324 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
January 19, 1895. 
before the British public. The generic 
names were placed in alphabetical sequence, 
but the species were arranged under num¬ 
bers. The following is an example of his 
description of the single Carnation“ 5, 
Dianthus floribus solitariis squamis 
calycinis subovatis brevissimus corollis 
crenatis. Hort. Cliff. 164. Dianthus with 
a single flower, having short oval scales to 
the empalement and crenated petals. This 
is the Caryophyllus hortensis simplex, flore 
majore, C.B.P. 208. Single garden Carna¬ 
tion with a large flower.” We are afraid 
that few of the young gardeners of the 
present generation, and whose education 
has just passed the sanction of the School 
Board, would readily recognise the Carna¬ 
tion in the above. Many of his superiors 
would have a similar difficulty. 
Philip Miller was a contemporary of 
Linnaeus, so that the new method of 
naming invented by the latter had not had 
time to >take root in this country. It is 
questionable whether, if Linnaeus lived to¬ 
day, he would be able to help us over the 
difficulties that have since arisen in plant 
nomenclature, but more particularly for 
garden purposes. One of the chief diffi¬ 
culties in such a case is the inordinate 
length of the names, making it a serious 
matter to remember them, to spell them, 
and to write them upon the labels. 
Linnaeus himself loved to dabble in Greek 
names, although by no means a good Greek 
scholar. Even quite recently, however, 
Professor Reichenbach manufactured 
strange conglomerations of Greek to 
answer Jhe purpose of names of garden 
hybrids of Cypripediums such as C. 
porphyrdchlamis and C. melanophthalmum, 
and generic terms were often equally 
euphonious. For botanical works, the 
herbariqm and botanical purposes gener¬ 
ally, such terms may answer the purpose 
admirably; but the makers of them are 
heedless of the inflictions they confer on the 
gardening community not only of to-day, 
but, as far as we can see, for all time 
coming. , The spelling and pronunciation 
of Greek and Latin are, however, easy by 
comparison with Latinised commemorative 
names of many botanists in different parts 
of the world. Such a name as Tillandsia 
Pastuchoffiana is easy by comparison with 
T. Schlechtendahlii'; but to most gardeners 
outside the respective countries of the 
botanists whose names they commemorate, 
Statice Suworowi, Pyretbrum Tchikat- 
chewii and Quercus pedunculata Ahlfven- 
greni, nrnst prove rather formidable 
conundrums to tackle. Even to many 
foreigners some of the commemorative 
names emanating from this country must 
be rather confounding ; for instance, how 
would a Frenchman or Russian pronounce 
Odontoglossum Londesboroughianum. 
The botanists are not, however, entirely 
to blame, for horticulturists themselves are 
even greater offenders, not exactly in the 
length, but the number of names with 
which they encumber their novelties, which 
in the course of some years are liable to 
acquire an additional list of appendages. 
For instance, in Thymus Serpyllum citri- 
odorus aureus marginatus, we have a 
botanical history of the plant, and indica¬ 
tion of its qualities in the way of odour, and 
also a description of the colour of the foliage. 
In like manner we have Acer palmatum 
septemlobum laciniatum, Euonymus japon- 
icus latifolius-aureus. The latter case 
indicates its native country, the leading 
feature of the foliage as compared with the 
type, and also a feature of the same 
acquired in gardens. Dozens of such 
names might be quoted and they would 
seem to indicate that plant-naming is re¬ 
verting to botanical descriptions including 
historical associations. The nomenclature 
of Daffodils has been considerably 
reformed, and it is to be hoped that many 
other classes of garden plants will be over¬ 
hauled in a similar way in the near future. 
Strong combination on the part of horti¬ 
culturists and plant lovers generally, is 
necessary to accomplish this end effectually. 
The inconvenience ol the modern system 
of plant naming is being felt not only in 
this country, but on the Continent, in 
America and elsewhere,. wherever horti¬ 
cultural progress is in full activity. Such 
a name as Prunus cerasifera Pissardii 
diversifolia tricolor marginata must puzzle 
a gardener who is unfamiliar with the in¬ 
flections of Latin, to write it correctly. 
