; but when they are arranged in some system of classification, 

 only characterizations are admissible. Descriptions are easy to make: 

 one writes down what he sees. Characterizations are difficult to 

 draw: one must make comparisons of many specimens, and he must 

 clearly perceive an ideal type. 



In making either descriptions or characterizations, the student 

 should consider the entire plant as well as the fruit itself. The habit 

 of growth, the bark and foliage, the flowers, often have characteristic 

 features in different varieties. Yet, since the fruit is the main con- 

 sideration, and since the enquirer can seldom have flowers and fruits 

 at the same time, and often has not even access to the plant, it must 

 follow that characters drawn from the fruit itself must form the 

 foundation of the characterization; and these should usually precede 

 other characters in the paragraph. Similarly, a system of classifica- 

 tion of the varieties of any fruit which gives great emphasis to char- 

 acters not drawn from the fruit itself, is fundamentally weak. It is 

 to be expected, therefore, for example, that the effort to classify 

 varieties of apples and pears by characters of the stamens and styles 

 will never come into popular use; but these characters are no doubt 

 of great value if they can be used as secondary features of descrip- 

 tions or characterizations. For studies of the characters of stamens 

 and styles in pomaceous fruits, see Beal's various writings. (Rep. 

 Mich. Pom. Soc. 1876, 17. Am. Pom. Soc. 1877; 1879, 27; 1881, 73.) 

 Of ideals of classification founded on the characters of the fruit, one 

 of the best discussions is to be found in Hogg's "Fruit Manual" 

 (English). The student should also consult Warder on "The Apple," 

 and Thomas' "American Fruit Culturist." 



Since each fruit demands a separate and usually distinct mode of 

 classification and characterization, the details of the subjects cannot 

 be considered here; but the following extracts will show what consti- 

 tutes a complete and good description in the mind of one careful stu- 

 dent (Real, Proc. 12th and 13th Ann. Meetings Soc. Prom. Agric. Sci., 

 1892, pp. 25, 28) : 



Crescent Strawberry. Plant rather large, not robust, soft pubes- 

 cent, of a light green color, very hardy and vigorous and exceedingly 

 productive; runners rather slender, bracts a little above the middle; 

 leaflets slightly involute-conduplicate, oval, coarsely serrate or rarely 



