94 JOUENAL OF THE EOYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



other than Government auspices it would be termed a monograph 

 rather than a report, as the lengthy and careful descriptions of varieties 

 and species are quite unique for completeness and accuracy. Whilst 

 the title limits naturally the varieties dealt with, it must not be 

 imagined that only plums suited to that State are described. On the 

 contrary, nearly every European sort of importance will be found, and 

 many reproduced, full size, in colour. Naturally the species receive 

 first attention, and photographs of flowering sprays and bark charac- 

 ters are an extremely useful aid to a clear recognition of their distinc- 

 tive characters. It is impossible within the limits of this review to 

 discuss the decisions arrived at, but they are well worthy of detailed 

 study, dealing as they do with many questions of great difficulty, such, 

 for instance, as the. birthplace and wanderings of Prunus domestica. 

 Following this ,are chapters on culture and the various stocks preferred 

 by American nurserymen; and we notice that the peach stock is 

 preferred for most varieties of the Dow.estica group and the Triflora 

 varieties, and the Myrohalan for others. English experience has 

 shown the latter stock desirable for most plums in this climate. The 

 varieties are next described, and the distinctive characters are selected 

 with great c^re, and are dealt with in greater detail than in any other 

 work we can recall. Tree, leaf, flower, and seed are all fully and 

 carefully described. This is as it should be. The disregard by so 

 many European pomologists of all characters but the fruit has ren- 

 dered their work in m,any cases of less value than it should have. 

 The " systematic " botanist would not think of naming a plant from 

 one only of these parts, and in the case of varieties of fruits so similar 

 as are many of the plums it should be still more necessary to have 

 every possible detail. Many fruits^ are admittedly sufficiently distinct 

 to permit of their recognition at once, but to imagine therefore that 

 all fruits can be similarly recognized shows a lack of exactness which , 

 is and has been too often associated with pomologists. We welcome; 

 therefore the minute and exact descriptions that Professor Hedrick 

 has given, and we are sure they will be still more valuable to students 

 a hundred years hence, when many of the varieties are lost or for- 

 gotten. There is, however, one character which is constant, in 

 this country at least, which h,as not been made use of — that of the 

 colour tips of the growing shoots. The range of colour from palei 

 green to a strong red on the young leaves is a very distinct and useful! 

 recognition mark. We note that the fact that many shoots arej 

 pubescent only when young is recognized. The port of the leaves,) 

 upright — weeping — upward folded, &c., is described; these are excel-j 

 lent characters which have been much neglected. | 

 The references to literature are very full, ^nd the only point oi 

 criticism we would make in this respect is that they are not sufficientljj 

 sifted. Quotation from writers of little authority merely serves to 

 complicate matters. As an example, the case of the Greengage ma\i 

 be quoted. Here Batty Langley and Phillips are referred to, botij 

 writers of little importance on such matters, the latter a mere bookj 



