I was much interested in the article headed '* A Japanese Success," in the May issue of The American Garden. I recognized the reputed author as an expert in the "art preservative of all arts," but the general tone and apparent authoritative truthfulness of the article led me to suppose the writer had mastered more than one profession, and had invested his profits from one, like many another of our well-to-do citizens, in a Florida orange grove, and was merely recording the results of his experience for the benefit of his fellow men.

Of course, the precocity of the new candidate and the lucky Florida nurseryman who realized $9 a box for his Satsuma oranges (whether one box or a thousand makes no difference!), created in me a desire to get there, too ; so I wrote my agent, a veteran pioneer in the business, to post him in the matter, and found he had been on the alert, having budded trees already growing, and had set more buds only the week before. He further says : "I think its reputed hardiness may make it valuable in the northern portion of the orange belt; have no trees in bearing, but a neighbor has; have sampled the fruit and did not see as it was in any way superior in quality to many other.oranges. Knew Gen. Van Valkenburg quite well, and have seen the trees which he brought from Japan. Perhaps it would be a good thing to try a row of Satsumas around the margin at the homestead, in place of the lemons. This is the third time they have been cut back and very seriously injured and I am tired of the fight against Jack Frost. Sorry to give up the lemons, as they grow much finer fruit out there than in the richer hammocks".

Not having enough Satsumas to do as proposed, I wrote to Messrs ------------, nurserymen, asking if they could furnish me a few Satsumas next winter, and their reply is : "All our budded trees in nursery were killed to the ground last March, Satsumas among the rest." So you see Satsumas are not so very hardy after all !

This report settles the question of hardiness, and knocks all the romantic inspiration out of the Japanese Success, so far at least as competition in the orange market from Delaware or any of its intervening states, and even north Florida, is concerned. If any others among your readers got the least enthused over the article in question, more to take all such wonderful announcements cum grano salts. The advice of the late Hon. David Crockett, to " be sure you are right before going ahead," is well worth heeding. - E. Williams.