CRITIQUE ON THE JUNE HORTICULTURIST. 



stored with excellent vegetables, and decked with pretty flowers, succeeded the quiet la- 

 bors thus began b}'^ the harmless old negro. 



Since then we have " progressed." Now we want extensive gardens, hot-beds, green- 

 houses, and all sorts of queer conceits reqniring the continued labors of skillful men — 

 the "continued labors" we get, as the collapsed condition of our purses testify; the 

 "skillful" part is altogether another matter. The simple truth is — I must blast it out — 

 we Americans do pay through the nose, most outrageously, in most cases, for our garden- 

 ing, and the majority of it villanously bad at that. I have tried many " gardeners," my- 

 self, and I never tried one who made great professions of what he had " done at 'ome," 

 and had been in high practice there, but what vilely cheated me — that, probably, was my 

 " luck." Others, perhaps, found better; yet T have been most successful when I found 

 a plain, laboring man, who had been nothing but an " under laborer" in good gardens 

 abroad, and made little or no pretensions of skill, and was satisfied with moderate wages. 

 Among such, I have found now and then, a faithful, skillful man, who, in his plain and 

 quiet practice, knew more than a score of your vaporing, empty " professors." 



Nor, so long as things go on as they do with our own people, do I see any help for these 

 difficulties. We must know something ourselves, and then, with such " help" as we can 

 get, rub along in a very plain way, and enjoy what we can of luxury in the enormous pro- 

 portionate expense which we pay for it. Let it be understood that my remarks are not 

 intended for all. We have many good gardeners among us — honest men, and skillful, 

 who are thoroughly taught, and practice on sound principles. Such men deserve and meet 

 with abundant encouagement, either in the employ of others, or when in business on their 

 own account. I wish a few more "professional" gardeners would read the Horticultu- 

 rist. It would be to their benefit. 



Effect of the Severe Winter on rare Evergreens. — With all my heart I wish we had 

 more such men as Mr. Sargent. Men who will try things, and then, after trial, tell us 

 what they have amounted to. j\Iany a man of taste is disposed to try a new plant, or a 

 variety of plants in his grounds, but on thinking the subject all over, his fear of failure 

 overcomes his zeal, and he prudently buttons up his pocket and concludes to save his 

 money and his solicitude, rather than hazard both on a doubtful issue. These notes of 

 Mr. Sargent are particularly valuable for several reasons. Ilis position is a central one, 

 exposed to great vicissitudes of change in temperature. His soil not naturally inviting 

 and grateful to the evergreen family at large. His variety extraordinarily extensive for 

 this countr}' — and the past winter, from which his notes are drawn, the most severe of 

 modern date. These circumstances combine to make the notes of Mr. Sargent, with the 

 editorial memoranda accompanying them, of exceeding interest to all evergreen planters. 



3Iicroscopic insects the cause of Pear Blight. — No, sir. We fear growers cannot ad- 

 mit that doctrine yet. The work of insects always gives token of mischief before the work 

 of death is done. The pear blight does no such thing. You may walk out among your 

 trees at evening, the branches fresh with the greenest leaves, and the young twigs in their 

 most succulent growth, and the next day noon will show you one of the same branches 

 withering, brown, and dead. That is^rc blight. We know not what strange anomalies 

 exist in Illinois, above and beyond our other states, but if report be true, the " old French 

 pear trees" of Kaskaskia, and other early settlements of that state, are now as fresh and 

 luxuriant as those of Detroit and the river Raisin. Let us wait a little and see what our 

 other pomologists have to say upon this neio theory of Prof. Turner. 



Great variety of Native Woods. — It is amusing to an intelligent man who has much 

 intercourse with our landhojders and farmers, to note how little the most of them know 



