INTERNATIONAL EOTANICAL CONGRESS. 201 
Professor Kart Kocu, Berlin.—* Some Propositions with respect 
to Systematic Botany.” 
Three especial sources of difficulty beset the — ice of Loy AA 
1st. The confused nomenclature. 2nd. The scattered lite 
sed of great numbers of plants by murserymen ann P ids ri 
n do but very little to remove these obstacles, but a Congress of 
botanists d NM will be better able to effect the necessary changes 
uet 
r Kooh proposed to ra the confused synonymy Ká retaining the 
Mira sate first giv but as regards the generic name, to place that w iive 
ey 
rwa he 
be that of him who first described the b nt. T nomenclature begins with 
Linnzeus, and hence all botanists prior to him o be disregarded. Linnseus, 
for instance, describes Ornithogalum Inte, ‘ut Salisbury os tees d 
racters of sufficient importance in this pla justify him in 
genus, Gagea. Our plants shell Dea. a called Gagea lates (Ornitho- 
m), 1a ys 
econdly, the scattered literature. Botanists nowadays write in German, 
French, English, Italian, etc., and in a large number of different periodicals, so 
becomes v very difficult, or even next to impossible, for i man to make him- 
bjec 
self thoroughly acquainted with the — x the E Professor Koch 
ses, the , to se m a O ious countries to 
examine and collate the separate publications of duse several countries 
general editor is to be appointed in a Eur tow ise where ode isa base 
inte opean 
library, and all extracts are to be sent to him at that p 
editor is to arrange these extracts scientifically, and to publish vec in ‘the 
language. 
Thirdly, as to the importation of plants by nurserymen. No ——— 
would ensue if the horticulturist were to adopt a provisional name in the firs 
correct name, whi 
M ame; and they alwa; hi 
botanists studied particular families, or would not venture to trouble them. 
ee ought, died pti ore, to be the task of a Botanico-Horticultural Congress. 
Fourthly, man y botanist s have already devoted themselves to particula 
families, uda ist Pied that others should do the same.  Horticul- 
turists m ed then. betes to these botanists for info rmation, ete. Professor 
Koch th eceeded in carrying out 
the ka reforms. 
The Congress then adjourned until eleven o’clock on the following 
day, when the following papers were read :— 
Dr. Davip Medex and Mr. A. G. More, Glasnevin.—'*On the 
Climate, Flora, and Crops of Ireland." 
The authors remarked upon the well-known humidity of the climate, and the 
singularly slight difference that there is between the summer and winter tem- 
A ; adi Dublin i ° Fahr., and coast 
small as 14°. Indeed, that of winter, they said, is as high as though the 
oeque 15 degrees nearer the equator. Hence the peculiarity of the Irish 
