MassacIiiiseUs Horticultural Society. 235 



ceremonious manner, to single out a class of people (and a very numerous 

 class, too) who place reliance on one of the two wonderful " discoveries," 

 with which he asserts you are " daily annoyed by people who have be- 

 come fond of writing for magazines, from a desire to benefit the human 

 family ;" (to which class he, of course, does not consider himself as be- 

 longing;) and has seen fit to class this "discovery" with another, which 

 he conceives of a similar character — "hanging a grubbing hoe on a plum 

 tree to secure the plum from the ravages of the curcuiio." Any one who 

 has read the communications of your very learned and scientific corres- 

 pondent would suppose that a person of his superior intellect, whom he 

 intimates has been suspected of originating "an idea," would have per- 

 ceived tlie dissimilarity of the two " discoveries." How simply hanging 

 a "grubbing hoe" on a tree could be supposed to destroy the eggs or in- 

 sects which might be buried beneath the soil, seems rather mysterious; 

 this discovery no person in this vicinity has the honor of making ; but it 

 needs not such acuteness to suppose it possible that 6n"ne, when applied 

 in any considerable quantity, might produce a trijling difference in effect, 

 if applied to the soil where the eggs or insects existed. Now it appears 

 as if your learned correspondent had taken no pains to either "taste, feel, 

 or smell" of the subject, as he does not condescend to give any facts 

 ■whicli would go to disprove statements which have been correctly made, 

 and which could be corroborated and multiplied by the testimony of many 

 scientific, practical men — but as it does not agree with his notions, he 

 pronounces it a nonsensical humbug! One would infer, from his peculiar 

 style of writing, that he belonged to that class of people not unfrequently 

 met with, who consider all humbugs who differ from themselves ; and as 

 it appears to him to be a prevailing propensity in such ignoramuses (as 

 these great discoverers) to inflict their stupid productions on you — (whom 

 he appears to consider too amiable in your disposition to reject their 

 communications) — he conceives it his duty to come out and give them a 

 check. 



Now if he possesses any information upon the subject, instead of ad- 

 vertising people as dupes, it is certainly his duty, as he has introduced 

 the subject, to bring his light out from under the bushel and give your 

 readers some facts which will set them right; as he says some of the 

 people in his vicinity suppose that " because salt will keep pork, it follows 

 that it will also keep pliimsy Now, sir, the writer has not the most dis- 

 tant idea that your learned correspondent has any other object in view, in 

 writing his communications for your Magazine, than to enlighten the 

 "human family" — no desire for fame, or to bring his grape or his rasp- 

 berry into notice. A gentleman, however, of the writer's acquaintance, 

 who purchased some small vines of his grape at $2, and raspberries at 50 

 cents each, informs me that he has some little inkling that in this case his 

 "cheese" may prove "chalk." — Yours, J. A. Kenrick, JVewton, May, 1844. 



Ar'I'. IV. Massachusetts Horticultural Society. 



Saturday, April 27, i8i4.— Exhibited. Flowers: from W. Meller, a 

 great variety of pelargoniums, embracing many seedlings, viz. : Oliver 

 Twist, Lifeguardsman, Erectum, Decorum, King John, Jewess and Gaines's 

 King; also Meller's Henry Clay, Beauty of Roxbury, Franklin, George 



