5& THE FLORIST AND 



by man." We liave no doubt that all our readers considered it quite as clear 

 as the "quality of mercy" mentioned by Shakspeare. Mr. Prince also states 

 that facts are scarce on our side. The facts we have shown are, Mr. Mee- 

 han's plants shown at the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, of Hovey's 

 Seedlings with staminate flowers. No one dare deny this, for the plants were 

 staged there, and one of the two or three (perhaps not so many) members of 

 that society, who believe Mr. Longworth's theory, I mean Dr. Brinckle, said 

 that he did not examine the plants, as he was fully satisfied that Mr. Meehan 

 was mistaken. 



In the next place, Mr. Prince has noticed that the views of Mr. Meehan, 

 and of every other writer favorable to mutation, have been anxiously inserted 

 in the Florist, whether original or extracted from other sources ; and he re- 

 grets to say that his complete refutation of every position taken by Mr. Mee- 

 han, published in the October number of the Farm Journal, has not been 

 allowed to see the light on the pages of the Florist. It is false — not true 

 in fact, that every thing favoring Mr. Median's views has been published to 

 the exclusion of the Cincinnati side of the question ; for Mr. Longworth and 

 Mr. Elder have been heard as largely as any other. As to Mr. Prince's long 

 communication in the Farm Journal, I have no doubt that the editors were 

 very sorry to encumber pages with it which might have been occupied with 

 much more valuable matter : and I submit to any one whether everything 

 Mr. Prince has written be not in bad taste ; and also, whether anything 

 worthy of the attention of either side of the question. As to reprinting the 

 article in question, it shall not be done in the Florist, for it is not worth the 

 room ; but if Mr. Prince chooses to print it, a copy shall be sent to every 

 subscriber of the Florist. As to fact or fictions, we have the fact shown by 

 Mr. Meehan, mentioned above ; the fact of Mr. Downing's staminate Ho- 

 vey's ; of Mr. Win. Saunders' pistillate's bearing fruit, in Baltimore ; the fact 

 of the changing beds of Mr. Wight, of the Prairie Farmer ; that of Mr. Chorl- 

 ton's, in his beds at New Brighton— and the fact of Nature redeeming her- 

 self from abortion, which strawberry plants with but one sexual organ are. 



Further : Mr, Prince's statement about Meehan's using informrtion ob- 

 tained from Dr. Darlington in conversation, &c, " which he can show to be 

 the fact," is almost astounding. That Mr. Prince is willing to have printed 

 such an assertion, in the teeth of the denial of Mr. Meehan and of the editor 

 of the Farm Journal, tells very little for the regard he has for public opinion; 

 but, as he says of his arguments, let the public decide between his truthful- 

 ness and that of Messrs. Darlington and Meehan. We are sorry to have to 

 be so pointed in our remarks, but we consider that Mr. Prince's remarks call 

 for decided language. We shall have nothing more of the kind appearing 



