$0 ENCYCLOPEDIA OF PRACTICAL HORTICULTURE 
to 1904. These works include the stan- 
dard pomological books, horticultural 
magazines and papers, experiment station 
bulletins, nuserymen’s catalogues, etc. 
This catalogue shows that in the 100 
years in question approximately 14,800 
varietal names of apples have been pub- 
lished. Of this number about 6,700 are 
accredited names and refer to distinct 
varieties. The remaining 8,100 names are 
synonyms; that is, of the published 
names, there is an average of more than 
two names for every distinct variety. But 
as there are a number of varieties that 
have about 40 different synonyms, it 
follows that the distribution of synonyms 
is not on a very equitable basis. 
The number of varietal names men- 
tioned, 14,800, does not include the crab 
apples. If these are added, the number 
will be increased by about 600, making 
15,400. Of these 600 names of crabs about 
375 are accredited names, representing dis- 
tinct varieties, while 225 names are syn- 
onyms. 
Of course a very considerable propor- 
tion of the 6,700 distinct varieties of 
apples (not including crabs) that have 
entered in American pomology during 
this 100-year period have long since 
dropped out of cultivation and are now 
entirely unknown except by name. 
The number of important varieties now 
commonly grown is suggested by the last 
revision of the American Pomological So- 
ciety’s “recommended lists’ of varieties 
for cultivation, in the various pomologi- 
cal regions of the United States and Can- 
ada. This revision was first published 
as Bulletin No. 151 of the Bureau of 
Plant Industry and later included in the 
Proceedings of the American Pomological 
Society for 1909. The “recommended list” 
of apples comprises only 319 names—a 
relatively small number when compared 
with the figures above mentioned. Thege 
last figures mean, if I interpret them 
correctly, that but slightly more than 309 
varieties of apples include all or nearly 
all of those that are of real importance 
(except local sorts that are known only 
in restricted areas) in the American ap. 
ple industry of today. In fact, it is prob- 
able that many of these varieties could 
be eliminated to the benefit of the in. 
dustry. If we should include the crabs 
that are in the last “recommended list” 
of the American Pomological Society, we 
should need to add 32 names to the 319 
varieties above mentioned. 
Another comparison of varieties made 
on quite a different basis is also instruc. 
tive in showing the trend in recent years. 
In 1892, Professor L. H. Bailey made an 
inventory of the apple varieties that were 
offered for sale that year by 95 differ- 
ent American nurserymen. This inven- 
tory* shows that in these catalogues there 
were listed 878 varietal names, including 
crab apples. The nurseries represented 
were located in about 40 different states 
and in one or more of the Canadian prov- 
inces. They were therefore widely dis- 
tributed. 
I have recently examined the apple 
lists in 100 catalogues of nurserymen in 
the United States that came to my office 
in 1910. These catalogues were from 32 
different states. They are therefore rep- 
resentative as to distribution; I think they 
are also representative in every respect 
though the number includes a goodly 
proportion of the largest and most im- 
portant catalogues that are issued. I 
find that in these 100 catalogues there are 
472 varieties of apples offered for sale 
and 59 varieties of crabs, making a total 
of 531 varieties of apples altogether. 
* (A revision of this list for elimination of 
synonyms reduces it to about 735 varietal 
names and about 40 names of crab apples.—EHd ) 
Statistical Summary of Apple Varieties 
AP ate number varietal names of apples in American publications 1804- 
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