We would advise you by all means to procure a lawn-mowing machine. When their worth is once properly known they will revolutionize our lawns. We are convinced that by their use we may vastly improve, while lessening the expense of keeping a thick, close lawn. The machine will operate although the grading may not be of the smoothest, so that there are no sudden depressions or small inequalities of surface; but the more level the ground the more perfectly will it operate. One great advantage it possesses, and one that we think important, especially on lawns recently laid down, is, that it will cut smooth and level without the lawn being actually "closely shaven." The grass can thus be cut so as to present the appearance of close cutting, at the same time it is sufficiently long to shade the ground, and hide any bare spots. With ordinary care they can be used quite close up to trees and shrubs, but a scythe will be requisite to clean up small angles and around shrubbery, where it is too closely planted for the mower to operate with advantage.

They are simple in construction and not liable to be easily broken or put out of order.

F. W. C. asks, " Is our present rather artificial mode of propagating the apple the best?" In England the seedling stock is grafted at about five feet from the ground, and the tree is five years old before sold; price half a crown (about 60 cts.) apiece.

Our nurserymen have adopted the present mode instead of the English practice, because 1st, The trees are ready for sale in 4 years instead of 5; because 2d, The farmers are not willing to pay a remunerating price for the older trees: they will have cheap trees, and nurserymen conform the supply to the demand; and 3d, The difference in growth and durability was not enough to be very immediately perceptible, and people readily persuaded themselves that there was no difference at all. In our present mode there is a great difference in the manner in which scions of the several varieties unite with roots, some of them even forming a callus at the lower part of the scion, whence spring forth roots in abundance; consequently, good nurserymen are attentive as to which varieties receive especial care in the grafting, and which need so little as almost to take care of themselves. The roots in all cases should be those of seedling stocks; but as to cutting a straight, healthy, vigorous root into two pieces or not, there cannot be any difference, because the moment a perfect junction is effected between the root and scion the root is a part of the scion as it ever was of the seedling.

The prejudice against root-grafted trees in the west began when the demand (above referred to) compelled nurserymen to graft their scions upon any pieces of old roots which they could obtain. Such roots were neither healthy nor vigorous, the junction was not perfect, the new root fibres not numerous, and the trees were short-lived. As that celebrated fruit-grower, J. J. Thomas, says, "opinions are changing in this matter," and we think that it is because our reliable nurserymen are cautious never to use any but healthy seedling roots in grafting.

If F. W. C. wishes a reform in this matter, - so far as he is concerned, let him buy apple trees grown in the English style. To be sure, he cannot get them at the price which farmers insist upon paying for their trees; but if farmers will have cheap trees the nurserymen will supply the demand. It is one of the laws of trade that sooner or later the supply will be pretty exactly commensurate to the demand.