cially ship building), nothing equals it ; and it has always commanded a high 

 price ; and I think a portion of the western prairies might be planted with it, as 

 a profitable investment. It is said there are two kinds, one durable and the other 

 not ; but I know of only one kind. It is possible, if grown on deep, rich, mucky 

 soils, the timber would be coarse grained, spongy, and not as durable. 



CRITIQUE OX THE APRIL HO RT I C UL TURI S T. 



Parks versus Villages. — An accurate specimen of the taste and " designs" of 

 these suburban villa speculators, who seek to cram honest, well-meaning city 

 people into their contemptible seven-by-nine lots, called " sites for country resi- 

 dences," such as we see daily advertised in the newspapers. And a great many 

 of these city folks are just soft enough to be duped by the sharpers 1 Why, in 

 the name of wholesome air and sunshine, don't city people, who, with their fami- 

 lies, want to spend their summers in the country, go out and find some quiet nook, 

 or open spot of some acres, according to their wants, within striking distance of 

 a railway or steamboat landing, away from the vulgar noise of a daily bread- 

 wagon, milk-cart, or other town nuisance ? There they can build themselves a 

 quiet snuggery, with its cozy group of out-buildings among the trees, or under 

 the rocks, or near a brook or river, and, for a few months of the year, withdraw 

 from the cares of a vexatious world ; look out at the heavens by day, so gloriously 

 lighted up with the sun, and garnished with floating clouds ; or at the moon, with 

 its vast retinue of brilliant stars, by night ; upon the earth, with its emerald of 

 green, shadowed over with waving trees, or spangled with flowers giving out their 

 delicious odors ; and the happy birds, filling the whole air with music ; ay, and 

 the soul who has no sympathy with these, one and all, has no business in the 

 country at all ! 



Thousands of such spots are within a few miles of all northern cities, both cheap 

 and accessible. But, no. Such mode of summer life is 7iot the fashion ! Town 

 folks must, when summer comes, pack up their finery, and fizzle off behind a vulgar 

 steam-engine, of some sort, to some watering-place, where they vapor about for 

 weeks in the daily pursuit of some nonsense or other ; or, if not that, must have 

 a country villa in some starched-up, maccaroui village, or neighborhood, populated, 

 for the most part, with just such flunkies as themselves, where driving equipages 

 by day, and dressing matches by night, and other like vanities, are the standing 

 order. The " wimmin folks" must have " society," of course, to admire their 

 finery ; and the men, their dinner parties and wine drinkings, as if their eight or 

 nine months of annual city life, in that sort of indulgence, could not cut short their 

 lives fast enough. But, being too old-fashioned in my notions to set this wayward 

 world right-end-up, I must even take a shot at folly as it flies, and let the folks 

 their own " road to ruin." 



