100 
AMERICAN POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 
would suggest; that a special form of inquiry, concerning the behavior of 
varieties and their ratings by practical fruit growers quite generally, be sent 
out and answers secured from all such available sources. These, when com- 
piled and tabulated for publication, by districts, would have a meaning of far 
greater value than if secured as now, from so limited a number of individuals. 
In other words, I should make this inquiry very general, so much so that 
answers would be secured from a large list of practical fruit growers. And 
I would have these answers to come direct to' the Committee, or to its . Chair- 
man, and not through any secondary channel. These answers or reports on 
the behavior of varieties, when compiled and tabulated, by your Committee, 
would much more faithfully and accurately present the lists of varieties for 
each of the several districts, than can the present plan. 
As to how these answers, or reports, are to be secured, I would recommend 
that a printed list of varieties, embracing all that may be well known and 
tested, of each species of fruits and nuts, with their descriptions, and blanks 
for new and unknown varieties, with franks for their return, after being 
filled out, be sent to fruit growers. These blanks, as above indicated, should 
embrace a pretty large list of names of varieties that are likely to receive 
the approval of fruit growers, who have tested them, to be followed by the 
usual descriptive columns and the abbreviated descriptions, subject to such 
changes as the persons reporting would indicate, and a column for his ratings 
of the particular variety. This column to be marked by him, in all instances, 
if the variety succeeds with him (the reporter), to be “indicated by an asterisk 
(*); if highly successful, by two asterisks (**); if considered promising, by a 
dagger (f); if tested and found undesirable, by a dash ( — );” or if unknown or 
untested by him in his locality, by a dotted line (....). 
With answers to this form of inquiry, we would secure exact and reliable 
data, from a practical standpoint that would be of great value to planters and 
others seeking such information, while the fact that the Catalogue revision 
was based on the far greater number of answers returned, would add still 
more value and importance to the work of the Committee and the Society. 
These are the principal suggestions that your Chairman would offer as the 
result of his experience and observation while performing, to the best of 
his ability and in his peculiar way, the responsible duties you have assigned 
him, though there are many minor points that might be profitably discussed 
if time and space admitted. 
And now, that the responsible duties which you have entrusted to me have 
been discharged (after a fashion, at least), and the time for which I was 
chosen, having expired, I return to you the trust, with many thanks for 
your high consideration and with the hope that in the future you may be 
able to secure the services of one better fitted by education and practical 
experience for the onerous duties of Chairman of the Committee on the 
Revision of Catalogue. 
After a five minute recess the Session was resumed. 
REPORT OF GENERAL FRUIT COMMITTEE. 
Prof. L. R. Taft, Chairman of the General Fruit Committee, made a verbal 
statement from that Committee as follows: 
The General Fruit Committee consists of about fifty-five members, one from 
each State, Territory and Province. I have been fortunate enough to receive 
from some forty-five of these quite elaborate reports that will be published 
in the Proceedings of the Society. Those forty-five include the reports of 
