1886. | Botany. 163 
At a meeting of the Michigan State Pomological (now Horti- 
cultural) Society, held in 1873, the writer presented a paper on 
.this subject in which he accurately described quite a number of 
kinds of apples by the flowers. 
To the pomologist the term “ flower ” means the showy petals; 
to the botanist it means calyx, corolla, stamens and pistils. These 
floral characters are as constant and reliable for distinguishing 
varieties as are those characters of the fruit which are usually 
employed. 
In apples the points of the calyx vary in breadth, size and in 
other particulars. The petals vary in size and shape in different 
varieties, and some in color. Not very much was made of the. 
stamens, but the styles and stipe furnish excellent characters. 
Dr. Hogg, of England, pointed out the value of the shape of 
the calyx-tube and the position of the stamens on the inside of 
the tube, but in our American apples, at any;rate, these points are 
not so reliable as are those pertaining to the stipe and styles. 
In 1879, at the Rochester meeting of the American Pomologi- 
cal Society, I presented an illustrated paper on the classification 
of apples, in which the peculiarities of the flowers formed an im- 
portant part. Many flowers were examined from different trees 
in various localities. Over a hundred varieties have been ex- 
amined. 
I have since that time frequently called the attention of my 
Students to this subject, and last spring (in 1885) suggested it to 
one of our graduates, Mr. W. L. Snyder. I have had some o 
his drawings carefully copied for your use. 
Unfortunately in these cases the petals were not drawn, but a 
glance at the lobes of the calyx, and especially a close examina- - 
tion and comparison of the stipes and styles will show a great 
a in the length, breadth, hairiness and other points of the 
es. 
_ At the Boston meeting of the American Pomological Society, 
in 1881, I showed that a similar difference exists in the lobes of 
the calyx, the shape and size of the petals of pears, but in these 
flowers pe ipt is very short or wanting. The styles vary as do 
of apples. 
Mr. Snyder also made some notes and drawings of the flowers 
and inflorescence of some of our cultivated varieties of strawber- 
Pda are quite as marked as those here shown for the 
flowers of apples. 
In case of apples probably 3000 or more varieties have been 
cribed by the fruit alone. It is needless to say that with a 
variety of soils and climates it is next to impossible to define so 
many in a manner which shall be at all satisfactory. “e 
A similar difficulty exists in our sorts of pears, peaches, plums, 
, Strawberries, raspberries and a myriad of cultivated grains 
vegetables [exactly how many I do not know. 
