XI. 



THE GREAT DISCOVERY IN VEGETATION. 



April, 1851.. 



IT is one of the misfortunes of an editor to be expected to answer 

 all questions, as if he were an oracle. It is all pleasant enough, 

 when his correspondent is lost in the woods, and he can speedily set 

 him right, or when he is groping in some dark passage that only 

 needs the glimmer of his farthing candle of experience, to majje 

 the way tolerably clear to him. But correspondents are often un- 

 reasonable, and ask for what is little short of a miracle. It is clear 

 that an editor is not onlyexpected to know every thing, but that h§ 

 is not to be allowed the comfort of belonging to any secret societies,, 

 or any of those little fraternities where such a charming air of mys- 

 tery is thrown over the commonest subjects. 



We are brought to these reflections by a letter that has just 

 come before us, and which runs as follows : 



Dear Sir : — I have been expecting in the last two numbers, to 

 hear from you on the subject of the great discovery in vegetation, 

 which was laid before the committee of the State Agricultural Soci- 

 ety at its annual meeting in January last. You were, if I mistake 

 not, a member of that committee, and of course, the fullest disclo- 

 sures of the secret of the gentleman who claims to have found out 

 a new " principle in vegetation," were laid before you. No formal 

 report has, I think, been published by the Society. The public are, 

 therefore, in the dark still. Is this right, when the discoverer is now 

 urging the Legislature of this State to pass a bill giving him a 



