ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS TO AUTHORI TIES, CORRESPONDENTS, &c. THE descriptions of the fruits contained in the following pages are drawn from the most authentic testimonies and authorities. Although most of them are already in our country, many of them are new, and of very recent introduction, but a portion only of the new kinds have as yet produced fruit with us. In the descriptions of the new foreign, and to us unknown kinds, I have sometimes adopted the accurate descriptions of the English for the exterior, while for the more important descriptions of the qualities and flavor of these same kinds, I have had recourse to the French authorities, or those possessed of climates analagous to our own. We shall be enabled to speak of them more decisively after having tried them in our own climate. To the more common or proper names, I have in many cases annexed the Botanical or descriptive names of the species or varieties; this being the only one and universal name, by which they are alike known in every part of civilized America and of Europe. I have also, to avoid confusion in the nomenclature, endeavored generally to preserve unaltered, the original or proper names, in the language of their own native country. These will serve in a measure to identify, and also to indicate the climate to which they properly belong. - My obligations to Mr Lowell I have elsewhere acknowledged, and my obligations to Gen. Dearborn, the President of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society. I am also under very particular obligations to Mr Manning of Salem, for the many descriptions he has afforded me. All those articles marked R. M., are described on his authority, and are such as he has proved them to be in our climate. Those marked S. H. S. are on the authority of Stephen H. Smith, Esq. of Providence, R. I.; such have been by him approved as adapted to our climate. To him, therefore, I am particularly indebted. I have availed also of the valuable descriptions in the New England Farmer, of the valuable communications of Mr Downer of Dorchester. Also I have availed of communications from the following gentlemen: Messrs Buel of Albany, S. G. Perkins of Boston, John C. Gray of Boston, Robert Carr, proprietor of Bartram's Botanic Garden near Philadelphia, B. V. French of Boston, John Prince of Roxbury, Micah Leland of Sherburne, Gorham Parsons of Brighton, Wm. Prince and Wm. Robert Prince of the Linnæan Botanic Garden, Flushing, N. Y. These last named gentlemen are the authors of a work on Horticulture, also another on the Vine and another on Fruits; Andrew Parmentier, late of the Horticultural Garden, Brooklyn, N. Y.; E. M. Richards of Dedham; Leonard Stone of Watertown; E. Vose, jr. of Dorchester; A. D. Williams of Roxbury; Dr S. A. Shurtleff of Boston; Dr Ford of Alna, Me.; Dr Hildreth, of Marietta, Ohio; Dr Holmes, editor of the Maine Farmer, Winthrop, Me.; and many others. LIST OF AUTHORS & WORKS QUOTED OR REFERRED TO. ADLUM.-Memoir on the cultivation of the Vine in America, and the best mode of making wine, by John Adlum. 12mo. Washington, 1828. ANNALES D'HORTICULTURE. Annales de la Société d'Horticulture de Paris, a valuable publication in monthly numbers. 8vo. BARNET. - Description of the great collection of Strawberries at Chiswick, in vol. vi. Hort. Trans. by James Barnet, occupying 80 pages quarto. BON JARD. - Le Bon Jardinier, edited by M. Poiteau and M. Villorin, for the year 1828. Paris; a work annually published for nearly seventy years. Bosc.-Louis Auguste Guillaume Bosc, F. L. S. H. S.; author of many articles in Nouveau Cours Complet d'Agriculture, and other works. - American Gardener, by Wm. Cobbett, a celebrated COBBETT. political writer. COXE. View of the cultivation of Fruit Trees, &c. in the United States of America, &c., by William Coxe, Esq. 8vo. Philadelphia, 1817. CHEV. PARMENTIER. The Chevalier Joseph Parmentier of Enghein; description of various new Fruits in Hort. Trans. DE CANDOLLE.-L. A. de Candolle, author of several articles in Nouveau Cours Complet d'Agriculture, A celebrated writer on Botany, &c. MR COBB.