on: fact vs. theory 



Thus, commonly, we call all forms of plant 

 life bj' their nicknames — and by their nicknames 

 only do most of us know them. 



One reason, likely enough, is that the scientific 

 names of plants are in Latin — for the good reason 

 that the Russian, or Swedish, or Spanish, or 

 American scientist is able to describe his work, 

 thus, in a common language. 



In giving a plant its Latin name, no attention 

 is paid to its class, order or family. 



The name of the genus becomes its first name. 



The name of the species follows. 



And the name of the variety, when given, comes 

 last. 



Thus, in writing the scientific name for an 

 apricot, or a plum, or a cherry, we should give 

 first the name of the genus, which, for all of these, 

 is Prunus. 



If we are to describe, for instance, a cherry of 

 the species Avium, we should write, following the 

 name of the genus, the name of the species, as 

 Prunus Avium. 



And then, if we were to write the name of some 

 particular improvement in that species of cherry 

 which Mr. Burbank had wrought, say the famous 

 Burbank cherry, we should follow the names of 

 the genus and the species with the name of that 

 variety, as Prunus Avium Burbank. 



[223] 



