1. The study of the distribution of plants over the earth is known as the geography of plants. This term appears to have been used by St. Pierre in a somewhat fanciful manner, but Humboldt first gave it form and life. Humboldt held the world in his hands, and discerned and measured the distribution of life. Tournefort has long before discerned the resemblance of successive mountain floras to the floras of successive degrees of latitude, and others had written of the floras of particular regions ; but Humboldt encircled the globe with law.

2. The study of the variation of plants as influenced by change of place may be styled the climatal variation of plants. This proceeds from the study of the geography of plants, yet is wholly distinct from it. The one considers the subject from the side of geography, studies regions; the other considers it from the side of botany, studies plants. The former may trace the distribution of species, but the latter traces the variation of a particular species or a particular organ. It is necessary to distinguish the two, not only because they are unlike, but because they are commonly confounded.

3. Proceeding from the study of climatal variation is the study of the adaptability to climate, or acclimation. It is to the ability of plants to overcome obstacles of climate that we owe much of plant distribution. When we throw man into the foreground as an agent in the adaptation of plants to climate, we study acclimatization - the act of man in inuring or habituating a plant to a climate as first injurious to it. The results of acclimatization are marked, and yet close and connected observation is essential to their determination. There are even those who contend that acclimatization does not exist, but they are persons who lack the power of defining phenomena and of analyzing observation. It is no doubt true that in this direction we are to look for the most profound and permanent modification of plants under the hand of the cultivator.

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THE road question comes up again with the warmer weather - one of the oldest and most important of all the questions open to discussion among the tillers of the soil. It has been discussed from the times of the first colonial governors until the present year, has given us good roads and bad ones, and is still most worthy of agitation. One particular point that has often attracted our notice is the liberality in work and time we spend upon the drives on our own places, while neglecting the public roads over which we constantly pass and which are more constantly before our eyes. It is the business of the community to keep the public roads in good order, but the community will not attend to its business properly and we have to suffer. If we work on the roads ourselves the community will benefit by our efforts and give us few thanks ; but we must not mind that. Let us be selfish for once and work for our own benefit. We travel over the road leading from our own entrance, and in front of our place, more than anyone else, and to remove the loose stones, drain off the standing water, or fill up a hole, is only a labor of small moment and gives great comfort, besides saving wheels, varnish and profanity.

It is too much ever to expect of our own public spirit or selfishness that we will MacAdamize a public thoroughfare; but a little work just at the right time saves much labor in the end. Two of our neighbors in a hilly region have a public road crossing their places under the same conditions, natural and municipal. One keeps his adjoining road well drained by cleaning the gutters, letting the water run into them during the rains. He picks up the loose stones and throws them aside, and altogether with a few hours' labor in the course of the year, has one of the best roads in the village. He does a little work just when it will do the most good. He turns the water into the ditch before it has time to wash gullies in the road. The ether man says he cannot afford to work for nothing and leaves the care of the road to the public surveyor, who, in trying to repair a large district with a small appropriation, can do but little to any part of it. And so this man contentedly drives his teams a number of times each day over a rough and unpleasant road, with all its wasteful concomitants.

Neither of these men have any appreciation and of aesthetic considerations or an idea beyond what they consider practical utility.

Perhaps beyond either of them is the man who not only is able but willing to work towards improving the road-bed, but to adorn the roadsides with trees and to keep the grass neat, or even to plant shrubs. The decoration of roadsides is a subject on which much might be profitably said, but it must be reserved for other space; but let us think now if it would not be wise for some of us to do a little more to the road adjoining our own place without too much fear of benefitting our neighbors ! Can anyone be entirely selfish to real advantage in this world ?

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A NATIONAL Hall of Horticulture! It sounds well, would be well, is entirely feasible; so why not a hall of horticulture ? We will go a step farther. Why not several of these national halls of horticulture ? Perhaps the latter would be the better plan, in view of the vastness of our country and the consequent difficulty and expense in bringing about well attended meetings. There is enough strength of members and money among the several societies of this country, together with others interested in horticultural pursuits and projects, to successfully inaugurate and carry on several institutions of the kind named. By way of illustration, we will take the states of New York, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. In their confines are the Western New York Horticultural Society, powerful in money, members and individual ability; the New Jersey State Horticultural Society, strong with good officers and working members ; the state society of Pennsylvania, wealthy and progressive. Then there are the many local florists, and fruit-growers, societies in each of these states; florists, nurserymen and seedsmen of wealth and ability are also found in each of the states named.