The inconvenience of plant names is not 
confined to those which are rendered in 
Latin and Greek. English names and 
those in the mother tongue, or even the 
court language of other countries are liable 
to confound those of other nationalities, 
who may be obliged to use them. Fortun¬ 
ately we are not much troubled with Chinese 
Japanese and Russian native names ; but 
to those of our own may be added French, 
German and Italian ones, particularly 
French in the case of Roses, Chrysanthe¬ 
mums, Pears and many other subjects. It 
is to be hoped that such names as Rose 
Souvenir de Mademoiselle Marie Gourdin, 
Chrysanthemum Mademoiselle Marguerite 
Marrouch and Mademoiselle Marie Louise 
Duchesne, could be shortened. They are 
only instances of hundreds of a like nature. 
What harm would be done by shortening 
the names of Pears and writing Angouleme, 
Clairgeau, Diel, Easter and Congres, instead 
of Duchess d’Angouleme, Beurre Clairgeau, 
Beurre Diel, Easter Beurre and Souvenir 
du Congres ? Outside of the raiser’s family 
it must be difficult to remember such a list 
as Ada Spaulding, Mrs. F. Spaulding, 
Mrs. H. F. Spaulding, Mrs. T. H. Spauld¬ 
ing, H. F. Spaulding," Master Bates 
Spaulding, and Spaulding’s Black Diamond 
amongst Chyrsanthemums. 
-- 
The National Chrysanthemum Society’s Year Book 
for 1895 , a capital shillingsworth of Chrysanthemum 
lore, reaches us as we go to press, too late for an 
extended notice. 
Mr John Hayes, for some time foreman to the late 
Mr. Henry Birch, has been engaged to succeed him, 
by the Marquis of Northampton as gardener at Castle 
Ashby. 
Mr. H. Vickery, for nine years gardener to R. S. 
Taylor, Esq , Huntsmoor Park, Ivor, Bucks, has 
been promoted to the office of estate manager. 
Mr. John Deacon, lately gardener at Bowden Hill, 
Chippenham, has been engaged as gardener to the 
Rt. Hon. J. Chamberlain, Highbury, Birmingham. 
Royal Horticultural Society —The Council of this 
Society have nominated Mr. Sydney Courtauld, Mr. 
Henry Williams, and Mr. Thomas Statter, for elec¬ 
tion to their body at the forthcoming annual meeting 
in the place of the Earl of Annersley, the Hon. 
Walter Rothschild, and Mr. Charles J. Lucas. 
*' The Culture of Vegetables and Flowers from Seeds 
and Rcots.”—The fifth edition of this most useful 
work having been exhausted, Messrs. Sutton & Sons 
have just issued the sixth and largest edition they 
have yet printed, and which has been thoroughly 
revised throughout, and a chapter on Herbs added. 
The Proposed National Vegetable Exhibition —At a 
numerously attended meeting -held at the Royal 
Aquarium, Westminster, on Tuesday afternoon, Mr. 
H. Briscoe-Ironside presiding, a report of the pro¬ 
visional committee" prepared by Mr. A. Dean was 
presented and accepted, and further discussion of the 
same adjourned for a month. Mr. A. Dean having 
resigned the office of secretary, he was cordially 
thanked for his services, and Mr. E. Molyneux, 
Swanmore Park Gardens, Bishops Waltham, elected 
to continue the duties of the office until the next 
meeting. 
Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh.—The visitors 
during 1894 to the Botanic Gardens were as follows : 
—Total visitors during the year, 526,948. Of these 
268,793 were on Sundays, and 258,155 on week days. 
The largest number of visitors on a Sunday was 
13 515, on July first; the smallest 68, on February, 
nth. The largest number of visitors on a week day 
was 2,578 on July 7th; the smallest 28, on February 
16. The largest number of visitors on a public 
holiday was 3,153, on Queen's Birthday, May 24th. 
