Barnum believed the people liked to be 
humbugged. 
Lincoln thought most people finally 
saw the light. “Honest Abe” believed the 
people didn’t like to be fooled. 
The way people now allow themselves 
to be fooled by fraudulent horticultural 
names on Camellias offered by nursery¬ 
men makes us believe Barnum was right, 
Lincoln wrong. 
Even great men, as well as fine flower.s, 
are often called by other than their 
original names. 
(Camellia D\[ames 
and aliases, ad infinitum 
Ijdas barnum T^ight? 
‘friends!” The above individual is an example of one who has 
been called in the past few years by many names, some of which have not 
been complimentary, or reflective of the true character of the man himself. 
That is politics, or the penalty of public life. 
But let’s be truthful and honest about the names of Camellias. 
Buyers who insist on a name for each variety of Camellia are partly to 
blame for misnomers. Nurserymen like to accommodate you in order to 
get your business, and if you want named varieties which they haven’t in 
stock, they’ll probably invent them. The multiplicity of counterfeit names 
assigned to a single variety of Camellia merely adds to the present confusion. 
Many nui'serymen will accept almost any high-sounding name for 
Camellias when the true names are not known. A few nurserymen, misled 
by names they see in other catalogues, are innocent offenders in selling their 
plants under fanciful but counterfeit labels. They buy their plants of other 
nurserymen or propagators and sell them to you under the same names by 
which they were purchased, having accepted them in good faith or through 
ignorance. 
Q4Jo4€l(l 'IfoiA Acce^ Monedf? 
mail a falNcliooil, ii humireil 
ivpi^at U its true.** 
—whl (’him-se Praverb. 
In buying Camellias from a general 
nursery handling quantities of miscellane¬ 
ous plants, one can never be sure the names 
are, correct. This does not mean the average 
general nurseryman is dishonest, but that 
he doesn’t know his plants. Camellias, 
with him, are just another group of plants 
to sell at a profit, and he has little if any 
reliable literature with which to check the 
accuracy of his variety names. 
While a good Camellia is just as pretty under any other name, no 
collector of Camellias enjoys the feeling that the names of some specimens 
may be wrong. He wants them to be what the labels say. 
Off A/oi, 
Uattleshurg. Miss.« March. 1938.—“I 
am one of those flower enthusiasts that 
MUST K.XOW the names of my Camellias.’ 
MRS. .1.1.A. 
New Orleans, Ln., July 27. 1937.—”I 
have noticed that little, if any. dependence 
is to be placed on names of Camelli.a 
japonicas." V.L.O. 
I.alta, S. Car.. Match I.'). 1937.—'‘I'h.r 
a numhef of years I have been interested 
in Camellias, hut, not knowing names of 
ilesifable kinds. I have been di.sappoitited 
111 mine when they bloottieti." H..M. 
Itoynton, Fla.. Nov. 21-l!i3l)—"I have 
been disap)iointed in satnple shipments of 
Cttmellias from other Stowers." J..M. 
.So. Fasailena, Calif.. April 17, 1938.— 
•Variety itames of Camellias seem to be 
in a mess, especially out here. If I like 
a variety, I (irrow it and leave the name 
discussion to others” .MRS. C.E.G. 
Pass Christian, Miss., .March, 193S.— 
■'Everyone wants names of Camellias. I 
was simply besieeed to name thi.s and 
that variety. We have to Bive Ihctn 
ntimes. Out of my Brand mess. 1 found 
29 duplicates under rlifferent names." 
M.S.R. 
Norfolk. Va.. Aj.ril 2ti, 1937.—"Whil. 
most Camellias are beautiful, whethe' 
they have names or not. I really like ti. 
know what the names are." 
.M A.H.. JR. 
