thing required is to have accurate descriptions and illustrations of each 

 on record, w^en a comparison would soon show up any differences that exist. 



A pomological variety has been defined as "a group of plants propagated 

 vegetatively from one original plant producing fruit of a distinctive appear- 

 ance, texture, flavor or- aroma, by which characteristics it may be dis- 

 tinguished from fruit or other trees of the same species. Some of the 

 botanical characters of the plant may also be distinct from those of other 

 plants of the same species." There are, doubtless, many instances where 

 two mangos sufficiently distinct to be classed as separate varieties are 

 grown under one and the same name. When this is the case,- the two 

 should be distinguished by the addition of an identifying term. This has 

 already been done by some writers; as an instance may be mentioned the 

 "Banchore of Alandi Keir" and "Banchore of Dhairey" of Woodrow. 



As regards the form of mango names one cannot do better than adhere 

 to the Code of Nomenclature of the American Pomological Society, which 

 specifies that in choosing names for new varieties the following points 

 shall be borne in mind: distinctiveness, simplicity, ease of spelling and 

 pronunciation, and indication of origin or parentage. Varietal names 

 must consist of a single word, and the use of a number, either singly or 

 attached to another word, is tolerated only as a temporary expedient; the 

 use of such terms as seedling or hybrid is not admissible, neither is the use 

 of a possessive noun. Thus a qualifying word would have to be substituted 

 for the numeral in such a name as "Fernandino No. 2," the addition of a 

 second word being allowable in such an instance, while "Phillip's" and 

 "Society's" would have to be changed to "Phillip" and "Society." 



Troublesome Spelling. 



The orthography of mango names has always given a deal of trouble, 

 probably because many of the names are of vernacular origin, and have 

 been spelled by each individual according to his own ideas on the subject. 

 In India and other oriental countries, the investigator unfamiliar with 

 the native language can arrive at a close approximation to the true name 

 by getting an educated native to pronounce it for him several times, slowly 

 and distinctly, and then writing down these sounds, giving consonants their 

 English value, but vowels the value they bear in Italian and other conti- 

 nental languages. Every letter should be pronounced and no unnecessary 

 ones inserted; thus there will no longer be perpetrated such monstrosities 

 as Kheershapottee for Khirsapati and Killeemookoo for Kilimuku, or varieid 

 spellings of the same word, such as "Pairi," "Pirie," "Peary," "Pyrie" and 

 "Paheri." For scientific purposes, however, the only satisfactory solution 

 of the problem is to have the names written in the native character by an 

 educated man, and then transliterated into English spelling on the system 

 laid down by the International Congress of Orientalists at Geneva in 1S94 

 and since adopted by practically all governments and scientific bodies; a 

 system whose principle is that mentioned above for the guidance of the 

 ordinary investigator. 



