762 



HORTICULTURE 



HORTICULTURE 



F^^-" '.'C 









1083. One ot the old Downing test apple trees. 



first etlition), in 4to having been sold in a little, more 

 than eight months." An American edition, b3^ William 

 Cobbett, appeared in New York and Philadelphia in 



1802, and in Albany in 1803, and an epitome of it by "an 

 American farmer," was published iu Philadelphia in 



1803. The first American pomological book was William 

 Coxe's"View of the Cultivation of Fruit Trees," pub- 

 lished in Philadelphia in 1817, a work known to students 

 of horticultural literature for the uniform completeness 

 and accuracy of its descriptions. A feature of this 

 excellent work are the many woodcuts of varieties of 

 fruits, Althouf^h not answering the requirements of the 

 present day, they were considered to be very good for 

 the time and for a new country. One of them is here 

 reproduced (Pig. 1082) to show the style of workman- 

 ship. Coxe had 100 woodcuts of apples. fi3 of pears, 15 

 of peaches, 17 of plums, 3 of apricots, 2 of nectarines. 

 This makes 200 engravings, which would be considered 

 liberal illustration even at the present day. 



James Thacher's "American Orehardist" appeared in 

 Boston in 1822, and the second edition at Plymouth in 

 1825. The first edition was also bound with William 

 Cobbett's "Cottage Economy," and the double volume 

 was issued in New York in 182-i as "American Orchardist 

 and Cottage Economy." "The Pomological Manual, "New 

 York, 18B1 (second edition 1832 1, is a compilation of 

 descriptions of varieties, by William Robert Prince and 

 William Prince, son and father respec- 

 tively. William Kenrick's "New Ameri- 

 can Orchardist " was published in Boston 

 in 1833. The eighth edition appeared in 

 1848. Like all early works, it devotes 

 most of its space to varieties. Robert 

 Manning, whose son of the same name 

 is the secretary of the Massachusetts 

 Horticultural Society, published his 

 admirable "Book of Fiiiits," at Salem, in 

 1838, being aided by John M. Ives. Upon 

 the death of Manning, Ives publislied a 

 second edition in 1844 under the title of 

 "The New England Fruit Book," and a 

 third inl847as"The New En-land En.,k 

 of Fruits." Downing's "Fruits and Fruit 

 Trees of America" appeared in 1845 in 

 two forms, duodecimo and octavo, al- 

 though both issues were printed from 

 the same type. One issue of the octavo 

 form contained colored idates. Thomas' 

 "Fruit Culturist," which isknown in siil)- 

 sequent editions as "The American Fruit 

 ('ulturist," appeared in 1846. Other 

 pomological writings which appeared 

 before 1850 are Sayrrs' "Annn-ican Fruit 

 <rarden Companion," Boston, 1839 ; 

 Hoffy's " Orchard ist's (.'ompanion," 

 Philadelphia, 1841; Brid/,a-man's "Fruit 

 ("lultivator's Manual," New York, 1845; 

 Floy's American edition of George Lind- 

 ley's "Guide to the Orchard and Fruit 



Garden," New York, 1S4(); Jaques' "Practical Treatise 

 on the Management of Fruit Trees," Worcester, 1849 ■ 

 Goodrich's "Northern Friiit Culturist," Burlington, Vt.' 

 1849 ; Cole's "American Fruit Book," and others! 

 Barry's "Fruit Garden" appeared in 1851. 



Of these pomological books, the first place should be 

 given to those of Coxe, Kenrick, Manning, Downing, 

 Thomas and Barry. The influence of Downing's "Fruits 

 and Fruit Trees of America" probably has been greater 

 than that of all others in extending a love of fruits and 

 a critical attitude towards varieties. Begun by Andrew 

 Jackson Downing— perhaps the fairest name in Ameri- 

 can horticultural literature — it was continued and re- 

 vised by the elder brother, Charles, after the untimely 

 death of the former (see Downing). Reminiscences of 

 the Downings are shown in Figs. 1083-1. Most of these 

 works were largely compilations. A notable exception 

 was Manning's "Book of Fruits." In the introductory 

 remarks to the volume is the following statement": 

 "There is one circumstance to which we venture to call 

 the attention of our readers— that while some recent 

 works on pomology are compiled from earlier authors, 

 or from information derived at second-hand, the writers 

 themselves seldom having the means of observation in 

 their power, we have in these pages described no speci- 

 men which we have not actually identified beyond a 

 reasonable doubt of its genuineness." It was Manning 

 who chiefly made known to Americans the pears of the 

 Belgian, Van Mons. He was one of the most careful 

 observers and conscientious writers amongst American 

 pomologists. 



The awakening pomology of the region west of the 

 Alleghanies found expression in Elliott's "Fruit Book," 

 1854, whose author wrote from Cleveland, and which 

 went to a new edition in 1859 as "The W'estern Fruit 

 Book." with the preface dated at St. Louis; and Hoop- 

 er's "Western Fruit Book," 1857, written at Cincinnati. 

 Dr. John A. Warder was a guiding spirit of the opening 

 W^^st. 



In America, no crop has been the subject of so much 

 book writing as the grape. Counting the various edi- 

 tions, no doubt a hundred books have appeared, being 

 the work-of at least fifty authors. Since the American 

 grape is a product of our own woods within a century, 

 the progress in grape-growing has always been ahead 

 of the books. Most of the books are founded largely on 

 European advice, and therefore are not applicable to 

 American conditions. In general pomology, the books 

 seem to have had much inlluenee upon fruit-growing; 

 but in the grape the books and actual commercial grape- 

 growing seem to have had little relation one to the 



1084. The fruit house of Charles Downinc. 



