maintained in the present discussion. A few drawings will also 

 be added to make clear certain points and to show comparative 

 forms. 



NAME. Every tree has one or several common names and 

 a scientific or Latin name. Some of these common names are 

 merely local, others have a more extended use. Some few 

 names apply to totally different species. Thus, Cottonwood in 

 Michigan is Populus deltoides, in Idaho and Colorado Populus 

 angustifolia, in California Populus fremontii and in Kentucky 

 Tilia heterophylla. While it should not be forgotten that in com- 

 mon speech it is proper as well as convenient to call trees by their 

 common names, yet, in view of the many uncertainties pertaining 

 to their use, a scientific name is at times absolutely essential to 

 the clear understanding of what is meant. Latin is the language 

 in universal use by all scientists. No longer used by any civilized 

 nation, it has become a dead language and consequently "never 

 changes. Its vocabulary and its constructions will a thousand 

 years hence be the same as they are today. Being in universal 

 use among scientists of all nationalities no confusion arises from 

 the use of a Latin word. The Oak in Germany is known as 

 Eiche, in France as chene and in Spain as roble, but the Latin 

 word Quercus is the same for all these countries. 



A scientific name as applied to trees consists of at least two 

 parts, as Quercus alba; the first named is the genus and is always 

 written with a capital letter, the second is the species and is writ- 

 ten with a small letter, the two names constituting the briefest 

 possible description of the particular tree. It is customary to 

 add to these the name or an abbreviation of the name of the 

 person who first gave the name to the tree, as Quercus alba L,., 

 the abbreviation standing for Linnaeus. Sometimes a third name 

 is used, as Acer saccharum nigrum, referring in this case to a 

 variety of the ordinary Sugar Maple. 



Genera which bear a relationship to each other are placed in 

 the same family, the family name always having the character- 

 istic ending aceae. Related families are again grouped into 

 orders, with the characteristic ending ales. Orders are in 

 like manner arranged into larger groups, called classes, and the 

 latter into still larger groups, divisions, etc., each with its char- 

 acteristic ending. Thus, Acer saccharum nigrum (Michx. f.) 

 Britt. is classified as follows : 



x 



