132 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



MONTEVIDEO TRIAL STATION. 



LYCURGUS R. MOYER, SUPT. 



Nomenclature. — The carelessness of nurserymen as well as the 

 want of system in horticultural nomenclature is one of the evils that 

 add materially to the cares of one who is experimenting with the 

 newer shrubs and plants. It is not many years ago since we ordered 

 the Stag-Horn Sumac (Rhus typhina) from a nurseryman in Wis- 

 consin, but after growing the shrub that he sent us for a number 

 of years we found it to be a Red-Berried Elder (Sambucus pubens). 

 This was a fraud, for the nurseryman must have known better. A 

 couple of years ago we ordered from a nurseryman in Nebraska, 

 who is prominent and well known, a climbing honeysuckle called 

 by him in his catalog Lonicera Belgica, but on growing it for a 

 year or two we found it to be Lonicera sempervirens. It turned out 

 to be a desirable plant and one of the best climbers that we have in 

 our collection ; but why did not the nurseryman sell it under its 

 proper name? The same nurseryman sent us the common wild 

 clematis (Clematis Virginiana) in the place of the Clematis pani- 

 culata that we ordered. Of course this was a disappointment, for 

 the wild clematis was already very abundant on our grounds. 



A St. Paul nurseryman sent us a Phildelphus when we ordered 

 from him a Syringa, thinking that we were to have a new lilac ; but 

 perhaps he might be pardoned for this, inasmuch as it is not long 

 since that we heard a learned professor speaking before this society 

 confuse the names of these shrubs in the same way. Of course the 

 professor knew well enough that a syringa is a lilac bush, but it 

 was only a case of his "talking down" to his audience. Since the 

 publication of Bailey's Cyclopaedia of Horticulture, wherein all the 

 plants, trees and shrubs ordinarily cultivated are carefully described, 

 there is really no excuse for not selling these things under their 

 true names. This society has also been guilty of not adopting and 

 using the standard nomenclature. Not many years ago the Amer- 

 ican Pomological Society adopted a standard nomenclature for fruit, 

 and our favorite apple, the Duchess of Oldenburg, appeared on their 

 list as the Oldenburg, but by a piece of provincialism this society 

 decided to call the tree the Duchess instead of the Oldenburg. The 

 same tree is known in Canada and in other states as the Oldenburg. 

 It is perhaps too late now to change our local name, but it would 

 certainly save much trouble and prevent much disappointment and 

 loss of money if there were but one standard name for any tree, fruit 

 or plant in general use among nurserymen. Perhaps this society 

 ought to move for a reform in this particular and advocate the en- 



