HORTICULTURAL JOURJTAL. 73 
ture, in spite of all the obstacles it had to surmount, and untouched through 
all the hateful calumnies which envy and malice are always busy to circu" 
late, is now readily admitted from all parts. The name Van Houtte has 
become familiar to all friends of horticulture : there is perhaps not one 
garden of some note in Europe, or even in the United States, which has not 
been enriched, directly or otherwise, from his establishment, this unceasing 
source of vegetable treasures ; his journal is everywhere justly appreciated 
as the best and the most suited for promoting the science and love of horti- 
culture, and every impartial amateur will readily admit that the high tokens 
of royal esteem, which M. Van Houtte is honored with, are but a just 
appreciation of his really great merit, of his unceasing endeavor, full of 
troublesome work and unceasing labor. The decorations of merit, conferred 
on him by the King of the Belgians and the King of Portugal, bear testi- 
mony to the high and enlightened sentiments of those monarchs, who know 
how to appreciate real merit, wherever and in what manner it may appear, as 
well as they give to the whole horticultural world the encouraging proof, 
that true desert, even in their sphere of life, has a just claim to the most 
honorable distinction. E. Ortgies. 
Bremen, 25th January/, 1855. 
THE VEGETABLE GARDEN. 
"Up and be doing," will soon be the order of the day in the vegetable 
garden, and it will be well for us to be ready for the race when it commences. 
Let us then consider for a short time, and work mentally that we may some- 
what assist the physical in due time, and be enabled to " go a-head" with- 
out hindrance. 
It is a very common affair, to see what should be a vegetable garden all 
the summer season, presenting the appearance of being half in fallow, owing 
to the want of systematic action and proper forethought ; and when a neigh- 
bor obtains double the produce on the same amount of land, for the " Gar- 
dener" to grumble, and blame everything but his own ignorance and stupid- 
ity. There is also a prevalent notion in existence, that any " clodhopper" 
may grow vegetables. So he can, in a way, but that way is too often not 
the best, nor yet the most economical ; in fact, if we consider the mistakes, 
poor quality, waste of land, and misapplied labor, it would be much better 
for some families to buy all their esculents in the market, were it not for the 
