The Editor's Outlook. 



BETTER AAA^*^ "^^^ '■^^'^ descriptions 

 DESCRIPTIONS. that do not describe so that 



the people they were intended for 

 can understand ; descriptions written by intelli- 

 gent people, perfectly lucid and clear to themselves, 

 but absolutely obscure to the seeker after informa- 

 tion, because of their unfortunate language ? The 

 average patent office specification is a good model 

 of this class — the writer has struggled through 

 many of them, and the only thing remaining gen- 

 erally is the stock phase "substantially as described 

 and for the purpose indicated." Now these are just 

 right for their purpose, but the inventor who de- 

 pended on popular appreciation of such descrip- 

 tions to sell his machinery would be apt to be dis- 

 appointed. Plain, clear, terse descriptions are 

 needed to effect sales ; and it has often been noted 

 that a man who knows nothing at all of an article 

 can describe it better than the adept, because he 

 must do it from the point of ignorance, and as he 

 acquires the information, he can dispense it so as 

 to enlighten others who are like himself. 



EASY READING- 



w 



are moved to these reflec- 

 tions by reading two articles 

 in a current periodical. Both are 

 good ; the one works over a popular subject in a lively 

 manner, but clear above the heads of the readers 

 of the magazine because of the profuse use of tech- 

 nical terms and other methods of expression. As 

 a ' ' patent-office specification " article, in a technical 

 magazine, it would be all right, but for popular in- 

 formation (wfiich is the aim of the periodical in 

 question) it is a brilliant failure. The other article 

 is a model. Its directions and descriptions are terse, 

 clear and easy of comprehension by anyone who 

 can read English. The obscure points are light- 

 ed up by the words necessary, and the reader, even 

 though he be well informed on the subject treated 

 of, leaves the article with a sense of satisfaction. 

 This same principle now makes a great factor in 

 modern advertising, by entrusting the writing of 

 announcements intended to attract trade to men 

 who are skilled in describing, though having uo pre- 

 vious knowledge of the subjects handled. 



Now we want to provide the readers of The Am- 

 erican Garden with just this kind of horticultural 

 food. We want them to find out in these pages 



what they want to know, in language they can un- 

 derstand. And we want our friends who know 

 something especially well, to tell about it in "words 

 of one syllable," metaphorically; to explain so that 

 seekers for knowledge may be satisfied with con- 

 crete information of easy comprehension. Shall 

 we have help in this work for the largest good of 

 horticulture ? Our Home Lot department is a new 

 start in this direction, and we propose to follow it 

 with like helpfi.1 matter from time to time. 



A Jou 



^ of 



ROADS AND , . , , . ^. ■ • 



PROGRESS country m northern Virgmia 



this summer shows that the "no 

 fence " agitation has not yet crossed the Potomac, 

 at least at that point ! All sorts of unnecessary 

 fences there; stone, zig-zag, "snake" fences, and 

 all the modifications. And with the fences poor 

 highways, even with the material for good roads 

 present as obstructions m the road. With the 

 fences and poor roads, trifling crops, slack cultiva- 

 tion, and r:o fruit, all marching hand in hand. 

 Take away the fences, and the roads seem to natu- 

 rally improve and then the crops, while fruit grow- 

 ing comes along. Here was a notable sample, too, 

 of the evils of the system of "working out " road 

 taxes, a relic of barbarism. A farmer was "mend- 

 ing" the road by throwing into it, hit or miss, sods, 

 stones, weeds or anything excavated from a shal- 

 low excuse for a gutter on one side. These clods 

 and rocks were not broken up, save as the long suf- 

 fering public did it in travel ; but the most of the 

 soil portion speedily arrived at the condition of 

 dust, of which four or five inches already covered 

 the road. Let us fight the fences, and collaterally 

 help the whole country-side to a better life and a 

 substantial progress. This same condition exists 

 only in less degree all over the country, but happily 

 improving in hundreds, perhaps thousands of lo- 

 calities. 



* * 



* 



M'ILD AT*-^ gardens made by man with na- 

 GARDEN -L 1 ture's aid are more beautiful than 

 LESSONS, uiany that nature creates, without the 

 assistance of art, in wood and meadow. My daily 

 journey lies along the border of the famous New Jer- 

 sey marshes, and as the season changes from April 

 to November, we gaze and marvel at the wondrous 



