BRIEFER ARTICERS 
A PRACTICAL REFORM IN THE NOMENCLATURE OF 
CULTIVATED PLANTS. 
SoME years ago the Society of American Florists adopted Nichol- 
son’s Dictionary of Gardening as its authority for the names of cult 
vated plants until Jzdex Kewensis should be completed. Jndex Kewen 
sis has been finished for several years, but no florist, nurserymal, 0 
seedsman has standardized the names in his catalogue until in the cas’ 
about to be described. Moreover, no tradesman, so far as I know, has 
ever tried to be absolutely consistent in his names or to follow any ont 
botanical authority. Nevertheless, the seedsmen, nurserymen, and 
florists are bringing up the perplexing problems of nomenclature, 
making resolutions, formulating rules, appointing committees, and 
adopting standards. An intelligent minority is always pressing , 
reform. Standards are adopted and no one follows them. Will they 
ever be followed? Some say no, and affirm that there are essential 
elements in trade that will always make horticulture and botany ©02 
flict more or less. I have long thought otherwise, and now me 
record an experiment that seems to show an entirely practical way 
standardizing the nomenclature of trade catalogues. 
It seemed to me very important that some particular ee 
should be compared with Jndex Kewensis, and every name ce ould 
conform with it. Every name not found in /vdex Kemer if hat- 
then be compared with Nicholson’s Dictionary of Gar dening a0 
monized with that, if possible. This process has actually 
in the catalogue of F. H. Horsford, of Charlotte, Vt. : 
hould be pt 
proved to be an interesting one, and its main features . a 
on record, for some of our best horticultural firms, I i : 
ing to standardize their catalogues, if only they are shont claturs 
doit. We should bear in mind that the principles of eo 
so familiar to every botanist, are entirely unfamiliar to the bus) “ 
culturist with a living to make. . 
At the outset one might readily imagine that ay ; 
seedsman, or florist who has access to /udex Kewensts an 
264 
The casé 
nursery™a : 
Nichols 
[ocrom 
