1853.] THE PHILADELPHIA FLORIST. 315 



(c- apples, which are called Punica,' a name given on account of its red re) 

 color, Pomum puniceum being Ovid's name for it; nevertheless, we ^ 

 think that Punicum granatum would have been more grammatical, \ 

 pomum being understood. To begin at the beginning, nurserymen's 

 catalogues should, as far as possible, be correct in this matter, as the 

 names are made known in many cases through them, and their errors 

 (if there be any) become established. The European catalogues are 

 as a rule correct in their nomenclature; that is, those of the large es- 

 tablishments ; but even in the "Gardener s Chronicte" we find adver- 

 tisements written with as liitle regard to grammar as the most unlear- 

 ned of us could be guilty of. In one advertisement we find Mimulus 

 spectatissimus, pulckellum^ and majestica, Geranium aurantiaca, and in 

 another G. marginata. 



Names of Greek derivation are not generally well defined in their 

 genders, for instance Clervdendron is neuter, and the adjective should 

 end in urn ; but Centropogon is masculine, and requires the specific 

 adjective to be in w,?. Agalmyla is feminine, Ceratrostemma and Bra- 

 chystelma are neuter; Aeschynauthus, which has assumed a Latin ter- 

 mination, should be neuter. But the subject is full of difficulties, un- 

 less every one, as we said before, has a classical education, which can- 

 not be reached by many men, and would not do them much good if 

 they did acquire it. But if the names were rightly written in the first 

 place, we should become accustomed to their sound, and thus give 

 them their proper terminations. But we must not try too many re- 

 forms at a time, or our friends the gardeners will get out of patience 

 with us. 



Floating Melon Beds in the Vale of Cashmere. 



We extract the following account of these, given by an English 

 traveller, Mr. Moorcroft, from the "Revue. Horticole" 



" The lakes of the valley of Cashmere are in general shallow and 

 full of a vigorous aquatic vegetation, consisting of Nymphseas, of Iris, 

 of reeds of every description ; and as boats are obliged to pass over 

 them frequently, they lollow cerlain passages which are like opened 

 roads, where the navigation is not impeded. The intervening spaces 

 are made profitable by the country people of the neighborhood, who 

 have set about cultivating there melons and cucumbers. To effect 

 this, armed with a sort of scythe, they cut the aquatic plants about 

 eighteen inches in depth, so as to sever all connection with the soil, 

 and then keep them up so as to make a kind of thick floating raft about 

 six feet wide and of various lengths. When these rafts are construct- 

 ed, they cut the tops of the plants which are above the level, and 

 o^ spread on the top the mud which they get from the bottom of theG 



m ?9*>. , ^sos m 



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