88 STATE HORTICULTURAL. SOCIETY. 



Not only has the enormous modern increase of named varieties necessi- 

 tated the abbreviation of descriptions till the particulars needful for iden- 

 tification are nearly eliminated, but even when thus emasculated the bulk 

 still far exceeds the limit of profitable book-making, calling imperatively 

 for the elimination of the mass of worthless trash which now encumbers 

 the pages of our text-books. 



Even worse than this may justly be said to be the outcome of our nomen- 

 clature as it exists today. A person of rowdyish notions discovers a straw- 

 berry and sends it forth as Big Bob. Another sees value in an apple which 

 came up and fruited near an out-building, and gives us the Smokehouse. 

 In similar ways we obtain the Sheepnose, the Hogsnout, and others. In 

 some, to me, unaccountable manner, some highly imaginative person has 

 given us that delectable, the Snorter. But enough — we scarcely need even 

 allude to the colonels, generals, admirals, presidents, emperors, empresses, 

 princesses, and various other high dignitaries which lend their brightness 

 to our lists, since they include almost every gradation from the czar apple 

 down to the swindle strawberry. 



Let us, in thought, imagine a botanist, a mycologist or an entomologist 

 instinct with a consciousness of the dignity pertaining to those sciences, 

 as indeed to all science proper, called upon to enter into his vocabulary 

 names of the questionable character already indicated, or a convention of 

 men of this character called upon to consider and endorse them as current 

 names in a scientific list. Does any one for a moment doubt that they 

 would be ignominiously rejected? Suppose, further, that such an assem- 

 blage were asked to recognize, as a proper scientific vocabulary, the fruit 

 lists of our present pomological text-books, with their numerous names of 

 questionable character and the very numerous iterations of the same name, 

 to represent distinct fruits, as well as the still more numerous repetitions 

 of the same word, usually the name of a popular fruit, used to represent 

 another, with merely a subsidiary distinguishing word. 



There can scarcely be room for doubt that, if such question could be 

 thus presented, we would be summarily told to take back our lists; elimi- 

 nate the Singed Cats, Sheepnoses, Hogsnouts, Snorters, and Big Bobs; 

 purify, simplify, and systematize it, after which they might be willing to 

 give it consideration. 



It may be truthfully alleged that the American Pomological society has 

 already adopted rules which, enforced, would produce results such as we 

 indicate; and it is moreover the fact that, so far as its proceedings and its 

 catalogues go, it has, to a considerable extent, applied such rules, though 

 mainly only to recent introductions, which enter into its transactions. 



What is necessary to the full carrying out of such reform is, that a com- 

 petent authority be constituted and charged with the duty of thoroughly 

 carrying through the needful reformation; and, acting as umpire, applying 

 the test to all subsequent introductions, with reference to both quality and 

 value, including the propriety of the nomenclature as well. The National 

 Division of Pomology, which has the government as its backer, and is 

 continually in session, with a corps of experts and excellent facilities for 

 such work, is apparently the most competent and effective tribunal for the 

 purpose. 



