The Plant World said recentl}^ — and in this case 

 the Plant World evidently knows what it is talking 

 about — that within four years, specimens cut from a single 

 tree have been passed upon by different experts with the 

 result that thus far they have made sixteen different 

 species of it. Those who are familiar with the ways of 

 the modern species-maker will scarcely be surprised at this 

 announcement, however much they may deplore such a 

 state of affairs. The fact is, that the differences between 

 many so-called species are so slight, that even the eminent 

 specialists are not always able to discern them. One of 

 the canons of the radical school is that if a plant has a 

 single distinguishing character, no matter what that 

 character is, and will come true from seed — that is, will 

 continue to reproduce itself— it is entitled to specific rank. 

 The fallacy of such a contention is easily shown by a refer- 

 ence to any market-gardeners catalogue, w^here there are 

 hundreds of plants described that answer all the require- 

 ments for such ''species." No scientist at present would 

 consider these to be species, though it is not improbable 

 that in time the radicals may come to even this. 



* 



Along w4th the drawing of fine lines for species, the 

 conception of the genus has been slowly changing ; for if 

 these variants are to be called species, the group to which 

 they belong must be the genus, and the genus as we knew 

 it a few years ago will have to be considered as an order, 

 at least. As yet no botanist has had the hardihood to 

 seriously suggest this, the practice being to make use of 

 the indefinite term "group" for a sort of sub-division of 

 the genus as the Crataegus tomentosa group, the Panicum 

 dichotomum group, the Viola cucuUata group, the Botry- 

 chium ternatum group and so on. A still more clumsy 

 method of designating real species and their variations is 

 found in the naming of the first as super-species and the 

 latter as subspecies. It would be far better to cling to 