United Horticultural Benefit and Provident Society. 
—The quarterly meeting of this Society was held at 
the Caledonian Hotel on Monday evening last, Mr. 
Joseph Wheeler presiding. Twelve new members 
were elected and four others nominated. Two 
deaths occurred during the quarter, one being that 
of Mr. Charles Collins, who died suddenly on Dec. 
26th, at Forest Gate Railway Station, and the widow 
being left in distressed circumstances and in very 
delicate health, the Committee granted her £10 
from the Benevolent Fund, in addition to the small 
amount standing to her late husband's credit. The 
other member who died was Mr. Arthur Locke, of 
Woking, and the amount standing to his credit has 
been paid to his widow, according to rule. The pro¬ 
posed increase in the amount of sick pay was dis¬ 
cussed, and a requisition signed by members present 
for a special meeting to be called in March to alter 
the Rule bearing on the point. The Treasurer was 
instructed to invest £400 in West Bromwich 3 % 
Stock, and a vote of thanks to the Chairman ended 
the meeting. 
Death of Mr. Lumsden.—We regret to learn of the 
death recently of a very able gardener and most 
worthy man in the person of Mr. David Lumsden, 
Bloxholm Hall, Sleaford, where he had been in 
charge of the gardens for over forty years. He 
came prominently to the front as a grower and 
exhibitor of vegetables at the provincial exhibitions 
of the Royal Horticultural Society, and held his 
own well at a time when Miles of Wycombe, Gilbert 
of Burghley, Garland of Killerton, and Frisby of 
Blankney took a lot of ousting out of the premier 
position when they entered the lists. A quiet, 
unassuming and thoroughly honourable man, he 
was greatly respected. 
William’s Memorial Medals.—At a recent meeting 
of the William's Memorial Trustees, it was decided 
to offer large Silver Medals at the following shows, 
to be held during 1895. Newcastle-on-Tyne, for the 
most meritorious specimen flowering plant; 
Richmond, for the best collection of vegetables; 
Crystal Palace Autumn Fruit Show, for the most 
meritorious collection of fruit ; and Trentham, for 
the most meretorious collection of fruit. A sum of 
two guineas was also voted to the fund, being raised 
in aid of the Lindley Library. 
A large Hydrangea.—Our contemporary, the 
Bulletin d'Arboriculture, says that it recently saw in a 
garden of the town of Lierre an example of 
Hydrangea hortensis, whose inflorescences to the 
number of more than 180 formed a single bouquet. 
That floral richness contrasted admirably with the 
verdure of the sward upon which the Hydrangea 
was planted. In similar condition that old species 
constitutes without doubt an ornament of the 
greatest value. 
Propagation of Nicotiana tomentosa.—This is now 
considered to be the proper name of the species 
which was put into commerce under the name of N. 
colossea. In speaking of its propagation in the 
absence of the seeds, the Bulletin d'Arboriculture, says 
that it will suffice to keep a specimen in a pot and 
winter it in a cool greenhouse, when the lateral 
shoots in spring will furnish excellent cuttings that 
can be put in a hot-bed, rooted, and thereafter 
potted. Sowing is done on the surface of a peaty 
soil in a pan under a square of glass ; the seeds are 
not covered with soil. M. Ch. Maron, gardener at 
the castle of St. Germain, near Corbeil, indicates, in 
the Revue Horticole a new method of multiplication, 
which oonsists in making cuttings of the thick 
portions of the roots, in the same manner as is done 
for Dracaenas. 
Mr. W. G Hodge, a much respected horticulturist 
in the Three Towns, died at his residence, Plymouth, 
on the 9th inst., after a few day’s illness. He took 
an active interest in all horticultural movements in 
the district, and had built up a large fruit and 
flower business, and in addition thereto had a large 
trade in connection with the incoming and outgoing 
mail boats of the port, whilst for floral decorations 
at every banquet or dance of any importance, his 
firm was always in evidence. Mr. Hodge caught 
