160 



THE GARDENER'S MONTHLY 



[May. 



number of publications that no one knows where 

 to look for it when needed. It is fortunate that 

 the lot of preparing such a work has fallen on 

 Mr. Saunders. While standing among the lead- 

 ers in scientific entomology, he happens to be at 

 the same time an enthusiastic horticulturist, and 

 so knows just what we need in this line. In 

 addition to this he is one of the leading chemists 

 of America, and must have a practical acquaint- 

 ance with insect destroying substances. It is 

 rare that so many qualifications unite in one 

 individual, and we may therefore look for a 

 work of standard reference for all time. 



Universal Interest Tables. — By Prof, George 

 William Jones, of Cornell University, Ithaca, 

 N. Y. Published by Frick & Apgar. 



This is a cheap and extremely useful little 

 manual, showing at a glance the amount of in- 

 terest due on any sum, for any time, long or 

 short, at various rates of interest. It is worthy 

 of a place in every business man's office at 



Kansas City Review of Science and Industry. 

 — Theo. S. Case, editor. This vigorous scientific 

 monthly, has just completed its fifth year. The 

 editor notes that the circulation is barely suffi- 

 cient to cover expenses, at which we are sur- 

 prised. It can only be that Western people do 

 not know how good a magazine they have at 

 cheir own doors. 



The Penn Monthly. — Published by Edward 

 Stern & Co., Philadelphia. In this excellent 

 magazine the articles are usually such as appeal 

 to general intelligence, and not infrequently are 

 some among them which appeal to that special 

 class to which so many of the readers of the 

 •Gardener's Monthly belong. In the April 

 number, for instance, is a paper by Dr. D. G. 

 Brinton, on the Books of Chilan Balam, books 

 which were in existence on this continent no one 

 knows how' many hundreds of years before the 

 white men found it. It appears by Dr. Brinton 's 

 researches that they were destroyed as supersti- 

 tious by the clergy of the Spanish races, who 

 conquered the native races to whom these books 

 belonged. These people had a written language, 

 and a book of records was kept in every Indian 

 village. The paper, as now in China, was made 

 of the bark of a tree, and the books told of the 

 medical virtues of the plants of that country, 

 with probably many other matters which would 

 be a mine of wealth to a student of the floral 

 history of this continent. It is more than likely 



as the advanced civilization of the north presses 

 inwards against Mexican indifference and de- 

 strucliveness, here and there remains of records, 

 and other facts will be found which, when put 

 together, will yet throw some new and bright 

 light on the ancient history of this continent. 

 We have already learned wonderfully from the 

 opening up of Arizona and New Mexico, and we 

 may judge from these how much more we shall 

 know when civilization reaches the " heart of the 

 dark continent," as Mexico as well as Africa may 

 be termed. 



SCRAPS AND QUERIES. 



A Gardeners' Society. — " E.," New York 

 City, says : " Many gardeners of New York de- 

 sire your views as to the formation of a garden- 

 ers' society in this city. Be kind enough to let 

 us know through your next issue what you 

 think of it and how it may be done," 



[In Europe societies for mutual improvement 

 are common among gardeners. Gardeners are 

 more settled there than here, and social ties, 

 once formed, are rarely broken. In our country 

 they are more migratory, and it is very difficult 

 to devise any plan that will fit in with the cir- 

 cumstances. Intelligent gardeners can seldom 

 get the recognition in society which their merits 

 entitle them to, because of the great number of 

 uneducated men who go as "gardeners," and 

 the general public have no way of distinguishing 

 the genuine from the spurious sort. 



It has always seemed to us ihat in our country 

 some society could be formed which would at 

 least cover this want. Only those known to be 

 worthy of association, from their acknowledged 

 horticultural abilities, should be admitted to 

 membership, and the seal of such a society 

 would help many a worthy young man along in 

 his struggle for position in a strange neighbor- 

 hood.— Ed. G. M.] 



Rhyncospermum. — Prof, Bailey, Brown Uni- 

 versity, Providence, R. I., notes : " The real name 

 of the so called Rhyncospermum jasminoides 

 mentioned in April number of the Monthly, is 

 Parechites, and it belongs to the Apocynaceffi, 

 The name Rhyncospermum now belongs to a 

 genus of Compositse, which I need not say is 

 wholly diflerent in appearance and structure. 

 The Parechites grow well here, and there are 

 five old specimens in several of our hothouses. 

 I have used it for years in my classes, with vinea, 

 to illustrate its order." 



[De CandoUe's plant — the Composite — is Ryn- 

 cospermum, not Rhyncospermum. Aside from 

 this is not our plant rather Trachelospermum 

 than Parechites? Not having had the oppor- 

 tunity to settle these points, we have been in 

 the habit of using the nursery name of Rhyn- 

 cospermum provisionally. — Ed. G. M.] 



