III 

 THE NAMES OF GARDEN VEGETABLES. 



In the last chapter I gave a transcript of the rules adopted by 

 the American Pomological Society for the naming of fruits, and added 

 some discussion of their application and present bearings. Among 

 kitchen-garden vegetables we have still greater confusion of names 

 than among orchard fruits, and there are more bombastic and un- 

 pleasant names given. Still the varieties of vegetables change so 

 often that irregularities of nomenclature seem to be less dangerous 

 and troublesome; and at the same time it becomes much harder to 

 enforce a rational system of names and descriptions. But we can 

 hardly hope to arrive at the dignity of scientific work in this brand i 

 of horticulture either, until we have some definite system of nomen- 

 clature. Such a system would also have its obvious value to garden- 

 ers and to seed-buyers of every class. The problem is well worth 

 considering. 



The only satisfactory rules yet proposed for naming kitchen - 

 garden vegetables are those adopted by the committee on nomencla- 

 ture in the Association of American Agricultural Colleges and Expe- 

 riment Stations in 1889. It is a sad record to make, but it is doubt- 

 less true, that these rules have not been very generally followed by 

 experiment station officers since their adoption, or at least they have 

 not made a very great impression of improvement on the horticultu- 

 ral world in the matter of naming vegetables. But that is not the 

 fault of the rules. I will copy them here for the benefit of readers 

 who may not have access to them elsewhere : 



RULES FOE NAMING VEGETABLES. 



1. The name of a variety shall consist of a single word, or 

 at most, of two words. A phrase, descriptive or otherwise, is 

 never allowable, as Pride of Italy, King of Mammoths, Earliest 

 of All. 



