80 THE AMERICAN BOTANIST 



alterations and new names, the study of a man's life and now 

 none but real professors can pretend to attain to it. As I love 

 you, I tell you our sentiment." And again he writes: "If you 

 will be forever making new names and altering good and old 

 ones for such hard names that convey no idea of the plant, it 

 will be impossible to attain to perfect knowledge in the science 

 of botany." 



Plants and Nitrogen. — Although the air is nearly 

 four-fifths nitrogen, most plants though absolutely dependent 

 upon a supply of nitrogen for growth, can obtain none from 

 this source. Certain bacteria living on the roots mostly of 

 leguminous plants have the power to fix atmospheric nitrogen 

 and pass it on to the plants upon which they grow, but plants 

 in general must take their nitrogen in the form of nitrates dis- 

 solved in the soil water. According to the Scientific Ameri- 

 can, an English scientist has lately discovered that certain 

 plants are able to absorb atmospheric nitrogen by means of the 

 epidermal hairs wifi which they are covered. The nitrogen 

 is said to be built up into protein within the plant hair and 

 then passed on to the other cells of the plant. 



Personal Generic Names. — A writer in a recent num- 

 ber of Science deplores the present tendency to name genera of 

 plants and animals for persons of no great scientific import- 

 ance and cities as illustrations Perkinsia, Kellia, Mitchillina, 

 Smithia, Jonesia, etc. He says that these were all, no doubt, 

 estimable gentlemen, but questions whether their names are 

 commanding enough to deserve perpetuation in this way, to 

 say nothing of euphony. These, however, pale into insignifi- 

 cance beside certain other "terrible examples" cited such as 

 Billingsella, Girardinichthys, Pilshryo concha and Tarltonbeaii- 

 ia. As regards this latter the author says it should be 

 changed to Taiiton-H.-Beania to avoid a suit for damages 



