PREFACE 



TO 



THE THIRD VOLUME 



THIS Work was originally commenced by two 

 Officers of the Horticultural Society, in the 

 hope of protecting the public, by means of 

 accurate figures and descriptions, from the evil 

 of making injudicious selections of Fruit-trees 

 when planting Gardens ; and of enabling pur- 

 chasers to judge, when their trees arrived at 

 a bearing state, whether the varieties that had 

 been sold them were genuine or not. It was 

 also anticipated that, during its progress, some 

 advance might be made towards settling the 

 confused nomenclature of at least the more 

 valuable Fruits in cultivation. It is hoped that 

 all these objects have hitherto been effected 

 in no inconsiderable degree, and that a conti- 

 nuation of the Work, upon its present plan, 

 would, in the end, have been of much perma- 

 nent service. 



Various causes have, however, induced that 

 one of the Editors, upon whom at all times the 



