6 RECORD OP^ HORTICULTURE. 



numerous to indicate great progress, and their sale shows 

 that there is an increasing desire among our people to ob- 

 tain whatever knowledge there is upon the subject, but 

 It is at least questionable whether Horticulture has been 

 benefited in proportion to the number ot books dissemi- 

 nated. If a book is merely a re-issue of undemonstrated 

 or exploded theories, with lists of superseded varieties of 

 fruits and fiowers, then it is of little or no benefit to Hor- 

 ticulture. While on the other hand it may not contain 

 anything new and still be useful — for it may be a re-cloth- 

 ing of well-known prmciples, and if dressed in a more at- 

 tractive attire it will be sought for and be read with ben- 

 efit. "We do not expect every new book to be an embodi- 

 ment of entirely new thoughts, principles, facts, or tlieo- 

 ries„ still Ave have a right to demand tliat it shall be differ- 

 ent in some respect from any of its ju'cdecessors. 



Agriculture and Horticulture appear to have suddenly 

 become very popular with our book publishers, for we can 

 scarcely find a catalogue of any of our larger publishing 

 houses that does not contain a list, more or less extensive, 

 of works on these subjects. This fact is certainly compli- 

 mentary to the cultivators of the soil, as it clearly indicates 

 that we are rapidly becoming a reading j)eople, and that 

 intellect and muscle are not so great strangers as they 

 have been in years past. 



We fear, however, that some of our publishers, in their 

 eagerness to have a long list of their own publications, 

 em])loy men to write books who have no practical knowl- 

 edge of the subject upon which they discourse. This is 

 to be regretted, inasnnich as it is by the practice of science 



