AN ESSAY. 



(Extract from the New York Horticultural Society's Report, 1883.) 



BY L. MENAND. 



Mr. J. Y. MurMand, Serfy: 



DEAR SIR : I regret much that the reading of the 

 contents of the Philadelphia " Florist " has not con- 

 vinced you that I ought to refrain from, writing any 

 thing on horticultural subjects for publication. You 

 wish an essay on a special popular plant, the very thing 

 I am incompetent to do, for many reasons. Firstly 5 

 I have no propensities to be an essayist, in general, 

 and in particular on a specialty. I am no specialist, 

 but, on the contrary, I am a staunch eclectic therefore 

 I could not confine myself to discuss on one subject 

 alone. I would be very apt to jump from one to the 

 other, and let my vein overflow my reason. And that 

 you do not want. But supposing I could and should 

 try to bind my mind to talk about one single topic 

 plant. What plant? All popular plants have been 

 more or less ably treated. Hoses, bulbs, ferns, orchids, 

 etc. Nothing left but one of my hobbies, the ostra- 



