Transactions of the Horticultural Society. 439 



Before we enter into the Review and the Intelligence de- 

 partments of the Magazine, we shall say a word as to its 

 utility, simply considered as consisting of Original Commu- 

 nications. Here then we have two points which determine 

 the utility of the Magazine to be incomparably greater than 

 that of the Transactions : first, the cheapness of the work, by 

 which its sale is so much more extended that it has already 

 readers in every part of the world ; secondly, the controver- 

 sial papers alluded to, the object of which is, to corrector 

 improve the conduct or condition of gardeners or others con- 

 nected with gardening. No improvement in any art can be 

 permanent, or truly valuable to society, which does not at the 

 same time raise the character and promote the happiness of 

 those by whom it is practised. That the Magazine has done 

 good in this way will not be denied, and that the amount of 

 this good will increase every year we know enough of the 

 minds of gardeners to feel perfectly confident. As an ex- 

 ample of the good we have already done, we have only to 

 point to the Horticultural Society, which, by our papers in 

 our first volume, we have saved from a system of extravagance, 

 which would soon have ended in its ruin, and for which we 

 have received the thanks of some of its earliest and most valu- 

 able members. 



With respect to our Review department, and our Miscel- 

 laneous Intelligence, both are just so much good added to that 

 which is already equal to the Horticultural Transactions. 



As to the " some journals" which derive almost " the entire 

 of their interest " from extracts from the Horticultural Trans- 

 actions, the Gardener's Magazine of Germany and our 

 Magazine are the only two journals in Europe in which the 

 Horticultural Transactions are regularly reviewed. In the 

 German Magazine the papers are quoted verbatim at length ; 

 we limit ourselves to giving the essence, but we have frequently 

 illustrated this essence by engravings, which has rendered it of 

 more value than the original in its unabridged and unillustrated 

 state. For instance, our review of vol. vi. part Hi. is illustrated 

 by eleven engravings, composed expressly for the purpose, and 

 not one of which are given in the original papers. We firmly 

 believe that in this way our Magazine has given a reputation 

 to the Transactions which they never had before, and which, 

 in some cases, they do not merit. We could refer to a case 

 where a gentleman purchased a copy of part hi., with a view 

 to more completely understanding Dr. Van Mons's paper on 

 budding roses, which in the original has no engraving, but in 

 our abridgment (p. 192.) three. A succeeding paper in the 



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