17 



in some place secure from frost till the Spring 

 comes. The said " place" should not be too dry. 

 Under the stage of a very cool greenhouse is a very 

 good spot to keep them in. 



In the Spring of the year, when about to set out 

 the bulbs, all the offsets that part readily from the 

 parent bulb may be taken off, and set out by them- 

 selves in a garden border, — towards Fall some of 

 these may be sending up flower shoots, and if these 

 are taken up, carefully potted and put in a warm 

 greenhouse they will flower towards Spring. Indeed 

 with a little management in the selection of bulbs, 

 and the command of a little heat, the Tuberose 

 may be had in flower most of the year. 



CLASSIFICATIONS OF FRUITS. 



We have so often pointed out the want and the 

 practicability of a better system of classification of 

 fruits, that we can add little more now that will be 

 new; but we are certain the evil will never be reme- 

 died unless public attention is repeatedly called to 

 the evil we now endure. The reply to all we have 

 written on the subject is that a better system than 

 any of those we have is not possible, — but we are 

 quite sure that not only is a better system possible, 

 but it would be a very easy matter for one of time 

 and acquaintance with the rubject to accomplish it. 



There are scores in the Union who could do it if 

 they could only be brought to think so. 



We are pleased to find our excellent contempo- 

 rary, the Country Gentleman., calling attention to 

 the same matter. In a recent article, though no 

 suggestions are made in aid of such a system as we 

 ask, it shows conclusively that the reasons off"ered 

 involving the impossibility of such a system have 

 no weight. 



At present Pomology is not a science. It is a 

 mere trial of memory to recollect names of fruits. 

 The descriptions of fruits as given in the books are 

 of no use to identify an unknown variety. If 

 memory will suggest a name, the fruit book will 

 aid us in deciding whether it is or not that kind. 

 It will do no more. 



Abetter system could be made in this way: — 

 Taking the Pear as an illustration, — get together all 

 the known varieties, group them together according 

 ing to their general resemblances ; then describe all 

 the characters which they all have in common, name 

 the group after the best known one. In describing 

 the individuals of that group, all that would be 

 necessary then would be to show in a few words, 

 how that one difi'ered from the rest of that group. 

 Suppose we made a Bartlett group, then take a 



Clapp's Favorite and note some character which 

 the others in the group never had; that alone 

 would be quite sufficient to identify it. ' 'But, ' ' says 

 a friend at our elbow, "it would be necessary for a 

 novice to know the Bartlett before he would know 

 the group." Not at all ; it is with the description of 

 the group we have to deal, and not with its name, 

 which is of no moment whatever. It is neither 

 any objection to such a system that varieties vary 

 in form, color, flavor or any thing else, for if they 

 do vary it is not towards, but away from other 

 forms. If a fruit is not known through their vaga- 

 ries, it is rarely confounded with any other kind. 

 There is no science in which these variations of in- 

 dividual forms are not observed, but they do not 

 make that science any the more impossible of me- 

 thodical arrangement. 



To give a better instance of this, we may take 

 one of a Pear that came before us for name, — 

 we did not know it. We showed a specimen to 

 four of the best Pear students in the United States 

 — but none knew it. Afterwards something sug- 

 gested to us it was Doyenne Boussock, and after it 

 was suggested, all five readily recognized it as that 

 well known variety, notwithstanding its singularly 

 unusual appearance. The moral of this is, that 

 notwithstanding the variations, there must have 

 been enough of Doyenne Boussock left, or it could 

 not have been afterwards recognized. Memory was 

 unable to the task of recalling the features, but a 

 description would have fixed them, — and a me- 

 thodical arrangement of the descriptions, so that 

 we could readily come to the one wanted, is all the 

 thing we seek. Indeed, we do not understand how 

 any logical mind can see any impossibility in such 

 a system as we have contended for. 



Classification is simply the bringing together of 

 things which are alike, for the better ability to find 

 them when wanted. It is simply method ; and is 

 a mere business matter, for which nothing more is 

 wanted than a thorough knowledge of the materials. 

 We are quite sure we could name many American 

 Pomologists well fitted by leisure and ability to make 

 such a classification if we could only gst them to 

 understand our idea of what it is we would have 

 them to do. 



The time is now approaching when all over the 

 land Pomological Societies will be holding their an- 

 nual meetings, — and the members get together to 

 talk over the best means of advancing the study of 

 their loved pursuit. We trust this subject will 

 have its due share of consideration ; and that even, 

 tually out of the present chaos order may come. 



