DESCRIPTION. 33. 



usual botanical terms are used, as; serrate or doubly serrate; 

 finely serrate or coarsely serrate; cremate^ obtusely crenate or 

 finely crenate; toothed, lobed, etc. ; or there may be compounds 

 of the above terms. 



The Eloweb. — ^A full description of a variety should take 

 into account the flower as well as the fruit and the other parts 

 of the tree. But few pomological works do this however because 

 the flowers are not obtainable when fruits are ready to be de- 

 scribed — ^the time that descriptions are usually written. In the 

 peach, hoM'ever, the distinctions between flowers of different 

 varieties are so obvious that one of the principal classifica- 

 tions of that fruit with some writers is founded on them. Thus 

 one group of varieties has large showy flowers with petals 

 Qearly white or with light margins and a second group embraces 

 those with small flowers which are usually pink or reddish. A 

 few varieties of the peach have flowers which are wholly white, 

 as the old Snow. 



In all of the other fruits the flowers vary to a greater or less 

 degree in size, form and color. Possibly the pear varies least 

 of all and yet in one variety, the Jargonelle, the flowers are at 

 least twice as large as in other sorts. Fully developed pear 

 flowers are invariably white and a creamy white in bud. The 

 organs of the flower differ in size and shape when closely exam- 

 ined but not enough so to be of great value in descriptions. 



The flowers of the apple vary in many particulars and so 

 much so that it is probable that varieties of apples could be 

 distinguished by a careful study of the flowers. Such a study- 

 was made by Dr. W. J. Beal of 100 varieties and reported, 

 upon at the American Pomological Society in 1879. The- 

 points particularly noted by Dr. Beal were colors, ghape of 

 petals, length and width of sepals, length of claw, length of 



