240 



The HorticuUnriftt and Journal 



What's in a Name ! 



BV A. L. HATCH, ITHACA, WIS. 



EDITOR Horticulturist : What's in a 

 name ! How much of quality, of beauty, 

 nay, of real elegance, a name is capable of ex- 

 pressing ! How prone horticulturists and 

 florists to the use of the superlative and super- 

 superlative in naming their pets ! Only think 

 of the "gems," "pearls," "rubies," "fairies," 

 "queens," "beauties," "triumphs," "de- 

 lights," "colossals," "mammoths," "giants," 

 "spangles," "sparkles," "grands," "nobles," 

 " elegants " and " glories " presented in al- 

 most any good-sized floral catalogue. He 

 must have the heart of Pharaoh who cannot, 

 when reading these names, have his soul filled 

 with enthusiasm, and overflow with ecstacy, as 

 he contemplates the vast amount of wonderful 

 beauty hid in embryo plants and seeds. How 

 expressive, how appropriate, how practical a 

 name may be ! If we seek for elegance, ten- 

 derness and delicacy, we find it in the gentler 

 appellations of the feminine, such as "white 

 lady," " May queen," " ladies' jewel," " lady 

 of the sea," "seven sisters," "little Minnie," 

 "the bride," "princess," "the belle," "Miss 

 Ida," " Clara's gem," etc. In seeking the 

 grand, stately, majestic or noble, we find them 

 in such names as "the victor," "prince 

 royal," " General Lee," " Lord Derby," 

 "king of scarlets," "lion heart" and "So- 

 crates." 



Shades, colors, tints and markings, together 

 with size and qualities, are appropriately ex- 

 pressed in names of fruits or flowers, and 

 names are the most practical when they indi- 

 cate most clearly these features, and at the 

 same time are samples of brevity and sim- 

 plicity. We can hardly mistake the colors of 

 flowers when named "purple gem," "rosy 

 morn," "cloth of gold," "le nankin," "silver 

 queen," "bridal wreath," "bluebird," "pink 

 beauty," or "scarlet queen," "variegated," 

 •'striped," "spangled," "spotted," "zebra," 

 all express markings in unmistakable terms ; 



and should we procure plants bearing these 

 names, we should expect "star-spangled" 

 flowers of uncertain streaks and stripings. 



Our " darkness '' and "Sambo" verbenas, 

 our " black prince," " midnight " and " sable " 

 flowers we should expect to assume the darkest 

 shades. 



Origin, productiveness, season and habits of 

 growth may also be shown in names of fruits, 

 as " Rhode Island Grreening," " Jersey Blue," 

 " Russell's Prolific," " Old Mixon Freestone," 

 "New York Pippin," "Christmas Apple," 

 "Autumn Strawberry," "Summer Queen," 

 " Cluster Seedling," " Mammoth Cluster," etc. 



Names are of great commercial importance 

 in the sale of new plants and trees. All nur- 

 serymen are aware of this fact, and are willing 

 to make their articles attractive to purchasers 

 by the use of attractive, euphonious or start- 

 ling names. Western tree-sellers know the 

 superiority, in a commercial sense, of " Rus- 

 sian Crab " over " Tetofsky." No doubt more 

 or less of caprice enters into such singular 

 names as "Honest John," "Stump the 

 World," "Sheepnose," etc. 



Again we ask, what's in a name ? Is there 

 not more of utility and beauty, more of fancy 

 and information than most comprehend ? 

 Surely it was a vast task that Adam per- 

 formed when he named the beasts of the field 

 and the fowls of the air. 



Mnlching. 



FOR a general mulch there is nothing equal 

 to the soil itself. A thorough pulveriza- 

 tion of the surface is the same as a coat of 

 saw-dust, cut straw, or any similar fine appli- 

 cation. There is some fertility, it is true, in 

 these latter ; but then there is some enrich- 

 ment secured also by working the soil, the 

 labor in the two being about equal, though 

 the latter can be increased ; but then its 

 benefit from increased fertility will balance 

 and more than balance this. 



Our corn fields, therefore, are mulched to 

 advantage by the use of the cultivator. 

 Whether it would pay when this ceases, to 

 apply a special mulch is a question. It will 



