THE FARMERS' REGISTER. 



289 



marlinix, as a safetruard, is next in value lo proper 

 and liioroiJgh draining. 



In answer to the last remark of our correspond- 

 ent, we have to say thai marl is fully as bene- 

 ficial to cotton as to corn, and most other uselul 

 crops. It is more beneficial lo clover only be- 

 cause lime is a specific manure for this crop, or an 

 injiredieni absolutely necessary (o iis life and vi- 

 gor. But it is an unnecessary refinenieni to 

 weigh nicely the comparative benefits of calca- 

 reous manure to diHierenl vegetables. Its main 

 and great operaiion is to. make bad soils good, 

 and enable poor land lo become fertile. And 

 there is no vahable crop whatever on which this 

 great operation will not be abundantly effective 

 and beneficial. — Ed. F. R. 



ON THE PROPER NOMENCI> ATURE OF 

 GRASSES. 



For the Farmers' Register. 



Dearsir: — By yesterday's mail, I had the ho- 

 nor ol receivinir a parcel from you, consistiriiJ ol 

 the Farmers' Register, vol. 9, No. 2, and seve- 

 ral oiher of your publicaiions, lor all ot v/hich 

 1 beg you to accept my grateful acknowledg- 

 ments. 1 perceive that you have transferred 

 lo ih*? Register a histy communication which 

 I sent to Mr. Skitmer, respecting the nomenclu- 

 lure of the ^crosses most liimiliarly known lo 

 the agnculiurisis of this region, and have also 

 accom|)anied that article wiih some interesting 

 suggestions, relative to a plan (or obtaining a 

 more accurate knowledge of the objects which 

 are daily treated of in our agricultural jour- 

 nals. It is highly gratifying to see that you 

 have taken up the subject in that point of view, 

 as one of the first steps towards a useful discus- 

 sion is, imdoubiedly, lo ascertain precisely what 

 we are talking about. Ii is worse thriu labor lost 

 to argue the merits, or demerits, of plants, under 

 their local popular names, without a relereiice, 

 at the same lime, to the established scientific 

 names, by which ihey may be csriainly recoix- 

 nized in all parts of itie civilized world ; for those 

 popular names are so various, and so olien mis- 

 applied, that ihey inevitably lead to error and 

 cjnfusion. Your projet, or something similar, 

 is the only mode by which the nomenclature ol 

 plants can be extricated from the chaos in which 

 it has been thrown by popular synonymy. My 

 letter to Mr, Skinner was hasiily written, on the 

 spur of ihe*ccasion, and is of course exceedingly 

 imperfect ; its main purpose being to determine 

 the identity of the so-called '• Kentucky blue- 

 grass.'''' The other grasses, therein meniiuned, 

 were merely enumerated as occurring to .ne at 

 the moment. 



1 am much pleaded to find that you have 

 enlisted my friend, the Rev. Mr. Curiis, in this 

 matter. You could not have found a betiei 

 hand for the business ; and I have no doubt, 

 if your joint suggestions are carried out in the 

 proper spirit, that our agricultural writers may all 

 foe speedily enabled to treat uaderstandingly of 

 Vol. IX.-20 



the plants, in which the farmers have an interest. 

 By ascertaining their scientific names and giving 

 them always in conjunction with the popular 

 names, every intelligent reader will be ;il>le to 

 know exactly what is meant, when plants are in- 

 troduced lo notice ; and thus a world of conjec- 

 ture, of error, and confusion, maybe obviated. 

 We cannot converse on objects, without some 

 name bv which to designate them, and distinguish 

 them one from anoiher; and it seems to me, 

 that when names are to be learned, by any one, 

 it is just as easy to acquire one neiv name as 

 anoiher, that aright name may be learned just 

 as readily as a wrong one. There is even an 

 economy of the powers of memory, in having on« 

 definite, universally understood name, for an ob- 

 ject, in the pi ice oi half a dozen vague, qnd un- 

 certain ones, althoush that one may be latin, and 

 the others all vernacular. It is certainly, I think, 

 as easy, lor a mere English scholar, to become 

 acfjuainted with a particular species of grass, 

 under the name of poa pratensis, na to ascertain 

 what is meant by the various epithets o( ^^ Ken- 

 tucJiy blue-grass,-'' ^' green- sward'' ^' spear- grass," 

 ^^meadow-grass," &c. Ani when once acijuired, 

 the learner has the salislaction to know, that he 

 can designate the plant by a name which is intel- 

 ligible, precise, and disTincily comprehended 

 throughout the'civilize.d world. 



Al ail evems, I should say, the editors of 

 agricultT.mil journals, and their correspondents, 

 would find It greatly to (•heir convenience and ad- 

 vantage, to adopt the universal nomenclature of 

 natural science, when treating of plants. They 

 would then always be accurately understood, and 

 not be |)laying at cross purposes, in their discus- 

 sions, by relerring to different objects, or bewil- 

 dering their readers in conjectures, as to what may 

 he the precise things alluded to. As soon as the 

 scientific names are acquired, and rendered fami- 

 liar, the various local popular 7iames, could be 

 gradually collected, and annexed to the standard 

 names ; and thus a key would tie furnished to the 

 Babel-like sj/nonj/mi/, pievailing in the difierent 

 districts of our widely extended republic. This 

 laudable purpose, your proposition, as I- have 

 said, is well calculated to accomplish ; and I hear- 

 iily wish you every success. With the aid of 

 ! such a botanist as my e?ieemed friend, Mr. Cur- 

 Mis, you will find no difficulty in efi'ecting it. If 

 each agricultural editor in our co^Bfy would 

 provide himsell' wiih what might ^b called a 

 •' Farmers' Herbarium," containing a good speci- 

 I men of each plant that was immediately interest- 

 ing to the larmer (whether valuabe, or perni- 

 j cious,) and each species authentically labelled 

 with the •established scientific name, together 

 wiih all the known j)opular synonymes, he would 

 find himself in possession of one of the most 

 useful dictionaries, or expositors, lo which he 

 could resort in Ihe prosecution ol his instrudive 

 labors. An herbarium, such as I have alluded 

 '0, being strictly confined to plants in which he 

 larmer is interested, would neither lie bnlkv, 

 nor difficult to obtain. A lair specimen of eacA 

 species, and variety, aaihered when in its most 

 (lerlect state of developement, and carefully pre- 

 pared for preservation, by pressure and drying 

 between sheets of paper, might be procured with 

 but little trouble, I should think, in a single sea- 

 son. If you will undertake the work, or gel some 



