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THE GARDENERS' MONTHLY 



[April, 



interests itself in a wide range of intelligent topics. 

 I therefore make no apology for inquiring whether 

 a recent writer who used ' two waterpotfulls of 

 liquid ' would not have done better if he had said 

 ' two waterpots full ?' " 



[The English grammar is peculiar in this, that it 

 is founded on the meanings of words, rather than 

 on the words themselves. For instance, the gen- 

 ders are constructed on the sexes of the creatures we 

 talk about, and not on the mere form of a word as 

 in some languages; hence we can oftener get at 

 the correct form of the words desired by studying 

 what we mean to say, than by following merely the 

 rules of the schools. Again, for instance, we say 

 " I should hate to be a man like him," or " I 

 should hate to be a man like he," with equal pro- 

 priety according to what we mean by " like." The 

 last seems harsh, and would hardly be tolerated in 

 school, but if we put its equivalent, " such as," in 

 its place, and say " I should hate to be such a man 

 as he is," you see it is correct. Further, the 

 schools tell us to say "two and two are four," and 

 that "two and two is four," is shocking. If we 

 mean that two articles and two other articles make 

 four articles, " two and two are four " is correct ; 

 but if we mean to ask the sum total of the figures 

 2 and 2, that sum total "is" 4. 



Now for the two waterpots full. This would be 

 •the form with those who feel that our language 



should go by rule and not by sense. It is the 

 common form with scholastic people. But the per- 

 son who uses it is not referring so much to the 

 water pot, or whether it is exactly full or not ; but 

 he wants to convey the idea of a definite quantity. 

 Full is used in the sense of a " filling." You are 

 to use the filling of a cup, pot or hand — or two 

 " fillings " or " fulls " of these. Indeed, we do not 

 use the two words " waterpot fulls or hand fulls," 

 but make one word to represent a measure or 

 quantity — waterpotfuls or handfuls. 



If one does not care to be criticised for his be- 

 lief, however, it is fortunate that the English lan- 

 guage is so elastic that he can change the whole 

 form of the sentence, and still be right. — Ed. G. M.] 



Mistakes. — Correspondents of American mag- 

 azines look sharp after the errors they detect, and 

 if even a letter is misplaced the editor is sure to 

 hear of it. It has come to be considered as a sign 

 of a very accurate serial when corrections are 

 frequently in order. Only those which dare criti- 

 cisms correct errors. European papers seldom do 

 it. In an English paper before us we are told that 

 the " Duke of Newcastle is going in the spring to 

 the Western States of San Francisco." If an 

 American writer made such a geographical slip in 

 regard to a European country he would never 

 hear the last of it from his readers. 



Horticultural Societies. 



EDITORIAL NOTES. 



Fertilizing Moss — The New York Horti- 

 cultural Society. — The subject of the cultiva- 

 tion of plants in fertilized moss having created 

 considerable interest during the past year, and 

 with a view to determine, if possible, the relative 

 value of soil as a medium of cultivation compared 

 with fertilized moss, especially that known as Du- 

 mesnil Moss, the following premiums are offered 

 to be competed for at the June meeting (to be held 

 in Horticultural Hall about June 15th) under the 

 following conditions, for the best twelve plants 

 grown in Dumesnil or other fertilized moss, con- 

 sisting of 4 Abutilon, Snow Storm ; 4 Geranium 

 (double). General Grant or Wonderful ; 4 Coleus, 

 Verschaffelti. First premium, ^15; second pre- 



mium, $10. Plants to be placed in the moss not 

 later than March ist from cuttings or a two-inch 

 pot, and thereafter watered with pure water only. 

 To be exhibited in pots not over five inches, ac- 

 companied with a statement of the material used 

 for growing. James Y. Murkland, Sec'y. 



Pennsylvania Horticultural Society. — In 

 view of the meeting of the American Pomological 

 Society in Philadelphia this coming September, 

 the horticulturists are making unusual efforts to 

 render the visits of the pomologists profitable and 

 attractive. Endeavors are being made to get an 

 excellent horticultural exhibit. The florists of 

 Philadelphia have subscribed J 1,000 to offer as 

 premiums. The cut flower department of the ex- 

 hibition alone, it is believed, will be worth coming 

 to Philadelphia to see. 



