368 AMERICAN POMOLOGT. 



by this author, will ever be satisfied with a fruit-book that 

 is not arranged upon the basis of some classification. 

 Thomas, in his excellent work, makes three great divisions 

 of apples according to their period of ripening, as the 

 Summer, Autumn, and Winter fruits, to which some of 

 us would desire to add Spring, or long-keepers. Each of 

 these he has divided into two classes — ^those characterized 

 by their flavor as sweet apples, and those possessed of 

 more or less acidity ; and each of these classes is subdi- 

 vided into two sections, accoi-ding to their color, as striped 

 with red and not striped ; so that in this arrangement we 

 have eighteen groups, and, with specimen in hand, this 

 synopsis enables us at once to decide in which of these 

 groups of moderate dimensions we may look for the de- 

 scription we desire ; and, if it be contained in the book, 

 it may readily be found. The labor of searching through 

 the whole list is thus obviated. 



The Germans have made many attempts at the classifi- 

 cation of fruits. Christ, Diel, Dochnal, Manger and 

 Sickler, have been engaged in this work ; and Diel's Sy- 

 nopsis, though far from perfect, has been generally adopt- 

 ed. He makes seven classes, with orders under each. 

 Dochnal, a later writer, has modified this by making two 

 sections according to the shape, whether angular or spher 

 rical, and four classes also based upon their form. 



Robert Hogg, in his British Pomology, w?iich is an ex- 

 cellent account of the apples cultivated in England, has 

 given a modification which answers a good purpose for 

 classification. He makes three great sections, according 

 to season. Summer, Autumn, and Winter. Each of these 

 is divided into two classes, according to shape: Ist, 