While it is doubtful if any one of these societies are strong enough to carry out such a project, their combined strength would build a hall of horticulture that the country might well be proud of. This same state of affairs exists in nearly all of our United States. In the east, middle east, and middle and northern west, these and the contiguous states are abundantly able to carry out successfully the plan we have suggested to the great honor and benefit of horticulture in all its ramifications. Why not start the movement this summer ?

THE TOMATO is rapidly becoming one of the most important of both garden and field crops. Like the potato, it has overcome widespread prejudice, and has gained its position solely upon its merits. It has never been subjected to the disadvantage of having been pushed into favor. So early as 1561 the tomato was grown in Europe, and a hundred years ago it was highly esteemed in many parts of this country. McMahon wrote, in 1806, that in America it was then "much cultivated for its fruit, in soups and sauces, to which it imparts an agreeable acid flavor, and is also stewed and dressed in various ways and very much admired." Yet it was not until about 1830 that it was grown as a market crop in this country. In 1840 Bridgeman knew but two varieties, the Large Squash-shaped and the Cherry-shaped, and seven years later three sorts were grown for market: Large Red, Large Smooth Red and Pear-shaped. Until very recent years it has remained one of the less important garden crops. But the advent of the canning and preserving factories, and the demand for winter fruit, has enormously increased its commercial importance.

Mr. Voorhees, of the New Jersey Experiment Station, writes that "it is estimated that the consumption of tomatoes has increased four-fold in the last ten years," and he finds that in New Jersey the crop ranks with wheat in importance, some 15,000 acres being grown yearly to this vegetable.

The tomato is a plant which is exceedingly amenable to treatment, and one which varies widely. In fact, its variableness is its worst fault, and experimentation needs to fix types rather than to multiply them. Although so long cultivated, and everywhere in America easily grown, it is no exaggeration to say that the best methods of culture are probably yet unknown. It is particularly adapted to the climate of America. Here it possesses a productiveness and lusciousness which is almost unknown in most parts of Western Europe, in open-air culture. The experiment stations may do something to enlighten us upon tomato culture. Their literature on the subject to date is as follows :

1882. Goff, 1 st Rep. N. Y. State Exp. Sta. 139.

1883. Goff, 2nd Rep. N. Y. State Exp. Sta. 193,

----- Green, 2nd Rep. O. Exp. Sta. 139, 21.

1884. Goff, Arthur, 3rd Rep. N. Y. State Exp. Sta. 221, 379.

----- Green, 3rd Rep. O. Exp. Sta. 146.

1885. Gaff, 4th Rep. N. Y. State Exp. Sta. 179.

----- Green, 4th Rep. G. Exp. Sta. 134.

1886. Bailey, Bull. 19, Mich. Exp. Sta.

----- Goff, Arthur, 5th Rep. N. Y. State Exp. Sta. 172, 261, 289.

----- Green, 5th Rep. O. Exp. Sta. 162, 22.

1887. Bailey, Bull. 31, Mich. Exp. Sta.

----- Goff, Arthur, 7th Rep. N. Y. State Exp. Sta. 279, 328.

----- Green, 6th Rep. O. Exp. Sta. 231.

1888. Green, Bull. 2, O. Exp. Sta.

----- J. S. Newman, Bull. 2, Ala. Exp. Sta.

----- W. H. Newman, Bull. 2, Ala. Canebrake Exp. Sta.

----- Keffer, Bull. 5, Dak. Exp. Sta.

----- Stubbs, Bull. 16, La. Exp. Sta.

----- Cassiday, 1st Rep. Colo. Exp. Sta. 133.

----- Popenoe, 1st Rep. Kans. Exp. Sta. 271.

----- Goff, 7th Rep. N. Y. State Exp. Sta. 138.

----- Buts, 1888 Rep. Penn. Exp. Sta. 150.

1889. Smith, Bull. 6, Nbr. Exp. Sta.

----- Toft, Bull. 48, Mich. Exp. Sta.

----- Clayton, Bull. 7, Ala. Exp. Sta.

----- W. H. Newman, Bull. 6, Ala. Canebrake Exp. Sta.

----- Bailey, Bull. 10, Cornell Exp. Sta.

----- Voorhees, Bull. 63, N. J. Exp. Sta. 29.

----- Richman, 2nd Rep. Ark. Exp. Sta. 100.

----- Hunn, 8th Rep. N. Y. State Exp. Sta. 327.

----- Bishop, 2nd Rep. Md. Exp. Sta. 26.

----- Cassiday, IVatrons, 2nd Rep. Colo. Exp. Sta. 104, 119.

1890. Alwoodand Bowman, Bull. 4, Va. Exp. Sta.

----- Taft, Bull. 57, Mich. Exp. Sta.

----- Troop, Bull. 31, Ind. Exp. Sta.