RULES OF NOMENCLATURE. V 



already stated, they have been omitted from the alphabetical arrange- 

 ment. 



Occasionally some of the above descriptions mark real superiority 

 of stock, especially as regards purity and vigor, due perhaps to care- 

 ful " rogueing" or to climatic, soil, or cultural conditions. It would 

 ho much better, however, it* such superiority were left to be known 

 by the reputation of the seed house rather than advertised by the addi- 

 tion of the seedsman's name or adjectives to the simple variety name. 

 a practice which has been so much abused that these additions have 

 little or no significance. 



Besides the above reductions in the regular catalogue names other 

 changes have been made, as follow-: When the words "earliest '* and 

 "early" are applied by different seedsmen to the same variety, not 

 marking any difference in type, as in Early Sheffield and Earliest 

 Sheffield, that one of the two forms has been taken up which has been 

 most generally adopted by seedsmen. Incomplete variety names like 

 Plum and Cherry have been changed to more exact names, as Yellow 

 Plum, Red Plum. Yellow cherry, and Red Cherry, wherever it has 

 been possible from the descriptions given in the catalogue to determine 

 which kind is referred to. 



In beans the name Lazy Wives of some seedsmen has been changed 

 to the more generally recognized Lazy Wife, and Marrowfat when- 

 ever used i^ changed t<> Marrow. In beets the words --blood" and 

 "turnip" not being used with any regularity by seedsmen, even with 

 reference to the same variety, have been dropped from names when- 

 ever possible, and retained only when they serve to distinguish dif- 

 ferent though similar-named varieties, as Bastian's Half Long Blood 

 and Bastian's Blood Turnip, or where the dropping of them would 

 make the name misunderstood or incomplete, as in Early Blood Turnip. 

 In cabbages "headed" and --heading" have been dropped from all 

 names and Holland changed to the more generally accepted name 

 Hollander. In cauliflower Late Algerian has been changed to the 

 more generally accepted name Late Algiers. In lettuce Early Stone, 

 Golden Stone, and Spotted Dutch Butter were changed to the more 

 generally accepted names Early Stonehead, Golden Stonehead, and 

 Speckled Dutch Butter, and the words " white-seeded" and "black- 

 seeded" retained only when necessary. In muskmelons the words 

 "cantaloupe," "citron," and " nutmeg," not being used with any regu- 

 larity for the varieties to which they are applied by some seedsmen, 

 have been dropped from variety names, excepting where it has been 

 necessary to retain them to make a name complete. In onions "long- 

 keeping" has been dropped from all names. In peas "marrow" has 

 been changed to " marrowfat." In peppers "thornless," which botan- 

 ically speaking is an incorrect term to apply to peppers, has been 

 changed to "spineless," which is the word used by most seedsmen. 



