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being the Greek name of some cereal, and the specific a corruption of an 

 Indian name for the plant. 



When a distinct variation from the described limits of a species is 

 found, it is customary to make of it a new species or to include it as a 

 variety of the parent species. Both systems have been applied to maize. 

 Sturtevant adopted the plan of a trinominal nomenclature to distinguish 

 seven varieties, as follows: Zea Mays tunicata, pod corn; Zea Mays 

 saccharata, sweet corn ; Zea Mays indentata, dent corn ; Zea Mays indur- 

 ata, flint corn; Zea Mays everta, pop corn; Zea Mays amylea, soft corn; 

 and Zea Mays amylea-saccharata, a poorly-defined type, part soft and 

 part sweet. Some later authorities have dropped the word Mays from 

 these names, giving the types specific rank. 



The inadequacy of either system is obvious on close examination. 

 It is based upon a single set of characteristics, and in other respects 

 each variety or species is subject to the full range of variation. In fact 

 even these seven varieties are not distinct with regard to the set of 

 charactristics which forms the basis of division ; pod corn necessarily ex- 

 ists in one of the other six forms or in a mixture of them. The name of 

 a species should stand for a description; its value is lessened as excep- 

 tions to this description are found, and utterly destroyed as soon as it 

 overlaps other species so far as to render them indistinguishable. If 

 the names stand for nothing but individual characters, then, it would be 

 better to mention the character than the variety possessing it. There is 

 also another disadvantage to the system; it establishes a bad precedent, 

 which, with a little encouragement, would soon lead to a condition bor- 

 dering on absurdity; in fact, I am not sure that it has not already 

 reached that point. Upon this basis a number of new variety names 

 have already sprung into existence, and more are due to arrive at any 

 time. Blaringhem mutilates a corn plant and gets, or thinks he gets, as 

 a result, a number of new varieties which breed true. To these he gives 

 such names as Zea Mays praecox, a very precocious form indeed if we 

 accept his interpretations, and Zea Mays pseiido-androgyna, pseudo be- 

 cause a Zea Mays androgyna already existed. Although his methods and 

 conclusions are a trifle shady, his naming of the new forms illustrates 

 the point in question. Seed companies advertise Zea gracillima, Zea 

 Mays gigantea quadricolor, Zea japonica, and Zea Curagua; and the 

 Department of Agriculture is now offering for distribution through the 



