492 Betrospectivc Criticism. 



successfully performed, unless by those perfectly well acquainted with pot 

 cultiu'e. It is strange that the importance of it is not more generally appre- 

 ciated both by gardeners and amateurs ; but I trust that the above facts 

 will induce its more general adoption. — John Mearns, Welbeck Gardens, 

 July, 13. 18.35. 



The Coiling System of Vine Culture, ^c. (p. 435.) — Not having received the 

 Gardener^s Magazine until last night will excuse me for not earlier noticing 

 Mr. Marnock's criticism. If designed as a panegyric of Mr. Mearns, I do not 

 question its propriety ; but, whether it be an answer to my letter, the public 

 will best decide. That Mr. Marnock should draw not very obvious inferences 

 from my letter, and upon these erect propositions which, if not fully rebutted, 

 place Mr. Mearns in rather an awkward predicament, is no business of mine ; 

 all I shall say is, that, were I in Mr. Mearns's place, I should be apt to exclaim, 

 " Save me from my friends!" Perceiving, from the cover of the Magazine, 

 that Mr. Mearns's letter will appear in September, I am unwilling to trespass 

 at present upon your pages ; but, as Mr. Marnock has voluntarily entered the 

 field, I consider it to be my duty to make some remarks on one or two of his 

 statements. Passing over, then, a charge of a want of courtesy, with merely 

 expressing my regret that I should have used any general proposition capable 

 of being construed, by the most fastidious, into a personal attack, I proceed 

 to what Mr. Marnock styles, " a not very definite or satisfactory mode of 

 reasoning." And what is it ? The plain simple fact, that I gave not a list of 

 the names- of those who, like myself, had failed in the experiment. Surely, 

 Mr. Marnock must consider me a simpleton, if he supposes that I would have 

 the weakness to make a public statement v/hich I could not prove. If he has 

 read the first part of my letter, he will there find one reason why the names 

 were not given. If he will be informed that there are friends of Mr. Mearns, 

 who have failed more than once, and, out of personal regard to him, decline to 

 allow the result of their trials to be made public, he will see another reason. 

 If very anxious upon the subject, I shall have no hesitation in furnishing him, 

 by a private letter, with plenty of names, and he can then examine for himself 

 the accuracy of my enquiries and observations ; and, if this will not satisfy 

 him, I pledge myself to give as many names of respectable gardeners who have 

 failed as he can ever desire, and who are not ashamed publicly to own their 

 want of success. But, waving this, the question naturally arises, if Mr. Mar- 

 nock has seen my deficiencies and errors, what has he done to obviate or 

 counteract them ? Has he attempted to prove the incorrectness of any state- 

 ment I have made ? Has he fairly met and controverted any principle I have 

 advanced? Has he sapped the foundation of any chain of reasoning by which 

 I endeavoured to show that, so far as success the first season is concerned, the 

 system would not be attended with utility ? And, in fine, has he met my unfair 

 mode of reasoning by a fairer, by giving a host of names of successful expe- 

 rimenters ? No ! This would have borne directly upon the subject ; this 

 would have done something towards answering the questions I proposed ; this 

 would have been accompanying precept by example : but this would have 

 required more time and labour than the writing of a complimentary letter; 

 and, therefore, he diverts the attention from the subject at issue, by introducing 

 matter that has as much connexion with it as that individual has with pro- 

 moting the real ends of justice, who strives to screen a prisoner from its in- 

 fluence by pleading some trifling flaw in the indictment. 



Waving other statements, I should like to know what Mr. Marnock means 

 by the " protection and courtesy " necessary to enable the senior branches 

 of the profession to publish their valuable discoveries. Entertaining the high- 

 est opinion of Mr. Marnock, ever since I first saw his name in the Magazine, 

 I am at a loss to reconcile that opinion with the narrowmindedness which 

 appears to me to be closely associated here with the very word " protection." 

 Surely, the public and the press are quite sufficient protection for any man 

 who brings his opinions or systems under their cognizance. Mr. Mearns has 

 published what he considers a beneficial system. So far as successthe first season 



