France are especially rich in synonyms. There is the common Easter 

 Beurre, which has over a dozen, such as Doyenne d'Hiver, Beurre de 

 Paques, Pater Noster, Beurre de la Pentecote, Bergamotte de la Pen- 

 tecote, etc. Sometimes these synonymous names become so widely 

 distributed and so well known as to supplant the proper names. We 

 may cite among apples Jewett Red, which is generally known through- 

 out New England as Nodhead. One of the most striking cases is that 

 of the Abundance plum, which was first called Botan. The latter 

 name, though entirely correct, has been superseded by the former. 

 The variety is, however, still known as Botan in many sections. But 

 other varieties also pass under the name of Botan, and this illustrates 

 the second class of difficulties which arise in nomenclature. There 

 are also two distinct varieties passing under the name Satsuma per- 

 haps more. The name Greasy Pippin is applied to the Ortley apple, 

 and to Grimes' Golden, and sometimes to other varieties. 



It is evident that no headway can be made in horticultural dis- 

 cussions in books, journals, bulletins, or in horticultural societies, 

 unless the same name always refers to the same variety and unless 

 the same variety is always referred to by the same name. In order to 

 secure this end, some one authority must be followed, or some ade- 

 quate rules of nomenclature must be agreed upon. The time was, 

 not so many years ago, when the former plan worked fairly well in 

 this country. The two Downings during their lifetime stood high 

 enough above the general run of pomologists and were so widely recog- 

 nized as the authorities on varieties of fruits, that their word could be 

 the law. In conjunction with the work of the Downings, the Ameri- 

 can Pomological Society also exercised a considerable authority in the 

 matter of nomenclature. 



But times have changed rapidly since then. There is such a wide 

 territory to be covered, and there have been so many thousands of 

 varieties introduced, that no man or set of men can pretend to an au- 

 thoritative knowledge of the whole field. Even the American Pomo- 

 logical Society cannot cover the ground, and could not even if it were 



