FRAGMENTS OF SCIENCE. 



141 



Most of these names, Biitton and Brown 

 continue in the preface to the third vol- 

 ume of their •work, sugf,fest their own ex- 

 planation. " The greater number are 

 either derived from the supposed uses, 

 qualities, or properties of the plants; 

 many refer to their habitat, appearance, 

 or resemblance, real or fancied, to other 

 things; others come from poetical sug- 

 gestion, affection, or association with 

 saints or persons. Many are very graph- 

 ic, as the Western name prairie fire (Cas- 

 tillea coccinca) ; many are quaint or hu- 

 morous, as cling rascal {Galium sparine) 

 or wait-a-bit (Smilax rotundifolia) ; and 

 in some the corruptions are amusing, as 

 Aunt Jerichos (New England) for An- 

 gelica. The words horse, ox, dog, bull, 

 snake, toad, are often used to denote size, 

 coarseness, worthlessness, or aversion. 

 Devil or devil's is used as a prefix for up- 

 ward of forty of our plants, mostly ex- 

 pressive of dislike or of some traditional 

 resemblance or association. A number of 

 names have been contributed by the In- 

 dians, such as chinquapin, wicopy, pip- 

 sissewa, wankapin, etc., while the term 

 Indian, evidently a favorite, is applied as 

 a descriptive prefix to upward of eighty 

 different plants." There should be no 

 antagonism in the use of scientific and 

 popular names, since their purposes are 

 quite different. The scientific names are 

 necessary to students for accuracy, " but 

 the vernacular names are a part of the 

 development of the language of each peo- 

 ple. Though these names are sometimes 

 indicative of specific characters and 

 hence scientifically valuable, they are 

 for the most part not at all scientific, 

 but utilitarian, emotional, or pictur- 

 esque. As such they are invaluable not 

 for science, but for the common intelli- 

 gence and the appreciation and enjoy- 

 ment of the plant world," 



Educated Colored Labor.- — In a 

 paper published in connection with the 

 Proceedings of the Trustees of the John 

 F. Slater "Fund, I\Ir. Booker T. Wash- 

 ington describes his efi'orts, made at the 

 suggestion of the trustees, to bring the 

 work done at the Tuskegee school to 

 the knowledge of the white people of 

 the South, and their success. Mr. 

 Carver, instructor in agriculture, went 

 before the Alabama Legislature and 

 gave an exhibition of his methods and 

 results before the Committee on Agri- 



culture. The displays of butter and 

 other farm products proved so interest- 

 ing that many members of the Legisla- 

 ture and other citizens inspected the 

 exhibit, and all expressed their gratifi- 

 cation. A full description of the work 

 in agriculture was published in the 

 Southern papers: "The result is that 

 the white people are constantly apply- 

 ing to us for persons to take charge of 

 farms, dairies, etc., and in many ways 

 showing that their interest in our work 

 is growing in proportion as they see the 

 value of it." A visit made by the Presi- 

 dent of the United States gave an oppor- 

 tunity of assembling within the institu- 

 tion five members of the Cabinet with 

 their families, the Governor of Alabama, 

 both branches of the Alabama Legisla- 

 ture, and thousands of white and col- 

 ored people from all parts of the South. 

 " The occasion was most helpful in 

 bringing together the two sections of 

 our country and the two races. No 

 people in any part of the world could 

 have acted more generously and shown 

 a deeper interest in this school than did 

 the white people of Tuskegee and Ma- 

 con County during the visit of the Presi- 

 dent." 



Geology of Columbus, Ohio. — In 



his paper, read at the meeting of the 

 American Association, on the geology of 

 Ohio, Dr. Orton spoke of the construc- 

 tion of glacial drifts as found in central 

 Ohio and the source of the material of 

 the drift, showing that the bowlder clay 

 is largely derived from the comminution 

 of black slake, the remnants of which 

 appear in North Columbus. He spoke 

 also of the bowlders scattered over the 

 surface of the region about Columbus, 

 the parent rocks of which may be traced 

 to the shores of the northern lakes, and 

 of Jasper's conglomerate, picturesque 

 fragments of which may be found 

 throughout central Ohio. Some of these 

 bowlders are known to have come from 

 Lake Ontario. Bowlders of native cop- 

 per also occur, one of which M'as found 

 eight feet below the surface in excava- 

 tions carried on for the foundations of 

 the asylum west of the Scioto. 



Civilized and Savag'e. — Professor 

 Semon, in his book In the Australian 

 Bush, characterizes the treatment of the 

 natives by the settlers as constituting, 



