60 



THE GARDENER'S MONTHLY 



[February , 



from tar, under the above name, of which the 

 smallest particle dropped into water, will take 

 -on many singular forms and colors. It is a pretty 

 amusement, not only for small children, but for 

 children of larger growth. 



Prinos verticillata. — By a singular slip of 

 the pen, we wrote " Prinos verticillata," instead 

 -of P. glaber. Prinos glaber, is the only evergreen 

 of this genus in the J^orthern States, unless we 

 accept the views of some botanists, that Prinos 

 is not distinct from Ilex, or the true hollies. 



CuPRESSUS McNabiana. — This was named 

 in 1853 by Mr. Andrew Murray, in honor of Mr. 

 James McXab, the well known curator of the 

 Edinburg Botanic Gardens. It came from Xorth- 

 -ern California. Mr. McNab died on the 19th of 

 November last, in the 68th. vear of his ase. 



SCRAPS AND QUERIES. 



Blue Grass. — An esteemed correspondent 

 says: ''I would ask what you meant by 'Blue 

 Grass' in the last number ? Poa compressa is the 

 'Blue Grass' of all the Eastern country, and 

 merits the name, having a blue color, but the P. 

 pratensis is the Blue Grass of the West and is 

 much better for a lawn, though the name 'blue' 

 is a poor one for the brightest green." 



[Poa compi'essa is the 'Blue Grass' of botan- 

 ists. There is no doubt of this, and j'et we ai'e 

 nearly sure that if any one send to a seed store 

 in any part of the United States for • Blue 

 Grass' he will get Poa pratensis. We are as 

 sorry as our correspondent that it is so, but so it 

 is.— Ed. G. M.] 



Literature, Travels \ Personal Notes. 



EDITORIAL NOTES. 



American Knowledge in Europe.— An 

 American correspondent of the Garden has been 

 criticising it for its ignorance of American 

 plants, and American things in general. On 

 reading it we feel like saying a good word 

 for the Garden, for it really exhibits much less 

 of this Aveakness than many of its contempora- 

 ries. It is indeed, a matter of surprise that 

 such an immense amount of error about America 

 should find a place in European literature. We 

 could fill a whole page every month with an ex- 

 hibit of these defects, but refrain because carping 

 and "pecking" is not a favorite pastime with us. 

 Here before us is a leading magazine which tells 

 its readers that the "Magnolia grandifiora in the 

 United States is only found in Florida," and this 

 is but one of a dozen items before us as we write, 

 that we could refer to if so disposed. 



We are quite sure if any attache of an Amer- 

 ican paper were to write of European matters 

 <as Europeans write of us, he would have per- 

 anission to resign within twentv-four hours. 



About Credits to Exchanges. — The Xew 

 York Tribune is sensitive about credits. In a re- 

 cent paragraph some New Jerseyman "did not 

 want to credit everything to the Xew York Tri- 

 bune, though it would be but honest and decent 

 to do so, "and the editor thinks "every one of our 

 exchanges, without exception, will enjoy the re- 

 marks," especially when he thinks the offender, 

 "as in this case" is somebod}^ else. 



As one "of the" exchanges "of the Xew York 

 Tribune we resent this implication : and it comes 

 with a bad grace from a quarter which does "just 

 that same" itself only in a little different way. 

 In the number where this complaint appears, 

 there are in "Foot Xotes on Farming" at least 

 a dozen paragraphs which have been made up 

 from its "exchanges" without any credit, and we 

 do not see that it is any worse to take the whole 

 as it stands, than to alter a preposition, a con- 

 junction or a few punctuation marks, and then 

 claim it as an "original paragraph." For instance, 

 at page 275 of the Gardener's Monthly, we 

 credited to the Memphis Avalanche that "Mr. 

 Stewart the well known nurseryman of tliat place 



