234 Notes and Gleanings. 



Early Rose Potato. — We hear numerous complaints, that potatoes pur- 

 chased last season as the Early Rose proved to be spurious. The high prices 

 which were paid, and the ready sale, were temptations which it appears some 

 dealers were unable -to withstand. Efforts for redress are rarely successful 

 enough to compensate for the cost and vexation attendant ; and those who have 

 been deceived will generally be compelled to make the best of their bargain. 



Any honest dealer, however, under such circumstances, would be willing to 

 inform his customer as to the source from whence his stock of Early Rose pota- 

 toes had been procured, and in so doing might satisfy him that the transac- 

 tion was an honorable one. If he declines to do this, then a suspicion of unfair 

 dealing would be justly awakened ; and we think no complaint should be made 

 if the facts of the case, as well as the name of the party, were made public. 



We advise our readers to be cautious with whom they deal. Purchase your 

 plants, roots, and seeds of an honest, reliable man ; and such may be found in 

 any city or village. We know of nothing so dear as cheap seeds. Rare seeds 

 have a standard of value as well as those kinds with which the market is fully 

 supplied ; and, when any are offered much below the prices of our first-class 

 seed-warehouses, there is a doubt, either as regards their vitality or genuineness. 



F.B. 



Messrs. Editors, — I lately noticed an article in " The American Farmer," 

 published in Baltimore, with the title of " New System of Growing Roses," and 

 credited to your Journal. I fully agree with the writer, that it is a great im- 

 provement on the old practice of close pruning: nevertheless, the "system" 

 proposed is nothing new, whether found in French, English, or American works; 

 as I adopted it in 1826. I even carried it farther than is stated in the above 

 article. At the above date, I laid out a new flower-garden, and wanted to intro- 

 duce something new and novel. Having two or three figures for roses, the idea 

 struck me of treating them as above described (I had never seen any thing of 

 the kind), and with the addition of covering all the bed with fine moss from 

 the woods, then pegging them down closely on the moss. When coming first 

 in sight of the bed, nothing could be seen but moss and vigorous young wood ; 

 but, upon getting nearer, you found the moss completely covered with fine clus- 

 ters of large, healthy roses. I treated my moss-roses and all alike, and with good 

 success, they being admired by all who saw them. y. C. 



February, 1869. 



Mr. Editor, — It seems to me that the only advantage sought in letters- 

 patent for new plants is already witiiin the reach of every originator of a new 

 fruit or flower or vegetable. The advantage hoped for, I assume, is a temporary 

 monopoly in favor of the originator ; and I think he may enjoy it without any 

 patent-law. 



If Mr. Smith produces a potato which will mature tubers as big as a goose- 

 egg in thirty days from planting, the public is willing to send orders for Smith's 

 Seedling to Mr. Smith in all cases, though he sells his potatoes for their weight 

 in gold, and somebody else sells the genuine seedlings for their weight in silver; 



