Retrospective Criticism. 109 



Art. II. Retrospective Criticism. 



Errata. — In our last No. page 41, line 18 from the bottom, for " Mort- 

 lock" read "Matlock;" page 42, 12 lines from the top, for "Garden" 

 read "Gascube;" page 72, Uth line, for "Red Check" read "Red 

 Cheek." 



The Nurseries of Western New York, (page 56.) — " The February No. 

 of your Magazine has just reached me ; in examining its contents, I find a 

 communication from F. K. Plicenix, of Wisconsin, in which he makes the 

 following allusion to the nurseries of this section : 



" He says — ' During the last autumn, I visited the nurseries in western 

 New York, and made some purchases at the west, but it was with consid- 

 erable hesitation that I took a part of the variety I did, as 1 found there 

 was room for doubting their genuineness. When I buy again, it shall be 

 at no nursery short of Downing 's, or those in your vicinity. The very idea 

 of conducting a nursery in the way I know some are, sickens me,' &c. &c. 



"I am not a little surprised, sir, that you should have permitted your 

 Magazine to be the channel for communicating to the public, such vague, 

 calumnious insinuations against the nurseries of any portion of the country, 

 as the above, from the pen of one who is evidently silly and inexperienced, 

 having, as he says, but commenced the nursery business last season. 



" If he has detected errors, and negligence of management which he con- 

 ceives injurious to the public, let him specify and prove his charges, and no 

 one will blame him. Suppose we should publish here in the west, that we 

 ■had visited the Boston nurseries, that we had strong suspicions that they 

 were not carefully or correctly managed, and that it would be unsafe to 

 purchase there, would you not consider yourself injured, and demand 

 stronger proof than guessing, in a general way? The nurserymen of Bos- 

 ton would all feel the injustice of such a charge. Men who undertake to 

 criticise should be fully competent to the task, in the first place ; and sec- 

 ondly, they should be precise and definite in their remarks ; and thirdly, 

 their charges should be substantiated by facts. Without these requisites, 

 any criticism should be viewed as stupid, if not malicious, nonsense, and 

 spurned with contempt instead of being carefully published. This is my 

 view. 



" If Mr. P. doubted the correctness of our nurserymen, why did he pur- 

 chase of them? He had the privilege to pass them by and go to Down- 

 ing's or elsewhere. Would any sensible man buy a tree to propagate 

 from, that he had no faith in 1 Our Wisconsin craftsman, however, has 

 done this, and now, when he has got his specimen trees out, he is going to 

 ' Downing's.' 



" He is evidently determined to steer clear of errors ! A word respecting 

 our nurseries. Although they may not be so extensive, nor enjoy so high 

 a reputation as some in other sections, yet it can safely be said that, as far 

 as they go, they are as correct as any others, that is, such as are conducted 

 in a systematic manner by professional nurserymen. (There are trees 



