Annals of Horticulture. 



and on the Pacific coast. With this greatly increased pro- 

 duction has come about a considerable decrease in the selling- 

 price, so that while the nurserymen appear to be prosperous 

 financially, greater knowledge in the art of production and 

 better methods of culture enable them to produce better stock 

 at less cost — conditions all favorable to the planter and not in 

 the least discouraging to the nurseryman who understands 

 his business." 



New types of fruits. Perhaps nothing shows so forcibly the 

 vitality and activity of American horticulture as the astonish- 

 ing number of new types of fruits introduced during the last 

 few years from foreign countries or secured from our own 

 woods. Even a list of them is scarcely possible at this time. 

 Florida and southern California have drawn very heavily upon 

 the subtropical and even tropical fruits of various parts of the 

 world. The whole country has been much enriched by the 

 introduction of many Japanese fruits. In all this list of new- 

 comers it is a significant fact that there appears to be not one 

 which has failed to find some congenial place, and to 

 fruits! make friends. This is proof that our country possesses 

 the possibilities of a wonderful and varied horticulture. 

 Perhaps the most encouraging feature of this acquisition 

 of new types of fruits is the growing desire to rescue and 

 improve native species. This is nowhere better illus- 

 trated than in the native plums, which have already assumed 

 great commercial importance. Among the newer wild types 

 may be mentioned the following as particularly interesting 

 and promising : Several species of grapes, apples, the dew- 

 berries, juneberry, Crandall currant, buffalo-berry, elderberry 

 and western strawberry. 



The recent native grape interest has been kept clearly be- 

 fore the public by T. V. Munson, of Texas, and others, and it 

 needs no further comment here. The native apples have 

 been discussed and described by the present writer* during 

 the year. Our native crabs east of. the Rocky Mountains 

 clearly belong to three species, Pyrus coronaria, P. angusti- 

 folia and P. Ioensis. Of these, Pyrus Ioensis is far the most im- 

 portant to the cultivator, apparently, and there is much reason 

 for expecting profitable results from its amelioration. Still 

 a fourth species, Pyrus Soulardi, was described. This in- 



*American Garden, xii. 469 (Aug. 189^. 



