358 Notes and Gleanings 



will be the task of the poraologist who in the next twelve or twenty-five years 

 shall attempt to do for the fruit-growers of that day what Mr. Downing has done 

 for those of our own ? But we hope that no one will attempt it : for the science 

 of pomology, if it is not now too wide to be comprised in a single volume, 

 certainly will be then ; and authors must be content to take up a single branch 

 as a specialty, as Field and Quinn have done with the pear, Warder with the 

 apple, Fuller with the small fruits, and Husmann, Mead, Strong, and others, with 

 the grape. 



Yet we by no means regret the appearance of a single comprehensive volume 

 like the present ; and to say that the work is done by Cliarles Downing, who 

 might justly have claimed to be not merely the reviser, but the author (though, 

 with characteristic modesty, he prefers to lay his laurels on his brother's grave), 

 is to say that it is done by one certainly as well qualified as any other of the few 

 pomologists who might without presumption have undertaken it, and done with 

 conscientious accuracy. That there should be no errors in it, is simply impossi- 

 ble ; and no one is more conscious of this, or more desirous to have them cor- 

 rected, than Mr. Downing : and, in glancing over the book, we notice, that, among 

 the pears, Esperine and Beurre Sprin (which are identical) are quoted as syno- 

 nymes of Ah Mon Dieu, though entirely distinct from it. Esperine is also cor- 

 rectly described ; but the synonyme Beurre Sprin is not given. Hampden's Ber- 

 gamot, received from the London Horticultural Society, proved quite distinct 

 from Belle et Bonne, with which it is here made identical. Collins and Malcon- 

 naitre, which are brought together, are quite distinct ; while Crawford and Lammas 

 are identical. And, oh ! Mr. Downing, how could you make Endicott a syno- 

 nyme of Summer Bon Chretien ? We know that Stuyvesant is — not Stuyversant, 

 though we were born in Yankee land, and this is a New- York book — but it does 

 not follow, that, because Governor Stuyvesant planted a Summer Bon Chretien, 

 Governor Endicott did. To be sure, he may have planted one ; but it has not 

 come down to us, and the tree which has is entirely distinct. If we recollect 

 rightly, the Borden's Early Apple proved identical with the Early Red Margaret ; 

 and we are quite sure that the Cann Apple and Seaver Sweet are one. We find 

 no mention of the Allen's Hybrid among the grapes. But we forbear : for the 

 task of pointing out these errors, though necessary, is not a grateful one ; and 

 we understand too well the difficulties mentioned in the preface, which make 

 perfect accuracy in such a book impossible. 



The arrangement adopted throughout the work is the simple alphabetical 

 one, which we think best adapted to a book which must be so largely used for 

 reference ; but, in removing the blackberries from the raspberries to complete 

 this arrangement, they should have had a chapter to themselves, instead of being 

 placed under the barberries. We regret that Mr. Downing has omitted the names, 

 given in former editions, of authors who had previously published descriptions 

 of fruits ; for one of the most important uses of a work of this encyclopedic 

 character, where the descriptions are necessarily brief, is to point out to the 

 reader where fuller information can be obtained. These brief descriptions, how- 

 ever, are well condensed ; and as much information as possible is given in a few 

 words, and of the more important varieties full accounts are given. We think 



