This is an open department for the use of all interested observers, fro m whom cor- 

 respondence is solicited on any topic of horticultural interest. Valuable items are fre- 

 quently crowded out, but all will appear in due time. 



How Many Cultivated Plants? — In my article under 

 the caption, "/V New Science," in the May American 

 Garden, I said that "there are only about 250 species 

 of plants cultivated for food among civilized peoples.' 

 This is De Candolle's estimate, and it may be supposed 

 to include all the important species. It is well known, 

 however, that over four times this number of plants are 

 cultivated for food in one form or another in all parts of 

 the world. Dr. Sturtevant's notes {.■Igricti/liira/ Stieiiie, 

 1889, 174) record 1,070 species of "cultivated food 

 plants." But even this number is less than one percent, 

 of known species of plants, and it does not in the least 

 invalidate my argument. — L. H. Bailey. 



California a Big State. — Few persons have an idea 

 of the area of California. It is the second in size of the 

 states of the Union, Texas only being larger. To give 

 those who have not looked the matter up a lucid idea of 

 its size, the following table has been prepared, giving the 

 area in square miles, and the population in 1880, of ten 

 states that could be comfortably located within the 

 bounds of California and then leave 470 square miles of 

 California's territory unoccupied for them to waltz 

 around in : 



Land Surface. Population. 

 State. Sgita7-c' vn'lcs. Census of iSSo. 



Maine 26,750 648,946 



New Hampshire 8,705 346,991 



Vermont 8,705 332,286 



IVIassacIiusetts 7,765 1,783,085 



Rhode Island 920 276,531 



Connecticut 4,700 622,700 



New Jersey 7, 095 Iii3i,ii6 



New Yorl: 46,070 5,082,871 



Delaware 1,960 " 146,608 



Ohio 40,460 3,198,062 



Total 153,130 13,569,186 



California 153,600 864,694 



The water surface of the ten states mentioned is 6,670 

 square miles ; that of California is 2,380 square miles. 

 Estimated population of California at present, 1,600,000. 

 It is considered that California can safely carry a greater 

 population to the square mile than any state in the Union 

 when her whole area needing it is under irrigation. That 

 is, she could carry safely within her own borders, and 

 feed and clothe them with every crop grown in temper- 

 ate and semi-tropical climates, 50,000,000 people, or 

 nearly as many inhabitants as there are to-day in the 

 whole territory of the United States. And with the 

 iiew agriailiiire, or a system of sub-irrigation and under- 

 drainage combined, something like the system invented 

 by the late A. N. Cole, of Wellsville, N. Y., and there 

 tested practically by him, California could support at 



least half as many more. The 

 Cole system is applicable and 

 useful everywhere. And if the 



practical experiments at the farm on the hill-side are a 

 safe guide for what may be expected of the system, it 

 would make crops nearly absolutely sure every year, 

 double to quadruple the product, and cause the poorest 

 soil to produce nearly equal with the richest ; make arid 

 regions with great summer heat the most productive in 

 the world, and make irrigation safe so far as health is 

 concerned. For it must be admitted that surface irriga- 

 tion breeds malaria in all hot climates, and eventually 

 ruins the soil in arid climates from the constant accu- 

 mulation of alkali. What is the future of agriculture, 

 horticulture and all the other ' ' cults " with the new agri- 

 culture ? With it, are thirsty Nevada and hot and arid 

 Arizona going to outstrip Illinois and Iowa in wealth, 

 population and products ? It looks that way, sure. The 

 climate and soil of their great "mesas," valleys and 

 mountain sides are right glorious ; all they need is the 

 temperance drink, stored up where the plants and trees 

 can reach it. The new system would give them always 

 enough, never too much, just what they need every hour 

 in the year. — D. B. Wier, California. 



Horticultural Specimens. — M. Buysman, of Mid- 

 dleburg, Holland, the well-known collector and grower 

 of botanical specimens of useful plants, writes as fol- 

 lows concerning his business: "The plants of this 

 publication I mostly cultivate myself, excluding the 

 tropical species, but now my garden has got too small, 

 and I am obliged to look out for another larger one ; as 

 I have not the means to do so I have directed myself to 

 many persons in Holland and got the promise of assist- 

 ance, on condition, hoiiiever lliat 1 sJionld get the wanting 

 part of the sum necessary else'toliere . Many societies have 

 also promised to colled: for me contributions." 



Snow in California. — "I read that you have snows 

 in northern California this winter two to sixty feet deep. 

 How is this ? I have always understood that there is 

 little difference between the winter temperature, of 

 northern and southern California, and that snow seldom 

 fell." So writes a correspondent ; she had been rightly 

 informed as to California's winter temperature north, for 

 there it is only two degrees colder, in the extreme, at 

 Redding, away north in Shasta county, than at Riverside, 

 away south in San Bernardino county ; and the same 

 is true throughout the state in all the valley and foot- 

 hill regions. The snows, deep snows, are in the 



