POMOLOGICAL ILLUSTRATION:^. 



525 



which I nicknamed the "Russian Early Joe," is too 

 small. Prolific Sweeting is a large and admirable fall 

 sweet ; but sweet fall apples are not in much demand. 

 Golden White (apparently identical with the "White 

 Russet " of the same list, though possibly only a mem- 

 ber of the same family) was too near Oldenburgh in 

 season, and less attractive — though better in quality, and 

 a longer keeper. Green Crimean, Sugar Barbel, Spread- 

 ing Pipka and Yellow Arcadian have little merit, aside 

 from hardiness. 



Of more recent requisitions, I find positive merit in 

 such large, handsome and productive autumn kinds as 

 Titus, Zolotoreff and Switzer, all closely succeeding 



Oldenburgh, which is my standard variety of that 

 season. But I am not decided yet to select one of 

 these, rather than the Red Beitigheimer, an apple 

 introduced by Ellwanger & Barry as German, but 

 which proves as iron-clad as the Russians. Antonouka 

 and Longfield promise to be worth planting as profitable 

 early winter varieties. The Red and Yellow Anises 

 (much alike, both having considerable color), are too 

 small for market. The same must be said of Borsdorf, 

 a longer keeper of good quality. Getting beyond these, 

 we need time in order to arrive at satisfactory con- 

 clusions. 



VltiuouI. T. H. Hoskins. 



POMOLOGICAL ILLUSTRATIONS. 



IT IS, perhaps, evident to nearly all those who 

 peruse the horticultural reports, magazines 

 and newspapers of the day, that the pictures of 

 fruits found in them are far from representing 

 them as they actually exist in nature. This is par- 

 ticularly true of many of the colored illustrations. 

 There is no doubt that in some respects advance- 

 ments have been made in the last twenty-five 

 years in the way of horticultural illustrations, but I 

 think it is equally true that there has been consid- 

 erable degeneration in some particulars : take, for 

 instance, the colored plates in the "Fruits of 

 America," by C. M. Hovey, published in 1851, 

 which, according to my judgment, exceed in careful 

 and truthful delineation of the size and color of fruits 

 mentioned those that are being made in later years. 



It is not my purpose to merely find fault with the 

 present state of things in this regard, but rather to 

 assist in some measure in bringing about a change that 

 shall work good to the cause of pomology, and if pos- 

 sible, to those who make the illustrations. The princi- 

 pal seems to me to lie. 



First. In exaggeration as to size of fruits. This 

 comes in a great measure from an over weening desire 

 on the part of introducers and propagators of fruits to 

 cause the public to believe that they are larger than is 

 really the case. This is, in the end, very unwise, 

 according to my view of the matter, as after the trees 

 or plants have been purchased and fruit has been pro- 

 duced, in very many cases much smaller than shown by 

 the flaming advertisements, the grower is disappointed 

 and tempted tp disbelieve anything of the kind that is 

 represented to him in the future. If the exact size of 

 a good average specimen had been given, all this would 

 have been avoided, especially if the picture had been 

 accompanied by a printed statement that good culture 

 and climate were necessary to produce as good fruit as 

 that shown. 



Several of the largest colored plate manufacturers in 

 this country have told me repeatedly that if they would 

 make plates correct as to size and color, the nursery- 



men would not buy them, and that they demanded 

 something attractive, even though it be untruthful, and 

 that the nurserymen, moreover, demanded the plates at 

 a price that is far below the cost of good work. These are 

 serious charges, but that they are true, I am forced to 

 believe. Certainly, the nurserymen are generally an 

 upright set of men, but why should they have degener- 

 ated from the standard seems strange, except in the 

 light of reduced profits in the business. 



Second. Unnatural color. Nature paints with such 

 exquisite taste and in such voluptuous colors that it is 

 beyond the ability of men to exceed her in beauty. 

 Why, then, should not the fruit-artist of to-day copy 

 her as truthfully as possible, and not prostitute his art 

 by making glaring daubs of contrasted colors that are 

 not half so beautiful as the fruit he essays to paint ? 

 It is beyond the skill of the best artists to reproduce the 

 delicate tints that the sun has painted with his incom- 

 parable brush. The truth is, the artist cannot do it pcr- 

 f filly, but I certainly believe it can be much more accu- 

 rately done, and with but little more cost, than at present. 



Third. Lack of detail and coarse execution. In 

 this regard there is also great room for improvement. 

 This is very noticeable in the representation of leaves, 

 which should show the ribs and veins, both regular and 

 irregular, as nature has made them. Photography has 

 recently come to the aid of the wood-engraver and the 

 lithographer, and in some respects has proven a very 

 accurate and helpful servant, but I am sorry to say that 

 many of the photogravures are but mere patches and 

 blurs, especially those which represent branches with 

 their leaves attached. The fact is, that it is impossible 

 to focus the camera in such a way as to show the detail 

 both near and in thedistance ; hence it seems to me 

 unwise to attempt to reproduce a negative which cannot, 

 from the nature of the thing, be otherwise than partly 

 out of focus. 



In the matter of wood engraving, which at best is 

 very costly when well made, we find very little to en- 

 courage us, and it seems to me that India ink drawings, 

 which are made and reproduced by photoengravings, is 

 not only the cheaper, but much more accurate method 

 of reproduction. Pomologist. 



