I5X 



THE GARDENER'S MONTHLY 



[May, 



mainly devoted to forage plants ; and has the 

 popular farm grasses for its lithographic plate. 



Diary of a Bird, by H. D. Minot, Boston; 

 A. Williams & Co. — A pleasant little tract cal- 

 culated especially to interest the young. 



Success with Small Fruits. — We are glad 

 to know that the beautiful and useful chapters 

 of Mr. Roe, in Scribner's Monthly are to be en- 

 larged and issued shortly in book form. 



Fruit Grower's Friend. — By R. H. Haines. 

 This pamphlet gives brief but very full notes on 

 most branches of fruit culture, and will be a 

 very useful guide to beginners. 



Commercial Relations with Canada.— 

 Letter to George Brown, Esq., of Torouto, by 

 Wharton Barker of Philadelphia. This tract 

 enters on a discussion of the commercial rela- 

 tions between Canada, and the United States. 

 It shows that the influence of the protective 

 tariff on the general prosperity of the United 

 States has been so marked, that no political 

 party will materially disturb that policy for 

 many long years to come; that the people of 

 the United States would be perfectly willing to 

 have free trade with Canada, provided European 

 goods were not introduced under such laws over 

 the Canadian borders ; and that finally the only 

 course for Canadian prosperity is to adopt the 

 United States tariff as its own, — the United 

 States being in such case no doubt willing to 

 modify its tariff somewhat to meet Canadian in- 

 terests. The Canadian seaboard would then be 

 the only custom-house line, and the United 

 States and Canada boundaries would be free. 



While this suggestion would undoubtedly 

 make Canadian prosperity advance with a bound, 

 Canadians would probably rather remain in their 

 present far-lag-away condition, than offend the 

 mother country by having a tariff against it in- 

 stead of the United States. Still Mr. Barker's 

 pamphlet will no doubt be welcome to reflective 

 minds. 



Accurate Catalogues. — It is a great pleas- 

 ure to note the accuracy with which the very 

 full and elaborate American catalogues are got- 

 ten up. Here, before us, are some from Miller 

 & Yates, Hoopes Bro. & Thomas, Parsons' 

 Sons & Co., Woolson & Co., Ellwanger & Barry, 

 and some others not immediately before us as 

 we write, that will defy the criticism of either 

 botanist or proof-reader. It is highly creditable 

 to the commercial classes of our country to be 

 able to record these facts. 



Post Gardening. — By Burnett Landreth. — 

 The United Service Review for March, has an 

 excellent chapter *l)y Mr. Landreth, on the im- 

 portance of establishing gardens in connection 

 with military posts or garrisons on the frontiers. 

 The article is not only interesting from a purely 

 practical point of view, but is very pleasant 

 reading to those who love to see highly intel- 

 lectual and scholastic acquirements in horticul- 

 tural writings. 



John Dick, Jr. — There are few better known 

 firms than that of John Dick, nurseryman, 

 florist, and seed grower. Like so many of the 

 older race about Philadelphia, Mr. D. begins to 

 feel that he cannot do business for ever, and it 

 is announced has parted with his florist business 

 to his son J. D., Jr., whom we have reason to 

 believe will continue the business as success- 

 fully as his father has done. He has the good 

 wishes of a large circle of friends. 



Robert Fortune. — We recently took occa- 

 sion to refer to the brilliant but almost unre- 

 quited services of Mr. Fortune, who, as our 

 readers know, is one of that highly intelligent 

 class of gardeners which has done so much to 

 bring honor to the whole profession. We are 

 sorry now to have to say who was, instead of 

 who is, for the telegraph brings news of his 

 decease at the age of 67. Selecting horticulture 

 as his occupation, at an early age, he obtained 

 employment in the Botanical Gardens of the 

 Scottish capitol. Having in that position made 

 the most of the opportunities afforded for ac- 

 quiring knowledge, he was promoted to a post 

 in the Gardens of Chiswick, and in his new 

 sphere acquitted himself with so much credit 

 that in 1842, when news of the peace with the 

 Celestial Empire reached England, the Bo- 

 tanical Society of London appointed him its 

 collector of plants in Northern China. Setting 

 sail in that capacity, Mr. Fortune, besides send- 

 ing home some of the finest plants that ever 

 reached that country, became familiar with the 

 varieties of Chinese life. His adventures by 

 laud and sea were full of romance, and his 

 " Three Years' Wanderings in China," in 1847, 

 atti'acted such attention that its author, whilst 

 curator of the Physic Garden at Chelesa, was, 

 in the summer of 1848, intrusted by the East 

 India Company with a mission to make investi- 

 gations respecting the tea^plant. After an 

 absence of more than three years, Mr. Fortune 

 returned to England, and having published his 



