264 



FAMILIAR BOTANY, 



has shown me, almost within the shade of 

 that same Bellefleur, there growing, by the 

 same admirable skill and care that perfected 

 the apples, so highly and so justly lauded 

 to the convention. 



Each of the exceptions made by the com- 

 mittee was, in its turn, sustained by the 

 evidence of those present from this or that 

 section ; and it would not have been diffi- 

 cult to ascertain from them the particular 

 localities, or the characters of the soils 

 which are unsuited to the reserved fruits. 

 Not a member of the convention professed 

 to have eaten a first rate Newtown Pippin, 

 which had been raised in New-England ; 



and I do not believe any one, that heard 

 the discussion of the Louise Bonne de Jet' 

 sey, would choose to plant that pear, except 

 on quince stocks. 



Such facts may accumulate, that a future 

 convention shall be able to furnish the pub- 

 lic with a classification of fruit trees, on the 

 basis of their congenial soils ; and, for this 

 most desirable end, is it too much to ask all 

 fruit growers to observe the peculiarities 

 incident to their various localities, and to 

 furnish statements of them through our pe- 

 riodicals, for the consideration of the horti- 

 cultural world ? A Young Planteb. 



New-York, Nov. 8, 1848. 



FAMrHiIAR BOTANY. 



BY DR. WM. W. VALK, FLUSHING, L. I. 



To MANY of the readers of the Horticultu- 

 rist, we hope the present article will prove 

 both useful and interesting. It is almost 

 wholly of an eclectic character ; our mate- 

 rials being culled from different sources, 

 and arranged with particular reference to 

 the facility with which the subject may be 

 readily and best understood, by those who 

 are not yet acquainted with the rudimental 

 knowledge of the science, as systematised 

 and adopted by the immortal Linnaeus. 



We are far from contending that there is 

 any necessity whatever for the studying of 

 botany, in order to make a man a practical 

 gardener. He may be quite equal to the 

 task of laying out and cultivating a garden 

 in perfection, and fully competent to the 

 exercise of any degree of skill in so doing, 

 without having made botany " the stepping 

 stone" thereto. But yet, we are bound to 

 admit, that the study of it is delightful, and 

 that all should learn what they can of it, 



whenever the opportunity is presented to 

 them. 



To render science useful, its principles 

 should be consistent with nature and com- 

 mon sense; and there should appear, among 

 its teachers, nothing like presumption or 

 irreverencej Therefore, we can have no- 

 thing to do with those ridiculous theories, 

 which appear to us contemptible, because 

 we have been taught, and wish to have our 

 children taught, that God's works are al- 

 ways perfect. 



The classes and orders of Linnseus may 

 be learned with advantage by every lover 

 of plants ; because this kind of knowledge 

 will increase their enjoyment, and lead 

 them into a desire to know more. Our 

 great object is to render these lessons ac- 

 ceptable to the most humble aspirant. There 

 is no reason why the useful portiojns of 

 botany should not be studied by everybody 

 who feels interested in gardening opera- 



