316 



THE GARDENER'S MONIHLY 



[October, 



and one comprehends at once their signification. 

 They seem as if animated with living souls. One 

 group represents a struggle with a panther. The 

 fearful expression of the face, all the nerves and 

 muscles strained at the dangerous position of the 

 victim, the desperate fight he makes and the 

 faithful dog taking hold, give hope for his relief. 

 Another group reveals two graceful females en- 

 trusting their secrets to each other, manifesting 

 it by holding the finger to the lips. Still others 

 represent pictures from mythology and horti- 

 culture representations. 



Passing by we came to the carriage house and 

 horse stables where one can find all sorts of 

 comfortable vehicles and the noblest bred horses 

 in a building which cannot easily be excelled. 

 Mr. Dinsmore has help enough for everything, 

 and sees himself that everything is punctually 

 and properly performed. Consequently order, 

 neatness and cleanliness prevail all over. Every 

 considerable improvement or embellishment 

 favoring this remarkable home is carried out 

 after counsel with competent and approved 

 judges. Mr. Dinsmore is willing to open his 

 purse generously and deserves public recogni- 

 tion as a protector of art. He is pleased to have 

 every visitor enjoy his famous park. 



Arriving at the limit of the park, from whence 

 we started, we thanked Mr. E. for his kind- 

 ness in piloting us around and giving all pos- 

 sible information. All I have to say is, that 

 he is beyond question the most superior garden- 

 er Mr. D. ever engaged, and that under his care 

 and management for the last twelve years, it 

 has come to this flourishing condition. Mr. E. 

 is an active artist, and is devoted to the art with 

 soul and body at all times. He has no other 

 desire than to fulfill his mission to the satisfac^ 

 tion of his employer. Passing through the barn, 

 yard we saw full-blooded bulls led by a ring 

 through the nose to the watering trough. In- 

 side the barns were some of the finest heifers, 

 like deer, with their friendly faces and black 

 noses, and a large herd of the most beautiful 

 Alderney cows home in their night quarters. 

 We spent a delightful day, and talked over these 

 scenes all the way home and many times after- 

 wards. 



THE DECIWIAL SYSTEM. 



BY D. W. ADAMS, WAUKON, IOWA. 



Not long ago I asked the Gardener's Monthly 

 " Is it necessary for the advancement of science 



that the measures of fruits as well as the name 

 of flowers should be given in an 'unknown 

 tongue?' " 



In reply (page 255) the editor evades my 

 question and flies wildly off to advocate the deci- 

 mal system of weights and measures, the wisdom 

 of which I had not questioned. Then he ex- 

 pressed surprise, that 49,000,000 people have got 

 no further towards decimal measures than their 

 great grandfathers. Then returning to the '' un- 

 known tongue," he gives the meaning of these 

 French words but not the pronunciation. If 

 3,000,000 people read this article and thus be- 

 come versed in French decimals, there wilL 

 still remain 48,000,000 unread Americans. 



Then he wishes to "convert the master of the 

 National Grange." The National Grange some 

 years ago put the prefix " past " to my title. I 

 immediately "converted" and decided thence- 

 forth to use the "unmeasui-ably superior" French 

 decimal system. I called a fair sample of the 

 49,000,000 whom I had employed to chop cord- 

 wood. I told him to go to the hardware store- 

 and get a duokilogramme axe with a unimetre 

 Caryatomentosa helve, then go to the timber lot 

 and cut a hectimetre of populustremuloides and 

 Quercusmacrocarpa. I suggested that he take 

 along a couple of litres of aqua pura. 



The look of bewilderment and consternation 

 on the man's face was indescribable. I could 

 not determine whether he considered me most 

 lunatic or idiot. At length, however, he managed 

 to tell me in very simple English that he did not 

 comprehend my meaning. I think he said 

 "what?" 



Fortified by the example of the Gardener's- 

 Monthly I promptly replied that I was surprised 

 that he didn't know any more than his great- 

 grandfather, and then taking the advice of the 

 G. M., I commenced a "lecture" on the "un- 

 measurably superior " French decimal system. 

 I told him the meaning of Ki-l5g^-rilm-me^ and 

 hec-t^l'-i-tre''. If he follows my pronunciation 

 ill the presence of such scientists as Sullivan 

 and Tug Wilson, I tremble for his "potato trap" 

 — scientific term for mouth. 



I wound up ^with the standard knockdown 

 scientific argument about the vagueness of com- 

 mon English names for trees and flowers and 

 showed him the confusion, uncertainty and 

 danger of telling him to chop a burr oak instead 

 of Quercusmacrocarpa. I flatter myself, I left 

 a good impression on his mind, similar to that 

 of a good Scotch lady who said the new preacher 



