INTRODUCTION. 7 



honestly for my readers' service, I neither question 

 nor care how far the emendations I propose may 

 be now or hereafter adopted. I shall not even 

 name the cases in which they have been made for 

 the serious reason above specified ; but even shall 

 mask those which there was real occasion to alter, 

 by sometimes giving new names in cases where 

 there was no necessity for such a kind. Doubtless I 

 shall be accused of doing myself what I violently 

 blame in others. I do so ; but with a different 

 motive — of which let the reader judge as he is 

 disposed. The practical result will be that the 

 children who learn botany on the system adopted 

 in this book will know the useful and beautiful 

 names of plants hitherto given, in all languages ; 

 the useless and ugly ones they will not know. And 

 they will have to learn one Latin name for each 

 plant, which, when differing from the common 

 one, I trust may yet by some scientific persons 

 be accepted, and with ultimate advantage. 



The learning of the one Latin name — as, for 

 instance, Gramen striatum — I hope will be accu- 

 rately enforced always ; — but not less carefully 

 the learning of the pretty English one — " Ladie- 

 lace Grass " — with due observance that " Ladies' 

 laces hath leaves like unto Millet in fashion, with 

 many white vaines or ribs, and silver strakes 



