September 5, 1901] 



NA TURE 



449 



In the majority of instances this is the only course that 

 could be advantageously followed, for the names are 

 generally given without adequate research and with no 

 reference to system. They are, in fact, the outcome of 

 the nomenclator's fancy solely. But in many cases the 

 plant is authoritatively described in the gardening 

 periodicals, and when that is the case the customary 

 citation might with advantage be made in the Kew list. 



One most objectionable practice the gardeners have, 

 and that is of imitating the names given by botanists 

 secundum artem. In the eyes of the scholar, botanical 

 nomenclature is mostly barbarous, but garden nomencla- 

 ture is too often ludicrous. It is more than that, it is 

 misleading. A botanist ignorant of the history of a 

 garden plant and finding it provided with a Latin 

 generic and specific name would naturally suppose that 

 he had to deal with a species properly described and re- 

 corded, and would waste his time and patience in fruitless 

 search unless by good fortune he lighted on the Kew 

 Bulletin. 



But if some sort of provisional name could be given 

 to plants of garden origin or to plants of unknown status, 

 such name to be so framed as not to give rise to mis- 

 apprehension, horticulture would not suffer and science — 

 at least indirectly — would be the gainer. 



The Royal Horticultural Society has, at various times, 

 endeavoured to grapple with this evil, and has even 

 formulated a code of rules to be followed by the horti- 

 culturists when introducing "new " plants to the notice 

 of the Society or the public. The rules are excellent, but 

 they are far more frequently honoured in the breach than 

 in the observance, and the .Society seems powerless to 

 enforce its own precepts even in its own records. The 

 alliance of old custom with new developments, however 

 anomalous, seems likely to persist in the future as it has 

 done in the past. The Kew^ publications to which we 

 have referred are invaluable to the student by lessening 

 the difficulties of research and neutralising the anomalies 

 of which mention has been made. 



THE PHOTOGRAPHIC CHART OF THE 

 HE A VENS} 

 T T is to be regretted that a whole year has been al- 

 -*- lowed to intervene between the meeting of the 

 International Committee charged with the construction 

 of the photographic chart of the heavens and the official 

 publication of the proceedings of the members, since the 

 interest that would otherwise attach to the utterances of 

 so many expert astronomers in conference assembled is 

 materially lessened by the delay. Doubtless the collection 

 of proofs from sources so scattered and so distant de- 

 mands a long time, but the most careful and praise- 

 worthy desire to secure accuracy might have been 

 satisfied with a shorter period. Two very evident draw- 

 backs result from this method of treatment. Not only 

 have more or less complete statements appeared in 

 various scientific journals, but the reports on the amount 

 of progress effected by the various participants in the 

 scheme refer to a twehemonth since and are already 

 ancient history. 



But, on the other hand, it is abundantly evident that 

 these meetings, held from time to time, perform a 

 very useful work wherever widespread cooperation is 

 necessary. They not only afford evidence of the earnest- 

 ness of purpose and determination to successfully prose- 

 cute the scheme, that originated under the auspices of 

 the late Admiral Mouche/, but they supply the means of 

 most readily coinbining the activities of many observa- 

 tories to secure a common aim. The readiness with 



ide la Carte 

 3." (Paris: 



which so many astronomers acceded to the request to- 

 undertake the observations of Eros, and the adoption of a 

 uniform plan of wide-reaching e.xtent, could scarcely 

 have been effected in the time at disposal without per- 

 sonal intercourse and mutual encouragement. It is true 

 that the observations have all been n^ade and much 

 of the reduction completed before we get the official 

 report, but this in no way detracts from the value of the 

 results immediately obtained, while the proceedings of 

 the Conference will remain as a valuable historical docu- 

 ment bearing on the progress of astronomical science. 



To the general methods of observation of Eros and 

 the success which has attended the scheme we have 

 already referred (Nature, vol. Ixiii. p. 502), and may 

 pass the matter aside with the reassuring reflection that 

 the latest reports fully confirm the success that was 

 anticipated from the earlier measures. Of the degree of 

 completeness accomplished in the photographic surveys 

 of the heavens it is not easy to form a very exact notion, 

 owing to no tabular statement accompanying the report 

 and the varied methods of description adopted by the 

 various authorities, but the following table will exhibit 

 fairly accurately the amount of progress reported up to 

 the date of the meeting : — 



Of the plates for the chart it is intended that there 

 should be two series, made respectively with one exposure 

 of an hour and three exposures of half an hour each. The 

 word "complete 'in the chart column is meant to apply 

 to one of these series, but Sir David Gill has made con- 

 siderable progress with the second series. The arrange- 

 ments made for supplying the lacunas caused by the 

 South American observatories finding themselves unable 

 to fulfil their engagements have already been reported 



(P- 335)- 



To judge from the number of papers presented on 

 the determination of photographic magnitude, this sub- 

 ject still seems to occupy a large share of the attention 

 of the Committee — larger, indeed, than to an outsider 

 the subject seems to warrant. On the occasion of the 

 meeting in 1896, the committee decided that the several 

 observatories were at liberty to determine the photo- 

 graphic magnitude, either by estimation or by measure- 

 ment, simply stipulating that whatever system was adopted 

 it should be one capable of precise definition and permit 



