EEVIJiWS. 



to be derived from a perception of the beautiful. Unity, harmony, and appropriate fitness, are 

 the essential elements of beauty ; to these, then, must the planters' efforts turn. 



" 50. Thus the planter sliould be imbued with the principles of beauty. Without them his 

 labors may excite only wonder at their extent, or surprise at their variety ; witli them, he com- 

 bines lasting beauty — a source of unvarying pleasure and delight." 



We trust the publisher of this volume will find so ready a sale for it, that he and the 

 editor will combine to make it annual ; and if assistance from other pens is called in from 

 different parts of our great country, it may be made, what is much wanted, really "a hand- 

 book of American trees." 



Some of our readers will recollect with gratitude the information imparted by Loudon 

 in his Arlorettim. He took the pains not only to indicate the prices at English nurseries, 

 but instituted a comparison with those of the continent ; so that purchasers were not left 

 at the mercy of one neighborhood, and obliged to purchase at several prices whatever by a 

 sudden demand of fashion had become scarce at home. There is just now an uncommonly 

 great demand for ornamental trees ; it is a common complaint that nothing can be had but 

 insignificant specimens of many of the most sought-for kinds ; in many instances prices 

 have doubled within two years, with no possibility of obtaining anything but two or three 

 years old plants. Nurseries increase in number, but the demand js in advance of the stock. 

 Time is an important ingredient in the advance of trees not enough remembered by pur- 

 chasers ; hence gardeners run off their young trees whenever they can, knowing that buy- 

 ers flinch from the just advance in price with increase of size. They give you as a reason, 

 that young trees succeed the best. • So they do ; but if we Avere now planting, we should 

 give the preference to Norway Firs five years old to those having only two years' growth ; 

 and so of many others : but specimens of this and greater age are difficult to procure. Our 

 supposed annual hand-book should go into this matter ; and, while it gave directions as to 

 the proper age for transplanting all descriptions of trees, should inform the seeker how and 

 where to procure them. But, icoiild it fay ? We answer, yes. Let Mr. Meehan, or his 

 co-editor, open a correspondence with all the nurserymen in the Ignited States, (visit them 

 would be better,) and they would cheerfully pay their proportion of the increased paper 

 and print, to advertise this species of really intelligible and valuable information. This 

 would be a source of profit to the bookmaker, which would pay for his increased outlay ; 

 and, our word for it, fifty copies of the book Avould sell where one is now disposed of. It 

 would be indispensable not only to every gardener, but to every planter. We trust our 

 suggestion may be acted on. S. — Philadelphia. 



[We had already prepared a notice of Mr. Meehan's "hand-book," but give the prefer- 

 ence to that of our correspondent, Avho is every way competent to set forth its merits and 

 defects. We have only to observe that in the main we are well pleased with it, and believe 

 it will be of great value to persons engaged in planting ornamental trees. It strikes us, 

 however, that some classification of the trees would have enhanced its value. For instance, 

 evergreen trees should have formed a separate section, instead of being scattered all through 

 the volume. We think, too, that the page should have been affixed to the names in the 

 English index. If we wish to find English ITawthorn, for example, w-e refer to the English 

 index, under the letter II, and find "Hawthorn, English — Crataegus oxycantha ;'''' we have 

 then to turn to 0, in the alphabetical order of the book, and search for Crataegus oxycantha. 

 If the English index had read thus, it would have saved time to all who may consult it: 



Hawthorn, English — Cratagns oxycantlia.^ 108." The reader could at once have turned 

 age 108. Tlie alphabetical arrangement does not, to our mind, obviate the necessity of 



