Thf Nbw York Horticultural Review. — A brief paragraph from the publisher of the above 

 work, last laoiith, announced that it had been merged in the Ilnrtiniltnrixf. After six months 

 of unbiiiiniled advertising, and efforts of varions kinds, that, if eiiii)lov'ed in aiiotlier <>c<uji;i- 

 tion would have led to haiipy results, it transferred to this periodical exactly one Imndrcd 

 and seventy-live sul)scril)ers, and many of those were obtained by sending agents abroad, 

 and at an expense of from four to fifteen dollars each ! The proprietor printed a large edition, 

 which was distributed monthly to postmasters, and agents of periodical works ; at least 500 

 copies were sent as exchanges with newspapers, &c. The result has been the loss of some 

 thousands of dollars, time thrown away, and talents niisa]i]>lied. 



We give these facts as an evidence that another Horticultural Journal is not reqxiired at 

 the present time ; it is not the tirst, second, or third attempt, that has eminently failed, 

 both at the East and West, and it probably will satisfy any person desirous of emliarking 

 in such a dangerous experiment, that it would be better to seek an occupation more likely 

 to be rewarded for anxiety, trouble, and expense. The American people are deeply interested 

 in agriculture, and works on that subject have multiplied of late with remarkable rajudity ; 

 many are entirely successful, and are disseminating valuable infonnation ; but many of these 

 are obliged to combine the character of a news journal, and to make the fanning i)ortion of 

 their columns very brief. All of them more or less embrace the topics of horticulture ; they 

 appear, many at least, weekly, and are placed at very low prices ; the farmer's fireside 

 welcomes their arrival, because they diffuse a general knowledge of what is passing in the 

 world, and to members of the circle not interested in agriculture, convey something for each. 



With a horticultural journal it is different. To make it of any real value, and offer it at 

 a cheap rate, it must confine itself to its legitimate topics ; the news of the month would 

 load it down, so as utterly to destroy the opportunity of discussing its subjects at any length. 

 The number of persons really sufficiently interested in horticulture to pay for such a journal, 

 is comparatively small. We have the whole American market, so to speak, and kindly 

 interested readers, of many years' standing, using great personal exertions to extend and 

 keep up our circulation, from an impression that the work is useful. Then, again, the con- 

 tributors are the best and most able writers on horticulture in the Union ; they have been 

 attracted to these pages by its original merits, have continued to read it, and to write in its 

 columns, till it has become more and more, by general consent, the medium of communica- 

 tion between the active and useful men of the country, in all the States and Tenitories . 

 This character it shall be our aim to support. 



With all this, the gardening interest and the horticultural taste, and with large adver- 

 tising patronage, it has never reached a circulation of more than a few thousand, and, 

 till 1854, could not be considered a paying journal. Tlie additional patronage, which was 

 brought to it by the care and talents of Mr. Barry, elevated its circulation from twenty-four 

 huuflred to about four thousand ; it has now, thus early in the year, many hundreds of 

 subscribers more than at the close of 1855, thus showing that there is a gradual increase of 

 demand ; and there is every reason to believe that, in December, 1856, it will considerably 

 exceed five thousand ; this is after ten years of untiring devotion to the interests of its 

 readers, and the attention of careful and enterprising publishers. 



We therefore could recommend, with a clear conscience, none to attempt very soon the 

 establishment of a horticultural journal, unless with plenty of money, wliich they are willing 

 to pai-t with. 



Climatology. — A valued correspondent, in a previous page, has given our readers a very 

 interesting paper on Climate, a subject of the greatest importance to all of us. We would 

 caution the farmer, no less than the horticulturist, not to estimate the value of his climate 

 entirely bythe quantity of rain thatfalls in a given district. Water,as the universal solvent 

 of the nutritive matters, is indispensable, but much unnecessary trouble has been taken to 

 calculate the quantity of water, as rain or snow, thatfalls upon the surface of the earth. The 

 free water of the soil, many scientific men think, is seldom beneficial to plants, and only bog 

 plants, or those which grow in water, will exist in it. In those portions of the earth which 

 produce the most plants, water is only occasionally present (as after rain, &c.) as a coherent 

 fluid ; the normal condition of water in the soil is as hygroscopic water, or absorbed vapor. 

 The complete independence in vegetation of the atmospheric precipitation of rain in a liquid 

 form, is seen in the vegetation of the oasis, and of the cloudless coasts of Chili and Peru. 

 The sand of Sahara produces no vegetation, not because no rain falls upon it, but because it 

 has not the power of condensing aqueous vapor. Of the water that falls as rain, very little 



used directly by the plant ; the greatest part runs off, or is evaporated into the atmosphere, 

 another part sinks into the earth and feeds the springs. There are but few observa- 



