A horticultural friend in Canada writes us a pleasant letter, from which we extract the following hints. They may be useful to some one.

"The early part of my life was passed in wandering about the earth. My boyhood was devoted to the military profession, under the 'Iron Duke,' in Spain and France, and you know the old English observation - ' if a lad has no brains, put him into the army.' However, about 1826 I retired on half-pay, domiciled on the banks of the Detroit, and took, by way of passing time, to gardening and fruit-growing, of which I knew about as much as the babe just born. I found it necesary, therefore, to keep a journal and register the results of my blunders as a warning; they do afford me amusement sometimes. I had been for years in the habit of selecting my seed - that is, for instance: I have, during that period, never sown a pea that was the produce of a pod containing leas than six or seven in it By this means I have, as I think, improved them. I reserve the most promising rows for seed the ensuing year, and pick off for eating all pods that seem defective in number from these rows; of course, this would be too much work except for a garden.

From carrots, parsnips, Ac, when put out for seed, I pinch off all side blossoms, leaving only those on the main stem, abstracting even from these last the side blossoms, and, in my opinion, the seed is very much improved.

The vitality of seed I find of greater duration than is usually supposed; but then, it must be saved with some degree of care. To prevent any mistake, I always label the year in which the seed is gathered. On referring to my book, I observe that I sowed in 1851 double curled Parsley and Asparagus Beans, the produce of 1845; and on the 24th of May, 1850, yellow turnip Radish of 1839. On the 25th of August; 1851, I sowed black Spanish Radish seed gathered in 1838. On the 80th of the same month these Radishes appeared above ground, and there is this observation in the margin: "The Radishes of 1888 grew very well.' This season was very dry, but the Radishes were watered." C. E. - Sandwich, county of Suez, C. W.