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1(37 



I suppose 25,000 parcels of seed of my own grow- 

 ing (a low estimate) have been sent out, — scattered 

 throughout every State and Territory. 



Up to this hour, but two complaints have reached 

 me. One man writes to the Editor of the Prairie 

 Farmer^ "that seeds received of me the year before 

 gave perfect satisfaction, while seed coming through 

 them, of my growing, produced ''monstrosities' 

 Daggey & Co. of Illinois, write to the Editors of the 

 American Agriculturist^ (and, by them, forwarded to 

 me, ) "that seed procured of me the first year did not 

 do well ; that from another source, the next year, was 

 all that was ever claimed for it." 



My correspondence developes, plainly, one fact, 

 that is — all people are not as careful about what 

 they undertake to do as they ought to be. For in- 

 stance, I have received, through the mail, an envel- 

 ope, from some town in Michigan, with a sum of 

 money carefully folded in a blank sheet of paper, 

 without one word of explanation. Other letters" 

 without signatures^ places of residence or States. If 

 so careless in this respect it would not be wonderful 

 \^one 'm ten thousand blundered in attempting to 

 grow the plants. 



I have taken the precaution, each year, to sell 

 seed from one lot only ^ after being thoroughly mjxec/. 



While only the two above-named complaints have 

 reached me, on the other hand, I have received com- 

 mendatory letters by the bushel. 



While nine-tenths of my crop would be pronounced 

 first class, I reject nine out of every ten for seed 

 purposes ; and in this matter of saving seed I do 

 not trust to any other person ; consequently 1 have 

 no trouble to keep its good qualities unimpaired- 

 So much in explanation, now a few words to Mr 

 Henderson. 



I have received not far from 1000 letters of com- 

 plaint, within the last few weeks, from parties who 

 procured seed of seed dealers last year. Very many 

 of them were specific as to names. By far the greater 

 portion of these mention Henderson & Fleming of 

 New York. This firm advertised Che seed, exten- 

 sively, last year, and, as far as I am able to judge, 

 by descriptions sent me, the article they sold bore 

 no relation whatever to my Tomato. And Mr. H. 

 is perfectly justifiable in saying that it should never 

 have been sent out, — so far as his own efforts in that 

 line were concerned. 



If the experience detailed in his book is no more 

 carefully conducted than seems to have been in this 

 instance, it must detract much from its value. 



I feel justified in making the assertion that, when 

 the genuine seed has been used, the odds of a thou- 



* Minus money as intimated. 



sand to one will bear witness that the introduction 

 of this Tomato has been a public benefit. 



oil for insects. -hhododendrons- 

 vekbema rust. 



BY P. S., CLEVELAND, TENN. 



After reading your article on oil, last summer, I 

 took my round in the garden, as usual, to see how 

 things were looking. The little black fleas and 

 green fly were holding a grand jubilee on the egg- 

 plant ; the striped bugs on the squash and melons ; 

 and the thrip on the vines in the grapery. I quiet- 

 ly remarked to them, "never mind, my little gentle- 

 men ; I have heard from Meehan, — your days are 

 numbered !" 



My first job was to fill a water barrel, and take it 

 to the infested regions ; then the bottle of oil. tabl: 

 spoon, syringe and watering pot, — mixed according 

 to directions, — and commenced with the syringe ; 

 but the oil soon spoiled the syringe. It appears to 

 act on the brass and leather so that it will not work. 

 I then took the water pot, and, by holding with 

 one hand and stirring with a stick, I managed to 

 keep it mixed. 



Now for the results. The grape vines and egg 

 plants were badly scorched, and the insects soon re- 

 turned as bad as before : but it was a cure for the 

 squash and melons; the bugs left them, and they 

 grew off fine. 



Another thing gardeners often 'catch it' about is that 

 the Rhododendron is a native of this country, and 

 still we do not make such splendid shows with it in 

 our lawns and shrubbery, as they do in England. 

 Now any one who has rambled in the mountains, 

 and seen it growing as I have, can easily account for 

 it. It always grows on the north side of the moun- 

 tain, where there is a stream of water running ; and 

 so there is constant moisture both for root and 

 branch, besides the shade of the large trees above. 

 Now, the climate of England is more favorable for 

 the Rhododendron, in exposed places, than in this 

 country, with its burning suns and long droughts ; 

 and I think it is too bad to charge the gardeners 

 with want of perseverance in not overcom.ing what 

 are insurmountable difficulties. 



I think Mr. Henderson is mistaken in his vie^vs 

 about the Verbena rust being caused by want of 

 richness in the soil out of doors. Last j^ear I pre- 

 pared two beds in a new place, — dug out the clay 

 from the bottom, and put good soil and manure in, 

 about two feet deep : one load of manure to two of 

 soil, with a drain from the beds. I never saw Ver- 

 benas do better than they did the early part of the 

 season. In July they took the rust, and they did 



Kg;'' 