-Jonathan H. Cobb, Esq. of Dedham, Mass. author of an excellent Manual on the Mulberry and culture of Silk, published by order of the Legislature of Massachusetts, and also by order of Congress. DOM. ENCY.-Domestic Encyclopedia. by A. F. M. Willlch, M. D. Edition of Dr James Mease. 5 vols. 8vo. Philadelphia, 1803. DUн. O. DUн.-Traité des Arbres Fruitiers, par Henri Lewis Duhamel de Monceau. 2 vols. 4to. Paris, 1768. N. DUH.- Nouveau Duhamel ou Traité des Arbres, Fruitiers, Nouvelle edition, Augmentée, &c. formerly conducted by Dr Loisleur Deslongchamps; now still continued by MM. Poiteau and Turpin; several vols. folio, with colored plates. Paris. ED. ENC.- Edinburgh Encyclopedia. American edition, by Dr Brewster. The article on Horticulture, to which this principally refers, was drawn up by Patrick Neill, Esq. FES. AMER. GARD.- New American Gardener, containing practical directions on the culture of Fruits and Vegetables, &c. by Thomas G. Fessenden, Editor of the New England Farmer. FORSYTH. Treatise on the culture and management of Fruit Trees, &c., by William Forsyth, Esq. seventh edition, 8vo. London, 1824. COUNT DE HAZZI, Counsellor of State of Munich, author of "Complete Instructions for the Plantation and Management of Mulberry Trees, and the REARING OF SILK WORMS." Transmitted by him through Dr Mease to Congress. A professed disciple of the Comte Dandolo and M. Bonafous. HOOKER.-Pomona Londinensis, containing representations of the best fruits cultivated in British Gardens, by William Hooker, Esq. F. L. S. H. S. 4to. with colored plates. HORT. SOC. CAT. - Catalogue of the Fruits cultivated in the Garden of the Horticultural Society of London, at Chiswick. 8vo. 1826. Also, the Descriptive Catalogue of 1831, which is ascribed to Mr Robert Thompson. HORT. TRANS. -Transactions of the Horticultural Society of London. 4to. 8 vols. MR KNIGHT. Thomas Andrew Knight, Esq. F. R. S. L. S. &c., President of the London Horticultural Society, and the author of nearly a hundred articles in the London Hort. Trans. &c. &c., and author of several works on Rural Economy. LINDLEY. A Guide to the Orchard and Kitchen Garden, or an account of the most valuable Fruits and Vegetables cultivated in Great Britain; with calendars of the work required in the orchard and kitchen garden during every month in the year; by George Lindley, C. M. II. S. London, 1831. LOUDON. - Encyclopedia of Gardening, &c., by John C. Loudon, F. L. S. H. S. &c. London, 8vo. 1825. A work of 1233 condensed pages, and several hundred engravings. LOUD. GARD. MAG. -The Gardener's Magazine, by the same author. An excellent work in periodical numbers. MICHAUX. — The North American Sylva, or a description of the Forest Trees, &c. with 156 colored engravings, by F. André Michaux. 2 vols. 8vo.. Paris, 1819. MILLER.-The Gardener's and Botanist's Dictionary, &c. by Phillip Miller, F. R. S. 2 vols. folio. Revised by Professor Martyn. London, 1819. NEILL.Patrick Neill, Esq. A. M. F. L. S., author of the article on Horticulture in the Edinburgh Encyclopædia, of the "Horticultural Tour," and other works; Secretary of the Caledonian Horticultural Society, &c. NOUV. COURS COMPLET D'AGRI. COURS COMPLET. - Nouveau Cours Complet d'Agriculture, &c. ou Dictionnaire raisonné et Universel d'Agriculture, by the members of the Section of Agriculture of the Institute of France, viz. M. M. Thouin, Parmentier, Tessier, Huzard, Silvestre, Bosc, Chassiron, Chaptal, Lacroix, de Perthius, Yvart, de Candolle, du Tour, Du Chesne, Feburier, de Brebisson, and Rosier, (R.) 16 vols. 8vo. Paris, 1823. PHILLIPS. Pomarium Britanicum; a historical and botanical account of Fruits known in Great Britain; by Henry Phillips, F.-H. S. &c. 8vo. London, 1823. POITEAU. A. Poiteau, one of the conductors of the Bon Jardinier and the New Duhamel; and author of many of the articles in Annales de Horticulture, &c. POM. MAG.-Pomological Magazine, or figures and descriptions of the most important varieties of fruit cultivated in Great Britain. 