170 MASSACHUSETTS HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



been known In' seven different names, and the Nickajack apple — 

 a variety widely cultivated in the Southern States — has, according 

 to Downing, no less than thirty-six sj'nonyms. 



David W. Lothrop said that his attention was drawn to the sub- 

 ject by reading Mr. Wilder's address as President of the American 

 Pomological Societ}' , and he was a little surprised to find him so 

 severe in the pruning of names. Names, perhaps, may well be 

 divided into three classes : first, descriptive names, such as 

 Moore's Early, Seaver Sweet, Hunt Russet, Roxbiuy Russet, or 

 Red Astrachan ; and, in the judgment of the speaker, it would be 

 well to retain such names though they might be composed of more 

 than one word. Second, names given in honor of the originator 

 or disseminator of a fruit, like Baldwin or Bartlett ; or the towns 

 in which they were natives, as Concord Grape and Hubbardston 

 Nonsuc4i. The third class comprises such names as embrace hon- 

 orary titles, as Captain, General, President, Bishop, etc., or those 

 that are vulgar, coarse, or uncouth. To all of this class the speaker 

 objected, the former being too common, the latter degrading. 

 Mr. Meehan, the editor of the " Gardener's Monthly," says that 

 Washington is a better name for a pear than President Washington 

 would be. In regard to foreign names the speaker thought we 

 can hardly claim the right to change them, though man}' of those 

 of French roses are very long aud repellent. Even in our own 

 country, societies have but little control over the names of fruits 

 and fiowers. 



William C. Strong said that the majority of horticulturists are 

 poor French scholars and pronouncers, and they find such names 

 as fitoile de L3'on and those of many other French roses extremely 

 diflacult to write or speak. He moved that a committee be ap- 

 pointed to consider the subject of a reform in the nomenclature of 

 garden plants. The motion was carried, and the chair appointed 

 Mr. Strong, E. W. Wood, Edward L. Beard, and Robert Manning 

 as that Committee. 



The discussion of Nomenclature ceased here, and the Chairman 

 of the Committee on Discussion announced the following paper, 

 which was read by the author : — 



