170 The Nomenclature of Agricultural Plants. [May, 



(5) True seedlings arising, which are identical with older 

 varieties, or with other seedlings. 



Though interesting, it is not necessary to dwell on this 

 branch of the question. 



In 1919, the work was transferred to a Committee, and in 

 1920 the National Institute of Agricultural Botany took over the 

 responsibility of the appointment of this Committee, and the report 

 for this year was written by its Chairman, Dr. Salaman, and 

 published by the Institute.* For fuller details concerning the 

 important work carried out since 1915 the reader is referred to 

 the three reports mentioned. It will suffice, here, to confine 

 our attention to synonymity among the named " varieties " 

 submitted each year, ignoring unnamed seedlings which have, 

 or (usually) have not, proved themselves to be novelties. The 

 total given for each year consists of named stocks of potatoes 

 which purport never to have been previously tested at 

 Ormskirk. 





Total. 



Synonyms. 



Percentage. 



1915 



90 



24 



27-77 



1916 



81 



21 



25-92 



1917 



43 



9 



20-93 



1918 



93 



39 



41-93 



1919 



105 



64 



60-95 



1920 



135f 



92 



68-15 





547 



249 



45-52 



This would seem to show that the trouble is on the increase. 



It may be objected that the mere fact of entering potatoes 

 for trial cannot be taken to mean that it is intended to put 

 them on the market. This argument would certainly hold 

 good for unnamed seedlings, but these are excluded from the 

 above figures, and it seems fair to argue that breeders or 

 producers do not, as a general rule, name their productions 

 unless they have some definite idea of submitting them to the 

 public. 



As a result of the publication of these findings, very few, if 

 any of the above synonymous stocks have actually been sold 

 commercially; this only emphasises more strongly the 

 immense value of such a check, and how desirable it is that 

 something of a similar nature should be undertaken in the case 

 of other crops. 



Evidence of the conservatism of the findings is supplied by 



* National Institute of Agricultural Botany, "Report of the Potato 

 Synonym Committee, 1920." 



f Excluding stocks too weak in growth, or too mixed to be judged. 



