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Annals of Horticulture. 



rieties. This requires a careful, comparative study of soils, climates and 

 markets, and of labor conditions as well, for a fruit crop is not necessarily 

 profitable because the yield and quality are satisfactory. Selling value and 

 cost of production are important factors. It is in this line that the recent 

 importations of date-palms have been made and placed at different places in 

 New Mexico, Arizona and southern California, where the conditions indi- 

 cate that the date of commerce can be profitably produced. Importations 

 have also been made of choice varieties of the fig and the Persian grapes, 

 and of the market varieties of the citron of commerce, of which thousands 

 of dollars' worth are annually imported from Europe and Asia. Under 

 this head comes the investigation of the subject of nut-culture, now in prog- 

 ress. Systematic inquiry has been made in all parts of the country con- 

 cerning the extent to which the growing of nuts for market has been carried 

 on, and a number of important and interesting facts have been brought out. 

 The report on this subject, now awaiting the completion of the illustrations, 

 will discuss varieties, improvements already made and likely to be made, 

 methods of propagation and culture, adaptation of varieties to soil, and 

 methods of marketing, etc. As a means of drawing attention to our leading 

 market fruits, and stimulating foreign interest in our orchard products, the 

 division recently sent to the Scottish Horticultural Association meeting a 

 small exhibit of leading varieties of market apples from several states. 

 These were collected and contributed by a few public-spirited growers, 

 and forwarded with the growers' names attached. 

 Division of ' ' Third, the Advisory : The third general work of the division may be 

 Pomology, called advisory. In consists first in the publication of information to grow- 

 ers, concerning varieties, methods of culture, etc., of various fruits. There 

 have been issued thus far in this line a report on tropical and semi-tropi- 

 cal fruits in the United States, Russian and other fruits in the north- 

 west, and one on the relative merit of various stocks for the orange. 

 There are in course of preparation similar reports on small fruits, the apple 

 and the peach. So far as adaptation of varieties to localities is concerned, 

 these are based on reports of correspondents numbered by the thousand, 

 and living in every state and territory in the Union. The reports will be il- 

 lustrated, and will contain descriptions of recommended varieties and a 

 carefully revised list of accepted names and synonyms. The second division 

 of this line of advisory work brings the division into immediate contact with 

 the fruit-growers, and forms one of its most important duties. This consists 

 of the examination of new and the identification of old varieties of fruits, 

 and other matters requiring an immense amount of individual correspond- 

 ence. As an illustration of what is done in this line, I have made the fol- 

 lowing analysis of work of this sort done in October, 1891, as shown by the 

 correspondence-files and office-records : 



Letters written during October 584 



Relating to identification of varieties 73 



Relating to exam ination and opinion of value 69 



Relating to nomenclature 20 



Relating to choice of variety for particular localities, methods of cul- 

 ture and pruning, etc 422 



Samples consisting of fruit, from one to many specimens each, re- 

 ceived for examination during the month 537 



' ' This may be taken as a fairly representative month, so far as the 

 amount of office-work of the division is concerned, though the nature of it 



