National and Educational Interests. 



73 



A list of the names of the members of these societies has been 

 collected and alphabetically arranged, together with all those 

 who have indicated by their correspondence or otherwise their 

 desire to co-operate with this Division. A system of books 

 has been arranged and carried into practice which includes 

 the names of about 12,000 of the leading fruit-growers of the 

 country, and which gives the kinds of fruits and the amount 

 of each grown by the persons named. These names are all 

 arranged by States and counties and reference can be made 

 at once to those persons engaged in the growing of any fruit. 



It is the policy of the Division to collect specific informa- 

 tion and to publish special bulletins or monographs on the 

 different classes of fruits. Two great opportunities — the 

 neglected horticulture of the South, and the study of native 

 wild fruits — at once presented themselves, and work has been 

 largely in those directions. Bulletin i, which was published 

 in 1887, contains the most accurate reports obtainable on the 

 subject of tropical and semi-tropical fruits as cultivated in the 

 United States at that time. Bulletin 2 relates to the Russian 

 and other fruits as grown in the extreme Northern States in 

 the year 1887. A monograph is being prepared which will 

 describe completely the wild grapes of North America. This 

 will appear, it is expected, during the coming year. During 

 the summer of 1889, T. V. Munson, of Texas, was commis- 

 sioned as a special agent of the Department to investigate the 

 wild fruits of the Western States and Territories, and he trav- 

 eled, in company with Mr. C. L. Hopkins, a clerk of the Di- 

 vision, over 10,000 miles, in the course of the work. Obser- 

 vations were made upon all wild fruits, and a report thereon 

 is to be published in due time. 



Much of the office work consists in replying to inquiries re- 

 garding the various topics connected with practical pomology, 

 and the naming of varieties of fruits which are sent for identi- 

 fication and study. More than 10,000 specimens are thus ex- 

 amined each year, and the number is increasing. It is the 

 purpose of the Division to secure specimens of all the new 

 fruits, and drawings and water-color paintings are made of 

 them, all of which are preserved as a permanent record in the 

 office. Critical notes are made of every specimen received. 

 The attention of the Division is also directed to investigations 

 in foreign countries and to the importation of such fruits as 



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