17 



As an example of the best methods of nomenclature carefully 

 applied to the discussion of garden vegetables, I will take the liberty 

 to refer to a " Revision of the Genus Capsicum," by Mr. H. C- Irish, 

 just published in the ninth annual report of the Missouri Botanical 

 Garden. The title of the paper would give one the idea that Mr. 

 Irish was presenting only a botanical monograph of the genus in 

 hand; but besides studying fully the botanical species of Capsicum, 

 he has made a very critical study of the garden varieties of peppers. 

 These are carefully classified, and an analytical key arranged for the 

 determination of unknown varieties after the manner of the manu- 

 als of botany. But it is not the key so much as the method of des- 

 cription and of citation to w r hich I would turn attention. Let us take 

 the nomenclatural citations for the variety Bell : 



BELL, Burr. Field & Gard. Veg. 617, 1863. 

 Red Prince, Everitt, Cat. 1887. 



Bell or Bull Nose, Hend. Gard. for Profit, 264, 1887 (3ded). 

 N//vr< Spanish, Bailey, Bui. Mich. Agr. Col. 31, p. 41, 1887. 

 Bull Ntoe, Landreth Cat. 1894. 

 Piment gros carre doux, Piment cloche, French. 



Here we are given in connection with a full and very useful de- 

 scription of this variety (omitted from this review), the opinion of 

 Mr. Irish, derived from much close study, that Bell is the name prop- 

 erly belonging to it, and also the names which, according to the 

 author's judgment, have been used from time to time for the same 

 variety. Thus we are able to know at a glance, in so far as we have 

 confidence in the author's judgment, the correct name of the variety, 

 all the synonymous names, and where and when they have been 

 used. Perhaps one or two more examples of Mr. Irish's citations 

 will not leave this point over-illustrated. I select the following : 



SWEET SPANISH, Burr, Field & Gard. Veg. 625, 1863. 

 Quince- Pepper, Burr, 1. c. 623. 

 Large Sweet Spanish, Landreth, Cat., 1881. 

 Spanish Mammoth, Vihnorin-And. Veg. Gard. 153, 1885 



(Eng. ed.) 



New Sweet Spanish, Henderson, Cat., 1887. 

 Piment doux d'Espagne, French. 

 Rother milder spanischer Pfeffer, German. 



