25 



Other personal and local names, while not having the obvious 

 propriety of those already mentioned, are often quite neat and ac- 

 ceptable. There are the Jessie strawberry, Lone star plum, Jonathan 

 apple, Green Mountain grape, and Louise pear. When one is hard 

 pressed for a name, a nearby mountain range or a river or the eldest 

 daughter's first name may be called into requisition. 



Names constructed from descriptive adjectives have a strong at- 

 traction for most horticulturists. Their appropriateness cannot be 

 gainsaid; only when one starts to make a selection on this line he 

 must remember that he is choosing a name and not writing a de- 

 scription. The name is far the more important, and the aptness of 

 the adjective must not interfere with the necessities of nomenclature. 

 It is in this class of names that abuse is most common, and caution 

 may therefore be the more strenuously recommended. The rules for 

 naming vegetables (page 13) say that "the name should not be super- 

 lative or bombastic." Examples of good names of this sort are the 

 following ; Golden Wax Bean, Cosmopolitan Musk Melon, Perfection 

 Tomato, Limbertwig Apple, Transparent Plum. But anyone looking 

 over this matter will find that really good names of this class are 

 much more scarce than might be expected. On the whole the de- 

 scriptive adjective is not a brilliant success as a name. 



One word is a great deal better than two in making up a name. 

 Two words ought not to be used unless there is some very good reason 

 for it. Three words are never admissible. 



The use of Latin names in horticultural nomenclature is almost 

 never good taste. There is sometimes shown a tendency in this direc- 

 tion, but fortunately it has not been serious in this country. 

 Examples of this sort of thing carried to excess may be cited from 

 foreign catalogues. For instance, I find Polygonum orientals pumilum 

 album, Begonia semperjlorens atropurpurea compacta, and Chrysanthe- 

 mum rttrinatum atrococcinevni fuliis auveis. 



A word needs to be said by the way of caution in the matter of 

 naming hybrids. It is a common, and not altogether bad, practice 



