532 NEW JERSEY STATE AGRICULTURAL 



State, and sent by the United States Department of Agriculture, 

 through the courtesy of Professor A. J. Pieters, was planted in 

 the gardens, and alongside of these bulbs a corresponding set 

 obtained from a store in the city, and of foreign gro'ivth. 



In the spring the winter protection of coarse manure was 

 removed, and, when the bulbs had started into growth, it was 

 determined that all of them were alive excepting one in the 

 Washington set. I'pon May 3d the first bloom appeared of a 

 light red color, and in the Washington set. Upon May 5th 

 there were three blooms in the Washington set and sixteen 

 in the foreign lot. The following remark is taken from 

 the record book: "Upon the whole, the 'market' (foreign) 

 plants appear to be more vigorous than the 'Department' 

 plants." Upon May 9th the record shows the Washington 

 set with nine blooms, four of which were double, and 

 the foreign lot with eighteen blooms, all single. Upon the nth 

 of May the record shows that "the tallest and finest blooms are 

 among the Department plants.'' Upon May 12th, the Wash- 

 ington set had twelve and the foreign lot eighteen blooms, with 

 three blasted buds in the latter set. Upon May 19th. the Wash- 

 ington set showed eight blooms and two buds, while the foreign 

 lot had six flowers and no buds. Upon May 23d, twenty days 

 after the first bloom appeared, there were but three plants in 

 flower, and these were all in the Washington set. 



It is seen that the American grown bulbs gave the finer flowers, 

 and were longer in bloom than the foreign bulbs. 



Notes Upon Nasturtiums. 



At the outset it is interesting to note that the common name 

 of the representatives of the genus Tropaeolum are called nastur- 

 tiums, which is the same name as the genus to which the water 

 cress belongs. In other words, the generic name for the water 

 cresses (Nasturtium) is applied as the common name 

 of the garden nasturtiums (Tropaeolum ma jus), etc. The 

 name nasturtium is an old Latin one, used by the Romans, and 

 derived by Pliny from nasus, the nose, and tortus, twisted, "re- 

 ferring toi the contortions oi the nose caused by the hot acrid 

 taste of the plants." The nasturtiums and the water cress, while 

 in different families of plants, agree in this hot taste, and it is 

 interesting that the name so vividly describing the ciiaracteristic 

 above mentioned should be fixed upoii the two groups of plants, 

 ■ the one in the scientific and the other in the common name. 



