THE MICHIGAN FARMER. 199 



Joseph county) in the editorial chair until his return on September 24th, 

 1852. 



Volume eleven commenced with the year 1853, with the name of S. B. 

 Noble at the head of the horticultural department. In the following May 

 Kobert F. Johnstone and William S. Duncklee appear as purchasers of the 

 paper, and Mr. Johnstone and Mr, Isham as associate editors, with Mr. Noble 

 still in charge of horticulture. 



Volume twelve, 1854, was conducted by R. F. Johnstone, as editor, War- 

 ren Isham, corresponding editor, and S. B. Noble, horticultural editor. 



The thirteenth volume, 1855, commenced with increased editorial strength,. 

 R. F. Johnstone being still editor, with S. B. Noble and Charles Betts as. 

 associates, and J. C. Holmes, horticultural editor. 



During this year the experimental orchards of T. T. Lyon, at Plymouth, 

 Wayne county, were coming'into bearing, and in the October following he 

 commenced to contribute monthly notices of fruits in bearing on his grounds 

 to the columns of the Farmer. 



The fourteenth volume, 1886, commences with R. F. Johnstone, editor, 

 Charles Betts, associate, and S. B. Noble in charge of horticulture ; but Mr. 

 Holmes retires after the January issue, and Mr. Betts after that of February, 

 giving place to Mrs. L. B. Adams, who takes editorial charge of the ladies' 

 department, the title of which is changed to The Household. 



In 1857, volume fifteen, Mr. Johnstone remained editor, with Mrs. Adams 

 editor of The Household. Mr. Lyon continues his monthly contributions, 

 and in addition to these, he, in October and November of this year, became 

 engaged in a controversy with B. Hathaway on the subject of " Standards vs. 

 Rootgrafts," which was continued through the columns of the Farmer till 

 August, 1858. The chief question at issue was respecting the advantage, if 

 any, to be derived from the use of strong, hardy rootgrafts, with the point of 

 union set well below the surface on which to topgraft tender and weak grow- 

 ing varieties. Whatever may have been the merit of the opposing arguments 

 in the discussion, the fact will hardly be questioned that this mode of propa- 

 gating weak and tender varieties, and even those of irregular or straggling 

 growth, has more recently been growing in favor with both nurserymen and 

 orchardists. 

 In 1858 volume sixteen was published monthly under the same managers. 

 At the beginning of the year 1859 a new series in quarto form was com- 

 menced, with weekly issues. R. F. Johnstone, although nominally the editor 

 in chief, had been chosen general superintendent of agriculture at the Agri- 

 cultural College, and was therefore absent at Lansing in attendance at the 

 institution during the school year, leaving the management of the Farmer 

 largely in the hands of his associate, Mrs. Adams. Weekly contributions 

 were also supplied by T. T. Lyon during this and the following year, as had 

 been the case monthly for the earlier volumes. 



The connection of Mr. Johnstone with the college closed with the year 1859, 

 after which his active connection with the Farmer was renewed. 



This condition of things continued through the year 1860, and down to the 

 21st of September, 1861, when, doubtless from causes resulting from the war 

 of the rebellion, the paper was turned over to Wm. M. Doty, who assumed 

 the role of editor and publisher, with Mr. Johnstone and Mrs. Adams as assist- 

 ant editors. Mrs. Adams soon after became a clerk in the agricultural de- 

 partment at Washington. She was also appointed to a position in connection 



