HORTICULTURAL JOURNAL. 29 



ftcial than whole books on the subject, as no more information would be 

 given in any one number than an intelligent cultivator could study and com- 

 prehend in a month— and by such instructions he could at once discover the 

 causes of success and failures, and would be on the alert to avert any 

 calamity and guard himself against loss. What, let me ask, would the subscrip- 

 tion of such journals be, when compared with the benefit of the knowledge 

 acquired therefrom ? But on the other hand, editors would be required to 

 have no favorites, nor tolerate such childish folly in the botanical depart- 

 ments as has been published in the late " strawberry question"— three very 

 intelligent and enterprising young men, having discovered of late, that their 

 callings were too contracted for their talents, commenced a very sweeping 

 revolution in botany ; one asserts that he changes the " eternal laws of na- 

 ture" by simple culture; another regenerates all varieties back to their ori- 

 ginal species with his pen, and makes the sexual organs keep tally with all 

 changes and developments in other parts of plants. A third outstrips both 

 the other two, for his plants change sex every year without any assistance at. 

 all; so this "trio" have pitched into the "old fogies," "forced them to believe 

 against their will," and driven them to the wall for "being of the same mind 

 still." 



When men do think within themselves 

 Omniscience is concentrated, 



They sneer at those who stand by truth 

 That 's by Nature's laws authenticated. 



Now, as every body does not understand all scientific technicalities, I will 

 ask our "young revolutionists" a few plain questions. Can they regenerate 

 the double stock gillyflower back to its original species ? or in other words, 

 raise it to a state of hermaphroditism and produce plants from its seed. It 

 is propagated by cuttings. If the roses Prince Albert and Rose de la Heine 

 were left to nature, would they become alike if their originals are not alike? 

 Louis Phillippe and White Daily Roses have the same original — would they 

 become alike in color and habit if left to themselves? They say change in 

 one part changes all parts. 



Let us now look into some of the many cases of abortion in reproduction. 

 If there is much rain or humidity in the atmosphere while the plants are in 

 bloom, the pollen gets clogged in the anthers and fails to impregnate the pis- 

 tils, which proves abortion ; high winds at the time the pollen is matured, 

 carries it off, and causes a failure ; frost may blight the pollen, and the sun 

 may scald it, and prevent reproduction. If a plant is in an over-luxuriant 

 state of growth, its succulency either destroys the albumen or carries off to- 

 wards the enlargement of the plant, and prevent the formation of pollen. 

 Want of sufficient light and air has a like effect. 



