96 



The Journal of Heredity 



an animal. The principal difference 

 between plant and animal breeding 

 and eugenics lies in the fact that 

 the essential forces of race improve- 



ment — selective mating and elimina- 

 t'on — which, in the one case, man 

 applies to the lower species, in the 

 other, he applies to himself.'" 



5 Other differences between eugenics and breeding should not be overlooked. People not un- 

 naturally resent and even oppose eugenics if they get the mistaken idea that eugenists are under- 

 taking to control mankind as domestic animals are controlled. The chief object of plant and 

 animal breeding is to produce large numbers of individuals as nearly alike as possible, by prop- 

 agating from a single individual or a few select individuals, whereas eugenics relates to the 

 general evolutionary improvement of the racial stock, with no idea of suppressing the normal 

 individual diversity' of talents, temperaments and physical features. Though the same general 

 facts of inheritance, or "laws of heredity," must be taken into account in eugenics as in plant and 

 animal breeding, the eugenic problems have to be worked out on entirely different lines. Racial 

 progress will depend upon general information and education of the public to a state of eugenic 

 consciousness and responsibility, which is not required for plant and animal breeding. For a state- 

 ment at greater length, see "Eugenics and Breeding," by O. F~. Cook in this Journal, Vol. 5, 

 pp. 30-33, January 1914.— Ed. 



A New Catalog of Plant Names 



All workers with plants should be 

 greatly interested in a publication that 

 has been announced recently by the 

 American Joint Committee on Horti- 

 cultural Nomenclature. The work is 

 entitled the "Official Catalog of Stand- 

 ardized Plant Names" and will include: 



(1) The approved Scientific Names 

 of plants in American commerce, and 

 the Synonyms which have been most 

 generally used for such approved 

 names; (2) The approved Common 

 Names of such plants where such 

 names have been formulated, and 

 important synonymous or unapproved 

 common names; (3) Authoritative lists 

 of Variety Names, in important classes, 

 such as Rose, Iris, Peony, Dahlia, 

 Lilac, Rhododendron, Chrysanthe- 

 mum, Sweet Peas, etc.; (4) The ap- 

 proved variety names of Fruits, accord- 

 ing to the newly revised code of the 

 American Pomological Society. 



Confusion regarding the use of com- 

 mon and varietal names has been a very 

 real obstacle to progress in plant physi- 

 ology and genetics. Not a few of the 

 discrepancies in the findings of plant 



investigators are traceable to unsus- 

 pected differences in the basic material 

 used, different plants not infrequently 

 being sold under the same varietal 

 name and the same variety under differ- 

 ent names. 



The Official Catalog should go far 

 toward effecting stability in the use of 

 common names. The choice of names 

 has been made very carefully and the 

 committee in charge of the work repre- 

 sents the leading seed and nursery 

 organizations as well as those interested 

 in the more technical aspects of botany. 

 There can be little doubt that the usages 

 sanctioned in this work will be adopted 

 generally by the trade. 



There is a widespread feeling on the 

 part of plant breeders that new plant 

 productions should be protected by 

 patent. A carefully prepared and com- 

 plete list of existing varieties is the 

 logical first step in this direction. 



For complete information and pre- 

 publication prices those interested 

 should address Harlan P. Kelsey, Sec'y 

 American Joint Committee on Horti- 

 cultural Nomenclature, Salem, Mass. 



A REQUEST FOR MULTIPLE-LEAVED CLOVER PLANTS 



H. F". Roberts, Professor of Botany of the 

 University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada, 

 desires to obtain plants of White Dutch 

 Clover (Trifolium repensj and Red Clover 

 fTrifolium pratense) bearing supplementary 

 leaflets. He desires a series having different 



numbers of leaves to use in a Genetics experi- 

 ment. If readers of the Journal of Heredity 

 who find such plants would be so kind as to 

 mail them to Prof. Roberts, it would be greatly 

 appreciated. 



