NECESSITY FOR—BASIS OF—CHARACTERS—SHAPE—ITS REGULARITY. FLAVOR—COLOR—THEIR SEVERAL VALUES—THOMAS' CLASSIFICATION—GERMAN WRITERS—DIEL'S SEVEN CLASSES—MODIFICATIONS BY DOCHNAHL—ROBERT HOGG'S MODIFICATION BASED UPON SEASON—DIEL'S CONSPECTUS OF CLASSIFICATION—DOCHNAHL'S—THE AUTHOR'S CLASSIFICATION EXPLAINED—EXPLANATION OF TERMS—TOPICS COMBINED—CONSPECTUS OF CLASSIFICATION USED IN THIS WORK.
The need of some classification grows more and more pressing, as our fruit lists have become more extended, and they now reach many hundreds. A good and reliable systematic classification has become absolutely necessary, and has received a great deal of consideration.
Upon what principle shall this classification be founded? The common alphabetical arrangement of most text books may be very convenient for a mere dictionary of fruits, but is utterly useless to the novice who does not know the name of his specimen. The arrangement by season and size has its difficulties in the uncertainty and variation of these characters in the different soils and climates of our extended country, and a sub-division and grouping of fruits by their quality of excellence is not only unreliable, but is altogether arbitrary, and subject to the greatest diversity of opinion arising from the various tastes of different individuals. We must look to some marked and reliable characters that are always present, easily recognized, and permanent or fixed. Among these shape or figure stands pre-eminent, notwithstanding the acknowledged fact that some varieties are almost protean. The shape of the general outline appears to be the best character for the broad divisions of a classification. A sub-division may again be made, which is to be based upon the regularity or irregularity of the shape.
The next character, and one of considerable value, is that dependent upon flavor in its broadest characters of sweet and sour, which, though sometimes giving rise to a puzzling question, is, in most varieties, sufficiently marked to constitute the basis of a minor sub-division. Color, which is notoriously the poorest character and least esteemed by botanists in their descriptions, on account of its liability to variation, is, however, of sufficient importance in pomology to take a high rank and to appear very prominently in fruit nomenclature. Still it should be reserved for the lowest sub-divisions of a classification.
Among our American writers, who deservedly stand prominent as pomologists, the most satisfactory attempt at classification is found in the little work prepared by J.J. Thomas. No one who has realized the advantages to be derived from the simple and clear sub-divisions made by this author, will ever be satisfied with a fruit-book that is not arranged upon the basis of some classification. Thomas, in his excellent work, makes three great divisions of apples according to their period of ripening, as the Summer, Autumn, and Winter fruits, to which some of us would desire to add Spring, or long-keepers. Each of these he has divided into two classes—those characterized by their flavor as sweet apples, and those possessed of more or less acidity; and each of these classes is subdivided into two sections, according to their color, as striped with red and not striped; so that in this arrangement we have eighteen groups, and, with specimen in hand, this synopsis enables us at once to decide in which of these groups of moderate dimensions we may look for the description we desire; and, if it be contained in the book, it may readily be found. The labor of searching through the whole list is thus obviated.
The Germans have made many attempts at the classification of fruits. Christ, Diel, Dochnahl, Manger and Sickler, have been engaged in this work; and Diel's Synopsis, though far from perfect, has been generally adopted. He makes seven classes, with orders under each. Dochnahl, a later writer, has modified this by making two sections according to the shape, whether angular or spherical, and four classes also based upon their form.
Robert Hogg, in his British Pomology, which is an excellent account of the apples cultivated in England, has given a modification which answers a good purpose for classification. He makes three great sections, according to season, Summer, Autumn, and Winter. Each of these is divided into two classes, according to shape: 1st, Round, roundish, or oblate; and 2nd, Oblong, conical, oval, or ovate. These again are grouped according to their colors: A, pale; B, striped; C, red; and D, russet.
As a matter of interest I will give Diel's classification.
CLASS I.—RIBBED APPLES.
1. They are furnished with very prominent, but regular ribs around the eye, extending also over the fruit, but which do not render it irregular.