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to construct the name of a hybrid from pieces of the name borne by 

 its parents. Thus we have Mr. Williams' Bursoto plum, a hybrid of 

 Burbank and Desoto; Mr. Kerr's Elriv peach, a cross of Elberta and 

 Rivers; and Mr. Munson's Elvicand grape, a hybrid of Elvira with 

 Vitis candicans. This method of manufacturing a name sometimes 

 gives happy results, and in such cases no one can object. But if car- 

 ried to excess some very abominable crazy-patchwork may be made. 

 A cross between Catwaba and Delaware could not agreeably be called 

 Catware. Neither could a Cross of Hortense and Montmorency ap- 

 propriately be named Hortmorency. And if one had a combination 

 of four, five or six parents, such as Mr. Burbank has accomplished in 

 some of the plums he has been sending me, the results of this method 

 would be very absurd. Even with Prunus triflora, P. angustifolia, P. 

 americana and P. cerasifera combined the name Trigustcanfera would 

 hardly ring like good coin. This method, like all the others, is to be 

 used with caution ; and the chief caution is to remember that a 

 name is a handle for the variety, and not a record of its pedigree or a 

 proclamation of its virtues. A name should be a public convenience, 

 not a word puzzle. 