3 vols. 8vo. London, a late work. PYRUS MALUS BRENT. -Pyrus Malus Brentfordiensis, or a concise description of selected Apples, by Hugh Ronalds, F. H. S., &c. with colored engravings. QUINTINIE.--The Complete Gardener, or directions for cultivat ing of fruit gardens and kitchen gardens; with divers reflections on several parts of husbandry. In 6 books. By the famous M. de la Quintinie. Made English by John Evelyn, Esq. 1693. ROSIER. Cours Complet d'Agriculture, theorique, practique, economique, &c. ou Dictionnaire Universel d'Agriculture, &c. 15 vols. 4to. Paris, 1801. The Silk Culturist, &c. published in numbers, by Dr Felix Pascalis. New York. Also, author of "Practical Directions on the culture of the Mulberry and of Silk," &c. DR PASCALIS. SPEECHLY. - Vine, &c. 8vo. William Speechly, a Treatise on the culture of the DR THACHER, author of the American Orchardist, and various other valuable works, on history, medicine, &c. &c. THOMPSON. Robert Thompson, of the London Horticultural Society's Garden at Chiswick; distinguished alike for his accuracy, intelligence and research. Much of what is most valuable in the Pom. Mag. is ascribed to him. Also the reputed author of the descriptive Cat. Lond. Hort. Soc. for 1831. THOUIN. Monographie de Greffes, ou Description technique de diverés sortes de Greffes, employées pour la multiplication des Végéteaux, par la Chevalier de André Thouin, Professor, &c. in the University of Paris. Paris, &c. folio, with plates. VAN MONS. Dr Jean Baptiste Van Mons. Catalogue des Arbres Fruitiers, &c. Louvaine, 1823. Also, Pomographie Belgique Moderne, 4to. with plates. This work is still in progress, and but a small part of it has been received from him. They are in the Library of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society. Dr Willich. — All thus designated refer to the Domestic Encyclopædia: these were drawn from the works of I. L. Christ, a clergyman of Kronburg, near Frankfort on the Maine. ERRATA. Page 18, 34th line, for Pomone Finale, read Pomme Finale. 19, 15th line, for in the tropics, read of the tropics. 31, 12th line, for inay be, read may have been. 35, 13th line, for Boyse, read Bosse. 40, 2d line, for interruptedly, read uninterruptedly. 45, 30th line, for Augers, read Angers. 66, 22d line, for Eppes, read Epses, 114, 11th line for tEpargne, read *Epargne. 114, 35th line, for +Poire sans Peau, read *Poire sans Peau. 115, 35th line, for Fine or de Septembre, read Fin Or de Septembre. 120. 32d line, TERLING is Terling. 123. 12th line, for Trous, read Trout. INTRODUCTION. HORTICULTURE is the most ancient employment ordained by the Creator for man. Its utility and importance have been the pleasing theme of the enlightened in all successive generations. To the poor, -to the rich, its resources, alike afford subsistence, or a pleasing occupation. A pursuit so inviting, which allures from cities and their walls, and the haunts of men, to boundless freedom of thought, of action, and repose, a taste so universal and diffused, seems, indeed, so natural to the human race, that a distaste is considered as a disease of the mind, or as an alteration of its structure, - and as consistent only with a perverted nature-and as opposed to man and his happiness, as the night and its darkness is to day. And who that admires the consummate works of art, can be insensible to the more beauteous, and glorious works of the Creator and even the least of them all? "Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin; and yet I say unto you, that even Solomon in all his glory, was not arrayed like one of these.”—Matt. chap. vi. 28, 29. A science whose pursuits are alike so conducive to the health of the body, and of the mind-so calculated to render mankind useful, virtuous, and happy, has never wanted advocates. It has found them, with the best, and most enlightened of all ages -with every friend to his country, and to the human race. In our own country it has, and more especially of late, received that encouragement which its utility demands. This is sufficiently evinced, in the simultaneous organization of the numerous societies for its promotion, ⚫ and that of agriculture. With us, its progress has been |