376 



THE GARDENER'S MONTHLY 



{December y 



General Index to the Reports of the 

 Patent Office and Agricultural Depart- 

 ment FROM 1837 TO 1876, issued by the Commis- 

 sioner of Agriculture.— We have often wondered 

 why such a work as this was never undertaken. 

 Commissioner Le Due deserves great praise for 

 it. It gives a value to the Reports of the De- 

 partment almost incalculable. 



The American Naturalist for jSTovember 

 is a remarkably full and interesting number. 

 It has improved greatly during the past year 

 in the amount of general information it gives to 

 the reader. In some of the departments this is 

 particularly noticeable— in botany, however, less 

 than in some others. It is well to give attention 

 to long papers giving " original " views, but the 

 "general information" column, which requires 

 much patient editorial research and hard work, 

 is generally badly served in most scientific 

 papers, and it is pleasant to note the improve- 

 ment here in this. McCalla & Stavely, Phila- 

 delphia, are the publishers, and Dr. Packard, we 

 believe, the chief editor. 



How TO Select Cows on the Guenon 

 System. By Willis P. Hazard, Philadelphia. J. 

 M. Stoddart & Co.— This pamphlet has a portrait 

 and sketch of the lifa of Guenon, who was a 

 French agriculturist, and discoverer of the meth- 

 od of determining the milking abilities of cows 

 by the peculiar arrangement of the hair of cows 

 in what is now known as the escutcheon. So far 

 as we know, there has been no attempt to show 

 the physiological relationship between the ar- 

 rangement of the hair and the lacteal system, 

 although it is near fifty years ago since Guenon 

 discovered what many believe to be the fact. 

 This might be taken as arguing against the 

 soundness of the plan, if we did not know that 

 science-teaching too often follows in the wake 

 of a few leading scholars, and seldom seeks for 

 itself the principles that are taught. However, 

 it seems to be the case that no one knows why 

 the character of the escutcheon should be a milk 

 guide. All that is known is that in a majority 

 of cases— by no means in all, the marks have 

 been reliable, and this should incite all dairy 

 folk to know what is said about it. 



The Rural New Yorker.— The Rural New 

 Yorker has improved wonderfully of late. It 

 always was a good paper. As it is now, it will 

 compare favorably with any agricultural serial 

 issued, to say the least of it. 



Nurseries of Hoopes Bro. and Thomas^ 

 West Chester, Pa.— According to the New 

 York Graphic, these deservedly celebrated nur- 

 series, established in 1853, now contains 30O 

 acres. They have fourteen glass houses, and 

 employ an average of 100 hands. 



The Contributor. — Under this title we- 

 have the first number of a monthly magazine, 

 edited by Junius F. Wells, of Salt Lake City, 

 where it is published. It is devoted to science,, 

 history, literary and religious topics. We be- 

 lieve it is the first attempt at any serial work 

 having any relation to scientific thought issued 

 in the Mormon Territory. The only chapter of 

 this class in this number is one on " shooting 

 stars," by J. B. Toronto. 



SCRAPS AND QUERIES. 



Forest Hill Cemetery. — Reader says r 

 " You have spoken twice in your publication of 

 Forest Grove Cemetery in Boston. Do you 

 mean Forest Hill Cemetery ? 



A Gardener's Privilege. — "Maryland" 

 asks : " A subscriber wishes to have the opinion 

 of the editor or of some reader and correspond- 

 ent of the Monthly, on the following case : 



A gardener on a private place has, in making 

 purchases of pots for the use of the garden, re- 

 ceived from the maker of the article, what the 

 gardener calls presents; in plain terms, a com- 

 mission or douceur for bringing to him the pat- 

 ronage of the employer. The fact having be- 

 come known to the employer, and the latter- 

 having made objection to the practice, the gar- 

 dener maintains that there is nothing wrong in 

 the transaction, asserts that ' they all do it,' and 

 asks whether, when a present is offered to him 

 he can be expected to throw it away?" 



[As this is rather a question of ethics than of 

 horticulture, we were uncertain whether we 

 ought to give it a place in our crowded columns ;. 

 but have decided to give our correspondent the 

 benefit of the doubt. Noting, however, that 

 the few words we have to say about it, must 

 close the discussion. 



It is not true that all gardeners take " com- 

 missions " on their employer's bills. We can 

 say of our own knowledge, that very few of the 

 best gardeners do. As to " presents," these may 



