PREFACE. 



The word Pomology is practically synonymous with fruit-grow- 

 ing in its broad sense as given in Part I. But Systematic I'onHilogy, 

 as now used, is confined to the classification and description of fruits, 

 and b}' usage it also includes the nuts. 



In the past hundreds of varieties have been described which are 

 not at this time known to our nursery lists or to those recommended 

 by the widely distributed State and District Horticultural Societies. 

 Charles Downing said in 1869: "If it were only necessary for me to 

 present for the acceptance of my readers a choice garland of fruits 

 comprising the few sorts that I esteem of the most priceless \-alue, 

 the space and time occupied would be very brief." 



In our day the District, State, and National Horticultvual Socie- 

 ties, together with growers and propagators, have been sitting the 

 old lists and now present for about every section and horticultural 

 district "the few sorts of most priceless value." Hence the ])lan 

 of this work is to include only the varieties recommended at this 

 time by societies and growers, including those of special value locally 

 — so far as kno^^-n — and those on the trial lists of the horticulturists 

 of the Nortli'\\'est and of the nortliern limits of successful fruit-gro-\\-ing. 

 For the benefit of amateurs and beginners the relative hardiness 

 of varieties will be given with their adaptation — so far as kno"\\-n — 

 to given soils, exposures, and altitudes. The names of fruits will 

 be made to conform mainly to the code of the American Horticultural 

 Society, but the popular name and the sjmonyms will follow. 



Fruit lists and the classification and description of varieties are 

 used principally for reference in time of need in selecting varieties for 

 planting, and for determining the correctness of their names when 



iii 



