314 



THE GARDENER'S MONTHLY 



[October, 



intelligent atom extant. The wasp, says My 

 Indian Garden, is always angry, and the angriest 

 creature alive. But did the writer ever try a 

 nest of hornets? They are eternally out of tem- 

 per, says Christopher North. Chambers' Journal 

 has many curious articles on the animal world. 

 In a late number, a writer commemorating a 

 favorite dog, has the following slip in grammar : 

 " Juno soon became so identified with us, that 

 she did not care to associate with any other dogs." 



EDITORIAL NOTES. 



Horticultural Information. — One of the great 

 innovations in horticultural literature by the 

 Gardener's Monthly at its establishment was the 

 introduction of numerous small paragraphs in- 

 stead of making up the whole magazine of a few 

 long and exhaustive articles. It is always well 

 to have a few of these, and we take care to 

 always have some complete essays on various 

 topics. It is interesting to note that though we 

 give an honored place to these, there are still a 

 great variety of smaller paragraphs. In a recent 

 issue where we had to give place to some lengthy 

 matter on the extremely important topic of 

 steam heating, the number yet contained ninety- 

 eight headed paragraphs. A correspondent was 

 curious enough to compare our magazine of that 

 issue with a popular European one, and after 

 allowing for differences of typography found that 

 it would take thirty-seven pages of the European 

 to give as many paragraphs as we gave in thirty- 

 two. 



But we note in all serials — agricultural, horti- 

 cultural and scientific — there is this commenda- 

 ble tendency to pithy paragraphs. People have 

 not time for dissertations in these days. They 

 look for the greatest number of facts in the 

 fewest possible words. 



The Late Robert Buist — An Ohio corres- 

 pondent pays the following tribute to the memory 

 of Mr. Buist, and it is more valuable as coming 

 from one whom we suppose never expected to 

 see it in print. We are quite sure there are 

 hundreds in the country who received their first 

 American encouragement from Mr. Buist, who 

 will wish to echo the sentiments of gratitude 

 here expressed : 



"When we see the shining lights of usefulness 

 extinguished one by one around us, we are apt 

 to recall the words long ago uttered, ' Night 

 cometh when no man can work.* Little did I 



think the night was so nigh, or the lamp of life 

 so near exhaustion which once shone in the face 

 of my old friend, Mr. R. Buist. His work is 

 done, and well done. His mission was noble and 

 useful while with us, and the great good he did 

 will live long after you and I and the rest of this 

 generation will have passed away. 'Rosedale' 

 was where I was first employed in this country, 

 between twenty and thirty years ago. In the 

 many mutations of life to which my lot has 

 called me, none will linger longer in memory 

 than the days I spent at 'Rosedale.' Hundreds 

 of worthy, industrious and intelligent horticul- 

 turists from over the sea first found a home and 

 employment at Mr. Buist's. and through his in- 

 fluence were put in the right way to enjoy ' life, 

 liberty and the pursuit of happiness.' Their 

 name is legion, who have been permanently bet- 

 tered in worldly circumstances through the 

 direct aid of Mr. Buist. Three times have I re- 

 turned to his nursery in the course of my calling, 

 when the world used me less kindly elsewhere. 

 Well do I remember his last words when leaving 

 him each time, after bidding me adieu: 'Re- 

 in ember there is always a place for you here if 

 you wish to come back again.' Both he and his 

 family showed me always the greatest respect 

 and kindness." 



Wilson's School-house. — The Oologist, refer- 

 ring to " our illustration of Wilson's school- 

 house, saj^s : 



"Grossart's Life of Wilson, 2 volumes, 8 vo. 

 (Paisley, 1876) contains an engraving of Wilson's 

 school-house, about which the editor states: "It 

 is with very special pleasure I am enabled to 

 give here an engraving (after a photograph) of 

 the humble school-house within which Wilson, 

 for many years, taught and dwelt. I have reason 

 to believe that it has never before been engraved. 

 It is now situated within the shadow of Phila- 

 delphia. — G.' Grossart may be right in his state- 

 ment that the school-house had not previously 

 been engraved. But Wilson certainly never 

 'dwelt' in his school-house, at least so far we 

 have found no record of such fact. 



" But we do find that at this time he boarded 

 with a Mrs. Leach adjoining the ' Sorrel Horse 

 Hotel,' a painting of which, and Mrs. Leach's 

 cottage, by Alexander Wilson, is in our posses- 

 sion. 



" In March, 1876, a picture of Wilson appeared 

 in Scribner's Magazine, a^so an engraving of the 

 school-house, which, with the present engraving, 

 if correct, the ground has certainly been graded 

 and many of the trees cut away since the days 

 of Wilson. We have an impression that we 

 have other engravings of Wilson's school-house, 

 but at this time we know not where they are." 



[The Oologist is correct in its supposition that 

 Wilson boarded in the "Sorrel Horse Hotel," 

 which was owned by Mr. Isaac Leech (not Leach), 

 an uncle-in-law of the writer of this. The 

 school-house was built on land belonging to a 

 portion of the old Bartram estate, the land being 



