348 



THE GARDENERS' MONTHLY 



[November, 



distributed for trial under cultivation. Mr. Lem- 

 mon gives a history of the potato, and of these 

 Arizonian forms in connection therewith ; endeav- 

 oring to give all that has been written in regard to 

 them. He singularly overlooks what is, perhaps, 

 the fullest account of any trial made with them, 

 given in the proceedings of the Academy of Na- 

 tural Sciences of Philadelphia, for October 13th, 

 1874, and which work must be in the library of 

 the California Academy of Sciences, and which 

 paper gives the result of eight years trial with one of 

 these species. It is there stated that this species 

 when first planted had tubers about the size of a 

 bullet, and had the bark or skin roughened by the 

 free development of tuber cells. At the end of 

 this period some had developed to tubers nearly 

 as large as a walnut, oval, flattened, and with the 

 smooth skin of a modern potato — and this, not by 

 sowing the seed, but merely by selection from the 

 tubers raised from the original tubers. It is re- 

 markable, seeing how much that communication 

 to the Academy favors Mr. Lemmon's idea of 

 the probable origin of the potato from the Arizona 

 forms, that, in a chapter purporting to go over the 

 whole ground, he should have overlooked this. 



The Profits of Misfortune. — A funny paper 

 gives the following : 



"Miss Gushington (to young widow whose hus- 

 band has left a large fortune) : "That is the four- 

 teenth mourning costume I have seen you wear in 

 three days, and each lovelier and more becoming 

 than the other." Young Widow; "Oh! my dear, 1 

 have forty ; but such a bother as they were to have 

 made! At one time I almost wished that poor 

 dear George hadn't died ! " 



This would seem extravagant, did we not find 

 something in every-day-life to match it. Riding 

 around through the suburbs of Victoria, admiring 

 the pretty gardens, and getting information from 

 the hack-driver, as usual with travellers, he told us 

 of one nice place, that the owner and her husband 

 started life as pie-bakers in that town, and wound 

 up by remarking, "an shure, sha has now the 

 plashure o' bayin' a rich widdy." 



Trees by Mail. — America is not by any means 

 always in the rear. The English papers are 

 recording, as a wonderful thing, that Mr. Glad- 

 stone recently received a tree by mail ! They do 

 not seem to know that thousands — nay millions, 

 have gone through the mails in America, for years 

 past — some even bringing up in their own country 

 after their postal experience. 



Portrait of J. J. Thom vs. — It always seemed 

 to us scarcely fair that our most useful men should 



not know while living how much the rest of the 

 world felt indebted to them. On this ground, we 

 decided to give as an annual frontispiece to our 

 volumes a portrait in first-class style, of some of 

 our most distinguished authors. Last year we had 

 a portrait of the author of Barry's Fruit Garden ; 

 we have selected for our coming illustration the 

 author of Thomas' .American Fruit Culturist. As 

 these arc given in first-class style, wholly at the 

 cost of the publisher, it v^s thought it would be a 

 pleasant surprise to those whom the magazine de- 

 lighted to honor, and nothing was said till the 

 portrait appeared. This was found to have its dis- 

 advantage. Many wanted extra copies with the por- 

 trait of their favorites, but the publisher only prints 

 enough for his December edition (and the usual over 

 copies), which, however, is always a very large one. 

 So this announcement is made, that we shall have a 

 portrait of J. J. Thomas, in our December number. 

 Those who desire extras should order them before 

 Nov. 15th to insure a supply. 



Short Post.\ge — A Remarkable Post Of- 

 fice Law. — Some time ago we received a large 

 Public Document which, on opening, contained 

 th? stunning announcement that some dunderhead 

 had sent us a letter without sufficient postage, and 

 that if we sent the United States the necessary 

 nickel, we should have the inestimable privilege 

 of perusing the contents of said document. As 

 every editor knows, one-half his inail is only ma- 

 terial for the rubbish-box. However, we wasted a 

 letter, and the " necessary postage " was sent on. 

 In due course, the letter came on with the follow- 

 ing placard pasted all over it : 



'•This Letter was held at the Philadelphia Post 

 Office as 'short paid,' and forwarded afterwards, 

 upon receipt from the addressee of stamp to cover 

 deficiency." 



It was not a letter, but a printed circular in- 

 viting us to walk two miles to see a raspberry. 

 " Dear Sir," had been written with a pen, and 

 " 27th " in figures. This made it a "letter." By 

 tlie time we had finished the negotiations with the 

 government the date was passed ; and all the time, 

 expense, and loss of temper went for nothing at all. 



Now, why should all this tribulation be put on 

 the person to whom a letter is addressed ? Who 

 suggested this miserable piece of tomfoolery ? His 

 name ought to be attached to a brainless pumpkin 

 and exhibited at an agricultural fair. If a letter is 

 ' short paid,' why not send it back to the writer, 

 even if neressary to cut it open to see who wrote 

 it? 



Mean Tricks in Tr.ade. — A lady receives a 



