America of those referred to this group by Dr. Lucas. Perhaps Maiden Blush might typify the group."

Dr. Warder's Classification

The work which has been done in America in the classification of apples, as has already been said, is meagre in the extreme. The standard work of Downing attempts no classification beyond arranging the names of varieties in alphabetical order. Thomas gave a rough, arbitrary arrangement to the different varieties of apples in his fruit book;* but the single important attempt at a classification of apples was made by Dr. John A. Warder. This scheme was entirely arbitrary, but was an excellent classification of its kind. It has all the convenience inherent in the arbitrary method, and even to-day is very useful to the working pomologist; in fact, it is the only available key which may assist one in finding the name of an unknown apple. The great drawback to its use is that so many of the varieties of to-day are not given in

"American Fruit Culturist." New York.

* Thomas, Various editions.

+ Warder, "American Pomology," p. 379. Co., New York, 1867.

Orange Judd

XVI

THE CLASSIFICATION OF PEARS

In the classification of pears we meet the same difficulties which we have already met in dealing with apples, only in the present case they are even more pronounced. As compared with apples, pears have never been at all well known in America. They have been comparatively unpopular. It is very rare to find a good judge of varieties of pears, even among the most expert pomologists of the country.

In recent years Kieffer, Le Conte, and Garber pears-particularly the first-have been extensively disseminated. These are doubtless hybrids, combining the characters of two species, Pyrus communis and Pyrus sinensis. They have characters, therefore, considerably different from the ordinary garden pears, which are derived directly from Pyrus communis. This difference in botanical characters has been the commonly accepted basis of classification in recent nursery catalogs and similar publications. Pears of

the Kieffer group are spoken of as hybrids, or varieties are simply referred in so many words to the Kieffer group. No further attempt at classification is usually made.

Still, the pears ought to be more carefully classified, and doubtless some student of pomology will soon offer that service to his American brethren. In the meantime it will be worth while to review one or two of the best European classifications, to see what they suggest along this line.

What seem to be the most methodical classifications are given by Lucas, who provides both a natural and an artificial arrangement, with the expectation that the two shall be used together. It will be seen on examination that neither one is so exact and satisfactory as the same author's classification of apples. The “natural” system, in particular, comes back to an artificial basis at many points.

We will now take up the natural system devised by Lucas for the classification of pears. The classes and characterizations are

*

* Lucas, "Pomologische Tafeln." Stuttgart, 1869. Also, “Einleitung in das Studium der Pomologie," p. 180. Stuttgart, 1877.

translated as fully and literally as possible, and then some remarks are added in each case, showing whether or not any American examples of the class can be named. In this matter no attempt has been made to go further than to name some of the varieties specified by Lucas as representative of each class.

It ought to be borne in mind always in studying any European literature on pears that this fruit is comparatively much more important in Germany and France than in America; it is much more popular, better understood, and very much finer distinctions are made in characterization and classification.

Lucas' Natural Classification for Pears

1. BEURRES (Butterbirnen; Butter Pears).--Fruit with completely melting flesh, in shape true pyriform, or truncate obconic, and regular, without ribs or ridges, of divers colors; mostly longer than broad, seldom as broad as long; never strongly flattened at the stem end, but always tapering toward the stem, and usually obtusely pointed.

This is the largest group in the classification, numbering many of the most prominent varieties. Of those named by Lucas the following are best known in America: Urban