Mr. Editor:- I have neither the time, nor yet the inclination, to enter into a controversy with any one in a newspaper or magazine, believing that no real good ever comes from it, and people get tired of it very soon - at least I do; but as our "talented " English friend, Mr. Veitch, has seen proper to misconstrue the remarks I made in a former number of your valuable magazine, I must try and put him right; and really I think he must have been in a very bad humor when he penned the article that appeared in the March number of the Horticulturist. Perhaps he had been making too hearty a meal upon "roast beef and plum pudding," which didn't altogether agree with his stomach, and may have caused an uncomfortable irritation; and having fallen upon my poor article, the Verbena, he must needs pour out his wrath upon my poor head, or perhaps he has a batch of those very same "novelties" to send out " imported direct from England," and may have thought the article in question might interfere with their sale; but no, sir, 1 didn't impart any such unworthy motive to him in the least; by no means.

If he supposes the article in question " to have originated in petulance or disappointment at not being so successful in that line as to set his (my) own beyond all question at the top of the list," he never was farther from the mark. I can assure him, I have none whatever to offer as being so superior, and have no interest in any other whatever; therefore I have nothing to gain on that score. But Mr. Veitch in the very commencement (unknowingly) proves the very point of my argument; and his own words shall condemn him. It was from my knowledge of "America being unspeakably better adapted to the Verbena than England " that I drew my conclusions; and say again "emphatically" that were American growers of the Verbena to give the same attention to the cultivation of seedling Verbenas, (or any thing else,) they would outstrip our English cousins in the production of better varieties of that truly beautiful flower; and "that there is something rotten in Denmark," I am free to admit, and pry thee wherein does that rottenness consist] I will tell you: it is in pandering too much to this very " European opinion;" and it was simply to call attention to this too prevalent " opinion " - to the exclusion of our own interests as producers of articles, (even superior to those that have passed the censorship of the same committee on flowers in England,) that I penned the article in question; and there I agree with you that perhaps it would be well if we had in this country a like "censorship " upon flowers; but suppose we had, what would it effect? simply nothing.

True, the flowers might be measured by plumb, square, and rule, and according to the rules laid down by " Glenny." Now suppose a Verbena had all the qualities mentioned by Glenny, and yet withal the plant should be a poor bloomer, or would not stand the sun, would the public be beneshould by those qualities if the plant lacked the latter quality and depend upon it, there is not one in a hundred, when they come to a bed of Verbenas, that ever stop to examine whether the single bloom comes up to the requirements of Mr. "Glenny " or not; it is the general effect that is looked at. What do your customers ask you when they come to buy a Verbena? Is it, Has it Mr. Glenny's standard? or is not the very first question they ask, "Is it a good bloomer and a good grower, and will it stand the hot burning sun? " Now, if you can not answer these questions affirmatively and positively, ten to one they will not buy your Verbena, be it never so fine in all the qualities of Mr. Glenny, or with never so fine a name; and were all our Verbenas put to this test, you may depend upon it our catalogues would indeed be very much abridged.

Again, I would say to Mr. Veitch, that I have no fault to find with the aristocratic names given to their "bantlings" (he don't like the word) by the English growers - none in the least; I would rather congratulate them upon the great facilities they have in such names over us poor republicans; but what I do certainly find fault with is this, that the public are led away by such high-sounding titles; they savour too much of toadyism. But that, say you, is none of our business. If Mr. Veitch will examine the article again, he will find that the English have received full credit for producing some really fine Verbenas, that do tolerably well in this country; but, sir, I find that the English writers have been more condemnatory upon the Verbenas raised and sent out by these same English cousins than I have. See the London Florist for 1859 or '60, (I can not say which, as my numbers are at the bookbinder's,) and read an article or two therein entitled " The Slaughter of the Innocents," and Mr. Veitch will be surprised at the small number therein contained as worthy of cultivation, for all the purposes for which the Verbena is so much used. Read it, Mr. Veitch; it will enlighten you a little on the subject.

If I get time I will go to the binder and get the year and the page for you, and send it to the editor; only keep your temper, and do not get to roaring, as the English Lion is apt to do when all don't go right according to his fancy; and let me say that I did not intend to give offense in the least to any of the "English growers," but would bid them God speed in their great and glorious work of striving to excel in the production of all that is beautiful in both fruit and flowers; and whenever they have any thing that is decidedly good and distinct they will always find purchasers here, but I hope not to the exclusion of home grown articles of equal merit Is not the fact notorious? Instances could be related without number, of home productions having to be sent from here to get this "European opinion." Mr. Fuller, in his article on "Imported Roses," mentions another instance of what I aim to put a stop to, if possible, by any feeble efforts of mine. Truly it speaks well for our " English cousins;" but is it not very derogatory to us that we have to submit to such things? What encouragement is given here to the growers of any thing really fine, for all the labor and time he has expended in its production before he can sell that article? It must first get this "European opinion." "Can no good thing come out of Nazareth?" or does Mr. Veitch suppose that this thing of pandering to this "European opinion " is all right, and that we Americans do not know a good flower when we see it? Must we still submit to see John Bull turn up his nose when we offer an opinion of our own 1 Out upon such an opinion.

Now, Mr. Veitch, I am an American citizen with a Scotch name, as you will perceive; but, sir, you and I both are indebted to the American public for our "bread-and-butter," and let us uphold and sustain the productions of this country in preference to any other, when they are of equal or superior merit; and let the importations come in secondary, and we will prove them, and hold fast to that which is good until we can excel our cousin again. I hope, now that the ball is set in motion, that there will speedily be a committee of censorship appointed to examine and pass judgment upon all new productions that may be offered to the public for their patronage; and I am sure no honest man would object to such a committee passing judgment upon any thing he might have to offer; but if we keep on pandering to this "European opinion," some may say that we have not judgment enough among us to give an opinion upon the merits of a flower; but, sir, if this committee is appointed, I hope when flowers are submitted for their judgment we will not adopt the plan of the English gardeners, and use the pincers and scissors, and all the other paraphernalia .to dress up a flower for their inspection: no, sir, I hope we won't adopt that opinion as being necessary; but let them be submitted as nature made them, and not as art may dress them in order to get a good drawing of them.

How many of the flowers that are annually sent out come up to the description given of them in the beautiful plates that we get of them % I hope some other will answer that question. In conclusion, 1 would say, give us Americans the same encouragement as the English gardeners receive from the public, and we will " beat them out of their boots " (as the Connecticut Yankee would say) in the production of choice flowers and fruits.

[It will be evident, from Mr. Pentland's article, that Mr. Veitch and Mr. Henderson have not fully understood his object, as we intimated. We see no reason to change the views we expressed last month, considering them sound and liberal. - Editor].