A Descent into Particulars 71 



tomentosa, mollis, pubescens, villosa, as downy varieties; hir- 

 suta, hairy; rugosa, rough; spinosissima, thorny. A spring 

 variety is verna, vernalis, or vernis ; a summer is cestivalis, an 

 autumn as autumnalis. The opium poppy is Papaver som- 

 niferum, literally the sleep-bearing poppy. It takes but a 

 slight knowledge of Latin to understand the terminology of 

 the garden, and the Latin name is so much more liquid and 

 agreeable in its vowel sounds than the English equivalent 

 that I love the Latin name. As in the best catalogues plants 

 are thus classified, it is really necessary for the amateur to fa- 

 miliarize himself with scientific names, which can be done by 

 referring to a good botany, which gives both the common 

 name and the Latin. 



But we must not linger over this fascinating subject for 

 there are many other matters that need a word. For example 

 the fragrance of flowers is seldom given the prominence it 

 should have. By exercising a little thought, fragrant plants 

 may be placed at the entrance of a garden, near objects of 

 interest, or about the seats. There are fragrant flowers for the 

 whole season, and special attention should be given to secure 

 fragrant varieties of any species. A sweet odor seems to be 

 one of the compensations given to certain plants that other- 

 wise are handicapped by size, obscure color, or little beauty. 

 What should we care for mignonette, ambrosia, violet, laven- 

 der, fragrant evening stock if they had no perfume? Some 

 plants possess every gift of fortune, such 'as roses, white lilies, 

 lilac and fragrant peonies; but many of our favorites are 

 loved for their perfume alone. I subjoin lists of the fra- 

 grant flowers in my garden classified under shrubs, peren- 

 nials and annuals. By referring to the Appendix, their 

 time of blooming may be determined. This list does not 

 include roses. 



