414 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY 



A GUIDE TO THE LITERATURE OF POMOLOGY. 



By E. A. BuNYARD, F.L.S., F.R.H.S. 



A REVIEW of the literature of pomology within the scope of this paper 

 necessitates certain limitations. Anything in the nature of a detailed 

 survey will obviously be impossible, and the treatment of the subject 

 must therefore be confined to a description of those books which stand 

 out as landmarks in pomological history, either by reason of their 

 originality or by their value as a focus of the knowledge of their time. 

 It is also necessary to fix a starting-point for this survey, and the 

 question, " At what time did pomological literature commence ? " is 

 difficult to answer. 



The Greek and Roman agricultural writers, to go no further back, 

 wrote much that is of great interest in the history of fruit culture, and 

 indeed it is impossible to appreciate the works of later writers without 

 some knowledge of this literature. Their influence continued for many 

 hundreds of years, and it was long before experiment enabled men to 

 question their magistral authority. 



It was not until the Renaissance that a real literature of pomology 

 arose, a literature which was critical and founded upon personal 

 experience. I will therefore take this period, which has the advantage 

 of being conveniently vague, as my starting-point. 



The first writer who deserves mention is Pietro de Crescenzi, or 

 Crescentiis, who, though not strictly a pomological author, had a 

 remarkable influence upon the horticulture of his time. Born at 

 Bologna in 1230, he spent much of his life in travel and at an advanced 

 age returned to Italy, where he wrote his " Opus Ruralium Commo- 

 dorum " at the invitation of Charles II., King of Sicily. This work was 

 circulated in manuscript, and after the art of printing had become 

 known in Europe it was printed at many different towns. It is said 

 that a copy of this work was the first product of the presses of Lou vain 

 in 1474. Though written in the thirteenth century, it was not until the 

 fifteenth century that its greatest influence was felt, and the numerous 

 editions published all over Europe bear evidence of its great popularity. 

 The chapters dealing with fruit cultivation are of much interest 

 and show evidence of observation, only a few examples of which can 

 be mentioned here. That strong-growing varieties of apples should 

 be pruned in the summer is probably the first mention of summer 

 pruning, and modern investigation is recalled by the advice to keep 

 fresh-planted trees free from weeds until they are well rooted, after which 

 it is not of such great importance. The storing of fruit in a dark place 

 is recommended, and it is interesting to note the definite statement that 

 no apples ripen in June or July. 



