Charles Bessey, Letters, 1881

US Postal Card. Write the address on this side–the message on the other

Farley Jan 29 [Ia?]

Prof. C. E. Bessey Ames, Iowa.

Farley, Iowa, 1-29-'81

Dear Sir:

Do you think you could specifically identify for me three specimens of [sphagnum?] from the "Forest Bed", mounted on stakes by a microscopist?

Very truly yours, W. J. McGee

Cars leave Ninth and Green Streets, Philadelphia, every hour.

Horse Cars connect with the cars to Germantown, direct to Upper Church Street.

Horse Cars along Eighth Street, direct to Upper Church Street.

Chestnut Hill Cars to Gorgas Lane Station, is ten minutes' walk from the Nursery.

Germantown Nurseries, Thomas Meehan, Proprietor. Office, Upper Church & Chew Sts., Germantown, Near Philadelphia.

Febr 28 1881

Dear Prof. Bessey,

I trust you will pardon me for hoping that you will not continue as in March no. of the Naturalist the issue of capitals in no specific names derived from proper ones, as the Zoologists are doing. I think my botanist will follow you, as I have frequently heard the Zoological practice deprecated in the least botanical circles. Of course a specific name is but an adjective, and in ordinary grammatical [?] structure we [?] [?] – [hence?] an adjective with a capital. But [sic.] language is given for utility and rules should be governed by this law of

usefulness. In ordinary language I know of no case where any thing should be gained by using a capital for an adjective, – but this is [sic.] not true of Botany. When we read [?]-[?], we learn that it is the [?] with the hair of venus, but when it is [?] [?]-[?] we also learn at the same time, that this was once a generic and proper name and that this accounts for its "double headed" character as Dr. Gray would say. In like manner [case?] in these capitals leaves us [prone?/from?] many errors. Similarly the [?] happened to

Cars leave Ninth and Green Streets, Philadelphia, every hour. Horse Cars connect with the cars to Germantown, direct to Upper Church Street. Horse Cars along Eighth Street, direct to Upper Church Street. Chestnut Hill Cars to Gorgas Lane Station, is ten minutes' walk from the Nursery.

Germantown Nurseries, Thomas Meehan, Proprietor. Office, Upper Church & Chew Sts., Germantown, Near Philadelphia.

188

meet with [?] [?], and in the reconstruction of the genera he makes [?] [?], "from the flower being like the feathers of a peacock", when really, the name was given in honor of Jose Pavon, as he would at once [?] but for the dropping of the capital – [?] [?].

I am sure many such troubles will occur [so far?] on reflection from a following of the Zoological rules.

Of course this is not for publication, but for [?] [?] [?].

Sincerely yrs Thos. Meehan