
          5.  [V]

and in due time the trees were dug and planted in the orchard.  This
in only slightly modified details was the general procedure in
principle with nearly every variety.  Thus a large number of steps
were involved at which carelessness would result in mixing of, or
mislabeling the stock.  Much of the handling of the stock was done
by unskilled labor, probably with inadequate supervision with respect
to details.  In any event, the results were an excessively large 
number of obvious mixtures, incorrectly named varieties and other
problems of identity.

While I realized from season to season, as the varietal studies
were being made, that there were many problems in identification, it
was not until I undertook the study of all the notes on a variety
together that I realized the full extent of these problems.  It sometimes
seemed as if no one along the line who had a chance to mix up varieties
had failed to make the most of it.

Again the orchard contained many little known or local varieties
not discussed in the literature.  Perhaps there was a painting
of such a variety, or a single description on file, but based on fruit
grown under conditions differing widely from those at Arlington
Farm.  The result was that though such a variety might be correctly
named, it was difficult or impossible to satisfactorily check it for
accuracy with the information on file as to what the fruit should
be like - or might be expected to be like when grown under Arlington
Farm conditions compared with those where the fruit was grown from
which illustrations and descriptions were made.  In a considerable
number of cases, no information was available regarding the characteristics
of a variety and where mistakes in identity had been shown to be
as numerous as in this orchard,  there was an inherent doubt regarding
the identity of any particular variety unless available
evidence confirmed its correctness.

In some cases a question mark (?) follows the variety name 
at the head of the variety sheets.  This usually indicates that the
correctness of identity was in doubt.

In a considerable number of cases varieties are included in
the following notes which are obviously wrong and can serve no
useful purpose - except accounting for the Pomology Accession
numbers and orchard locations.  Small liklihood of such accounting
ever being of value but in some unknown future day somebody may
want to review this whole Arlington Farm variety orchard project
in which as complete information as possible may be desirable.

In order to make the variety notes as useful as possible
( in case they ever should possess any usefulness whatsoever)  I
checked over the files of negatives and wherever there was a
negative of a tree of a variety the negative number or numbers
was inserted;  the same course was followed with regard to varietal
descriptions and paintings of varieties.  The numbers given for
descriptions and paintings are the Pomology numbers under which
the varieties illustrated were recorded in the Pomology Journal
of Receipts.  (These Journals are now in the National Archives).
        