194 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



other cause may have ceased to convey the meaning originally intended, of 

 which we may mention Pippin, Pearmain, and may we not add altio Beauty, 

 Eareripe, and several others? 



Sucli redundancy of verbiage in names is by no means peculiar to the 

 nomenclature of fruits. In fact it is even more noticeable in tlie names of 

 plants and flowers — as, among roses, Souvenir de Madame Pernet, Madamoi- 

 selle L3onie Gresseu, Truffant's Peony Flowered Perfection Aster, and many 

 others. 



But while perhaps admitting the magnitude of the evil, we may pjossibly be 

 asked how are we to apply the remedy? We answer, popular practice has long 

 since indicated the manner of relief, by a persistent lopping off of tlie more 

 intolerable excrescences — such as Duchess, instead of Duchesse d'Angouleme; 

 Louise Bonne, for Louise Bonne de Jersey,; Wilson, for Wilson's Albany; 

 Hardy Hydrangea, for Hydrangea Paniculata Grand iflora. But this is but a 

 halting, purposeless step in the needful direction. What is specially needed is, 

 that societies and even individuals occupying commanding positions in connec- 

 tion with matters of this character shall unite to assert the right to consider, 

 not the name merely of every such candidate for the favor of the public, but 

 its right even to possess a name; and to modify or wholly change such name at 

 their discretion. True, such fiat, exercised in derogation of the supposed right 

 of every person to attach a name to his own production, may be thought pre- 

 suming. We doubt not, however, that such power, discreetly used, would be 

 overwhelmingly sustained by the great mass of those interested in the subject; 

 and the more fully if, at the outset, our leading societies shall agree in the 

 framing of a set of rules covering the subject of names and naming, and pro- 

 viding such restrictions or limitations as shall tend to remedy the difficulties 

 to be avoided, in which should doubtless be included provisions discouraging, 

 as far as possible, the naming and dissemination of plants and fruits of inferior 

 quality. It can hardly be expected that any such code of rules, however wisely 

 drawn, can be so far effective as to wholly prevent the putting forth of unworthy 

 or even worthless articles ; but they would doubtless become, to some extent, 

 at least among the well informed, a test or touch-stone to which new and 

 untried candidates for public favor would be brought before venturing to be- 

 stow money or labor upon them. Such a set of rules, going before the public 

 with the highest sanctions, if directly commended to the notice of societies of 

 more local character, would doubtless sooner or later come to be generally 

 indorsed and adopted, and thus be commended to horticulturists as a whole, 

 with sanctions giving them almost if not altogether the force of law. 



What we would propose in the way of a realization of these ideas is that such 

 organizations as the American Pomological Society, the Massachusetts Horti- 

 cultural Society, those of Pennsylvania, Cincinnati, and the Mississippi Valley, 

 working either as associates or independenths address themselves to this prob- 

 lem, with the purpose to put in force some adequate measures to relieve our 

 horticulture of the difficulties complained of, either by means of the process 

 suggested or something better. — T. T. Lyon in Ohio Farmer. 



THE COMMON NAMES OF OUR PLANTS. 



An effort is now making to collect and arrange the common names now 

 borne by the plants of the United States, somewhat as has been done for Eng- 



