EDITOB'8 TABir. 



it3 construction, tlio various forces which combine in giving it completeness and edicacy, 

 anil tlio natural principles or laws from which these forces Hi»riiig. It is this sort of study 

 onlv which will make implements and machinery intelligible, and enable the operator to 

 adjust their parts, and use them to the greatest i>ossible advantage. 



Comparatively perfect as are our modern imi)lement9, no'ono will say tliat they 

 cannot bo still further improved. Our belief is that the next ten years will do more for 

 them than has the past twenty. Mechanics liavo not received proper aid and cooperation 

 from the practical cultivator, simply because the cultivator has thought it not his province 

 to invent, but to use the inventions of others. "When the farmer will study the principles 

 of construction, he will soon be able to suggest improvements to the meclianic ; and tlien 

 we may expect improvements in earnest. 



Mr. Thomas' work will give an impulse to this matter, which cannot fail to result in 

 great benefits to the agricultural interests of this country. "Wo wish, therefore, to see it 

 placed immediately in the hands of every farmer and farmer's son, as an indispensable 

 book, and school commissioners should see that it has a place on the shelves of every rural 

 district school library. It is admirably adapted for popular use as a text book. The 

 different subjects are judiciously divided into chapters, and sub-divided into sections ; the 

 illustrations are ami)le and excellent ; the style is plain and concise, unencumbered by 

 needless technicalities ; and there is everywhere that carefulness and precision that charac- 

 terizes all the writings of Mr. Thomas. Every statement is made in such a straightforward 

 manner that even a child could not mistake or fail to discover the point and meaning. 

 This we consider an excellency worthy of being pointed out in a book of this kind. 



In addition to thus expressing our opinion of the book, we would gladly, if space per- 

 mitted, give an epitomized statement of its contents, but we must refer to the book itself. 



jl^orticultural Socittits. 



BnooKLTN IIouTicuLTrRAL SociETY. — ^This socIety held a "Festival of Roses" on the loth and 

 IClh of June, in the spacious and elegant public had known as the " Athenitum." We had the 

 pleasure of making a hasty visit on the first day, but it was immediately after the hour of open- 

 in"', and before the committees had finished making their awards, or had placed the names of 

 contributors on the objects exhibited ; we are therefore unable to speak of the show in other 

 than general terms, except in a few cases. The articles were placed on tables distributed iirej^u- 

 larly around the room, as so many flower beds on a lawn. The cut Roses were inserted in wet 

 sand, covered with a wire net-work, and the pot plants were tastefully grouped on tables, cov- 

 ered with green glazed cloth. Thus the arrangement was not only cfleclive, but enabled visitors 

 to make a satisfactory examination of every object. 



There were but five or six collections of Roses, and some of the best were not named ; a very 

 great defect. The best named collection, we believe, was that of J. W. Dkgraw, Esq., President 

 of the society. Messrs. Jas. Wier; Gabriel Marc, of Astoria; and Wm. Burgess, of 'Willianis- 

 burg, presented good collections. Mr. Burgess had some standard Roses, taken that morning 

 from the open ground ; one was worked with a slender-growing variety called a " new Weeper," 

 the flower of which did not appear to possess much merit ; and above tliis, on the same plant, 

 Geant des Bataille^. lie had also several seedling Roses, some of which promised well. lie had 

 fine blooms of Paul Ricant and Caroline de Sansal, some fifteen varieties in all. 



An ornamental design contributed by Mr. IIami.yn, gardener to .J. C. Langley, Esq., of Bain- 

 bridge, L. I., occupied a table in the center of the room. It was a rustic stand in form of a 

 tree, the branches of which were laden with boquets and clusters of ripe Grapes ; a very 

 tive center piece. The boquets and fruits were exhibited on this table. 



