•] 



AND HORTICULTURIST. 



219 



to see the variety of bloom the next two months 

 will give. The wonder is that they are not more 

 in demand in the East for hardy border plants. 

 There are here wild flowers, finer and larger 

 than any of the cultivated ones. 



Hundreds of fine grasses, cactus, and curiosities 

 abound, and if I knew some certain time that you 

 would have a meeting in the interest of flowers I 

 would send some. 



Five years ago I visited this part of Kansas and 

 was so delighted with it that I made up my mind 

 to go west. I packed up a car in Pittsburgh with 

 sashes and all things needed at first in gardening, 

 and after many ups and downs I have not re- 

 gretted it. I have a good home, good greenhouse, 

 100 hot-bed sash, water-pipes, &c., occupying a 

 half-acre ; can sell all I raise on the place. I have 

 ten acres of the best land planted with fruit and 

 vegetables, and better still, all is free of debt at 

 present. 



My business will not grow to the size of EUwan- 

 ger & Barry's, or Landreth's, but into a very 

 nice one for me. Salina is well situated, being in 

 one of the finest valleys. There are prospects of 

 getting this season two new railroads here. We 

 have water-works, three flour mills, one that makes 

 600 barrels of flour per day, fine opera house of 

 three stories, &c., and in short the desert is not 

 so bad a place to live in after all. 



EDITORIAL NOTES. 



Specimens of Plants, Fruits and Flowers. 

 — When these are desired for editorial examina- 

 tion, they should be addressed to Thomas 

 Meehan, Germantown, Philadelphia, and not to 

 the publication office in the city, as this necessi- 

 tates a re-shipment to Germantown, and often 

 several days' delay. 



Character of Nurserymen. — An editorial on 

 the death of a Rochester nurseryman, in the Ameri- 

 can Rural Home, has the following : " As he was 

 but a man he was liable to mistakes, but we do not 

 believe that he ever intentionally deceived or 

 wronged a customer. We fear that the number of 

 nurserymen of whom this may be truthfully 

 said is not large." 



We think that it is a mistake to say that the 

 great majority of nurserymen will intentionally 

 deceive and wrong a customer. We prefer to 

 believe that the editor of the Rural Home has had 

 the misfortune to write hurriedly what he would 

 not have done under due reflection. 



Horticulture in Spain. — Mr. Charles Joly 

 continues his essays on horticulture, as at present, 

 in different parts of the globe. Since his essays 

 on the horticulture of England and of the United 

 States, one on that of Spain has appeared. He 

 tells us that political and religious troubles in 

 Spain, as well as in Italy, has retarded the progress 

 of horticulture — but for all this recent occurrences 

 develop the fact that science, horticulture included, 

 has a wonderful vitality in these countries. The 

 northern plateau, and the central portions of 

 Spain, have a sad and denuded appearance ; but 

 the plains of Valencia and of Andalusia, both in 

 culture and the beauty of its native vegetation, is 

 not exceeded by any country on the globe. 



A Raid on the Silver Maple. — In a recent 

 address Dr. Warder says : "And now in condemn- 

 ing the next tree and banishing it from the streets, 

 another set of our good people will feel oppressed. 

 'Y\vt. Nurseryman ?,2:^%: * * * ' The water maple 

 is so easily grown, so quickly attains saleable 

 size, it is so certainly transplanted, and the cus- 

 tomers get it so cheaply, 'tis no wonder that thou- 

 sands are planted in every Western town. And 

 yet it is a poor tree for any purpose when com- 

 pared with others of its own class. It has neither 

 beauty, majesty, nor strength to recommend it, but 

 breaks with every storm. However, it has its use 

 as a civilizer, and is an advance on the poplar 

 tribe. It may have a temporary occupation of the 

 streets under promise of being removed as soon as 

 its legitimate companions, the Norway maples, the 

 red maples, and other slow-growing trees, have 

 come to need the space the water maples have 

 been granted between them. It may be planted 

 as an alternate for its temporary shade, but only 

 on condition that it shall be removed in due time."' 

 Instead of the Nurseryman feeling "oppressed" by 

 these remarks, we fancy he will rather give the 

 good doctor thanks. It is a mistake to suppose 

 that because a tree can be cheaply raised it is 

 therefore a profitable tree. 



Enormous Fruit. — There are pictures of a 

 raspberry going the rounds which gives the fruit of 

 an astounding size. It represents seven fruits, cover- 

 ing not merely the palm of the hand, but extend- 

 ing up to the upper joint of the finger and thumb. 

 The size seemed so enormous that we took meas- 

 urements. The thumb is three-eighths and the 

 finger two-eighths of an inch wide, while the rasp- 

 berries are one inch. The hand appears to be in- 

 tended for that of a full-grown lady, judging by 

 the way the dress ornaments are arranged ; so we 



