We have at last got a break-up of the late severe and protracted winter. To-day (April 5th), for the first time, we have been enabled to use the spade. Euonymus japonica, which has stood, without injury, for the last seven years, has become a never-green down to the snow line; Deodar cedar, almost as shabby looking, but likely to recover; Tree box has braved it finely, and is none the worse in appearance; Irish yew, with a few cedar branches to cover, is in fine condition. The flowers of Paulownia all killed. Peaches, to present appearance, only injured where the wood was weakly, or not thoroughly ripened. Exotic grapes, planted outside, severely injured, and some late kinds I saw the other day, in a cold grapery, were split right up. These, however, were neglected last summer, and the wood not well ripened. Some cherries are likewise split. Pears not injured where the roots have been mulched. If we can make up our minds to cease croaking, and push along, now we have good weather, it is likely that things will turn up better than expectation.

W. C.

John A. and Charles Kennicott, have forwarded their "Descriptive catalogue of fruit and ornamental shrubs, cultivated at the Grove Nursery, West Northfield, Cook County, Illinois." It bears marks' of their intelligence and zeal; one of their remarks we extract: "We would impress upon every tree planter the value and importance of taking some good horticultural journal, and of providing themselves with a few of the many excellent standard works on horticultural subjects." This is good advice; the prejudice against book-gardening and farming has long since been discarded, for the very good and simple reason that those who read and study surpass their more ignorant neighbors, get rich faster, but, better still, have more intelligent minds, and enjoy life a thousand times more; the amenities of life cannot be fully appreciated by the unlettered. We have no doubt, from the names attached to this catalogue, there is an intelligent neighborhood around the Kennicott Grove Nurseries.