200 GENERAL HISTORY. 



with the "Washington hospital for sick and wounded soldiers. She died at 

 that city during the year 1872. 



The paper soon changed hands again, passing to the control of Bond and 

 Syder, by whom it was again sold to H. N. F. Lewis, who changed the name 

 to Western Eural, publishing it at both Detroit and Chicago. In 1867 the 

 Detroit office was discontinued. After its removal to Chicago and publica- 

 tion there for some time, it was sold at forced sale. The death of Mr. Lewis 

 occurred not very long thereafter. • 



The old enterprise having been thus brought to a close, a new publication 

 made its appearance at Detroit on May loth, 1869, entitled, Michigan 

 Farmer and State Journal of Agriculture, with R. F. Johnstone editor and 

 Johnstone & Gibbons publishers. It was published weekly. The first vol- 

 ume was closed at the close of the year and the second made to commence 

 with the year. These arrangements continued with no essential modifications 

 down to 1873, when a disastrous fire destroyed the Tribune building in 

 which the office of the Farmer was located, sweeping away every vestige of 

 the latter. Its publication was resumed after a suspension of three weeks. 



It appeared regularly without noteworthy change until the death of R. F. 

 -Johnstone, which occurred very suddenly on October 24th, 1880. Mrs. 

 Johnstone, however, continued the enterprise as administrator till, more 

 recently. Gibbons Brothers appear as publishers ; and, since no editor's name 

 appears, they are supposed to be the editors also. At this date (1887) the 

 paper appears to have become firmly established. 



It has, from its commencement, maintained a horticultural department 

 only for occasional brief periods, however, with a horticulturist as its ostensible 

 head. Mr. Johnstone, early in life, was a compositor on the Horticulturist, 

 one of the earliest horticultural serials published on this continent, under the 

 editorial charge of the elder Downing, where he doubtless acquired valuable 

 experience in the management of such a department; and, beyond doubt, 

 under his supervision, this department has effected much good to the horti- 

 culture of the State. Indeed there is room for doubt whether in the earlier 

 stages of Michigan horticulture there would have been sufficient warrant for 

 larger expenditures in this direction. Even before Mr. Johnstone's death 

 there was, not unfrequently, an obvious lack of discrimination in the selec- 

 tion of horticultural matter; while since that event the matter given has still 

 more frequently been such as to occasion serious complaints in horticultural 

 quarters. It hardly need be remarked that cases are of frequent occurrence 

 in which only an expert in horticulture can properly select and determine 

 the propriety of matter offered for insertion. There is much occasion for 

 the belief that the short comings of the paper in this particular may have 

 occasioned the withholding of very many subscriptions by the horticulturists 

 of this and other States. 



