ABOUT FRUITS, FLOWERS AND FARMING. 257 



American pomological writers, upon wh.ch Mr. D. has not 

 iiiutL-rially improved. 



The description of the tree is very meagre or totally neg- 

 lected. Nothing at att is said of it in cases out of the 174 

 apples numbered and described. The general shape of 

 the tree is given in but thirty-eight instances in the same 

 number. 



The color of the wood is, usually, noticed in the account 

 of pears ; but in the account of apples in not one case, we 

 should think, in ten. 



The peculiar growth of the young woody in a great 

 majority of cases, is not noticed ; but more frequently in 

 the pear than in the apple list. The least practised 

 observer knows how striking is this feature of the face of a 

 tree. We do not remember an instance where the buds 

 have .been employed as a characteristic. Are distinctive 

 marks so numerous that such a one as this can be spared ? 

 The shape, color, size, prominence, and shoulder of buds, 

 together with their interstitial spaces, form too remarkable 

 a portion of trees to be absolutely overlooked in a book 

 describing the "fruits and fruit-trees of America." 



Equally noticeable is the almost entire neglect of the 

 core and seed, as identifying marks. Once in a while, as in 

 the case of the Belle Fleur, the Roman Stem, the Spitzen- 

 berg, and the Pomme Royale, we are told, that the cores 

 are hollow. But neither among pears nor apples, is the core 

 or seed made to be of any importance. This is the more 

 remarkable as being a decided retrocession in the art of 

 description. Prince, wisely following continental authors, 

 is careful in his description of pears, to give, and with some 

 minuteness, the peculiarities of the seed. But Downing^ 

 injudiciously misled by, in this respect, the decidedly bad 

 example of British authors, has, almost without exception, 

 neglected this noble criterion. There is not another single 

 feature, either of fruit or fruit-trees, which we could not 

 spare better than the core and seed. Not only may varie- 



