EDITOR'S PREFACE. 



THE repeated disappointments which have attended the cultivation of Foreign Fruits in this 

 country, render it daily more manifest that our chief reliance must be placed on those of native 

 origin. Though many of the trans-atlantic varieties possess undoubted merit, and richly de- 

 serve all the praise that has been bestowed on them, a still greater number are of inferior 

 quality, at least when fruited in this country. And of those that are of a high order of excel- 

 lence, some are shy bearers, and others are constitutionally too tender to withstand the great 

 and sudden vicissitudes of our variable climate. 



The design of the present work is to direct the attention of horticulturists more prominently 

 to our native fruits, and to give such a pomological description and colored drawing of them as 

 that they may be readily identified. Notwithstanding some of our indigenous kinds have been 

 long known and quite extensively cultivated in some parts of our country, yet they will be 

 introduced into the work, not only to place them on record, but to enable the pomologist, who 

 may not be familiar with them, to discriminate the genuine from the spurious? 



Many of our native fruits possess great excellence and not a few of them will successfully 

 compete with the most celebrated kinds from the eastern hemisphere. Among these we may 

 mention the Seckel, Dix, Pratt, and Columbia Pears the Newtown Pippin, Fall Pippin, Rhode 

 Island Greening, Esopus Spitzenberg, and Northern Spy Apples the Heath Cling, Druid Hill, 

 Crawford's Late, and Susquehanna Peaches Lawrence's Favorite, Washington, General Hand, 

 Columbia, and Jefferson Plums Wendell's Mottled Bigarreau, Downer's Late, Coe's Transparent, 

 and Dr. Kirtland's New Cherries Hovey's Seedling, and Burr's New Pine Strawberries, etc. etc. 



Most of our fine domestic fruits are accidental seedlings. Valuable varieties have also been 

 obtained by planting the seed of the best known kinds. But when artificial fertilization, during 

 inflorescence, is resorted to, and the parents selected with judgment, a successful result is 

 just as certain as that attending the similar course pursued in raising fine animals. 



Being confined exclusively to Fruits of native origin, the American Pomologist cannot be 

 viewed as a rival of the valuable pomological works, with colored plates, already in progress. 

 Most sincerely wishing them every success, we desire only to co-operate with them in dissemi- 

 nating pomological information, and in promoting and encouraging a taste for this useful, in- 

 teresting and fascinating science. 



In conclusion, the Editor will embrace this opportunity to state, that he is in no way con- 

 nected with the profits and emoluments of the present undertaking. Believing the Publisher 

 to be a worthy man, as well as an accomplished artist, the undersigned desires most cordially 

 to promote the enterprise; and with this view his editorial services are rendered without any 

 remuneration whatever. The propriety of addressing directly to the Publisher all communi- 

 cations in relation to the work will therefore be apparent. 



W. D. BRINCKLE, M. D. 



PHILADELPHIA, JULY, 1851. 



