THE most important discussion now before the horticulturists of the country is the agitation looking toward the protection of originators or owners of new varieties of plants. This agitation is by no means a new one. A number of years ago Jacob Moore, of Attica, N. Y., printed and distributed a circular calling for a "plant patent.** Mr. Moore introduced the question before various horticultural organizations, and his plans were considerably discussed by the press. Early this year the question was revived by A. L. Bancroft, of San Francisco, and the California horticultural and floral societies took the matter up, and a committee from those organizations now has it in charge. Mr. Bancroft's idea of protection, or propagation-right, as outlined in the committee's circular, is not very different from Mr. Moore's. Neither of the parties, so far as we know, have drawn up specific bills for presentation to Congress. In the meantime, The Rural Publishing Company had the matter under advisement, and it drew up a definite plan in the form of a bill. This plan adds features which have not been made sufficiently prominent before, particularly the official enlistment of the experiment stations in the work.

A California contemporary has charged us with plagiarism, but our plan is an entirely independent and original one. It is the out growth, as is probably the California scheme as well, of the older agitations upon this subject. If it is necessary that Congress should enact a law to protect plants-men, we submit our outline as the most practicable one which has yet been given to the public. But we do not wish to press our measure at the expense of others. We understand that united action is necessary in order to carry any measure, and we are willing to add our influence to the best venture, wherever it originates.

Others look upon Congressional enactment as unnecessary and superfluous, and build their faith upon the protection accorded to trademarks. The first definite and public elucidation of this idea appears elsewhere in this issue. (See page 481.) In connection with the protection idea, there has lately arisen a scheme to make a general register of plants, not unlike the herd-books in principle. This is the redeeming feature of Mr. Bancroft's scheme, and we have copied it into our own measure. Mr. Bancroft's proposition is too heavy to be practicable, however, but this fault will no doubt be corrected by those who have it in charge. An in dependent plan of registration has been undertaken by Professor Bailey in his "Annals of Horticulture." This undertaking was wrought out last year, and the manuscript of it was in the printer's hands long before the western scheme had been given to the world. It is the first actual result which has yet been reached looking towards the protection of plantsmen. This looks toward a registration which shall include the nation, and it was undertaken because there seemed no other way.

But Mr. Bancroft's scheme is perhaps bolder, and if it could be carried out, would be better.

Out of the various ideas which will be presented, a practicable venture must arise; with the best one we shall cast our lot.

WE SHOULD like to write a book upon the philosophy of hoeing ! This desire is stimulated by the fact that not one workman out of ten knows how to hoe ; and perhaps this statement would fit gardeners themselves as well. The very first requisite to good hoeing is an adequate knowledge of why we hoe. Over in the pumpkin field a man is hoeing now - or chopping rather - who has thrown off his hat, unbuttoned his shirt, rolled up his sleeves, and who is sweating like a water-cooler in a "muggy" day. At every clip he raises his hoe nearly to the top of his head, and he brings it down with a whiz, regardless of stones and almost regardless of place. The first half day he shivered up his hoe blade. This man believes in muscle in hoeing, if he believes in anything at all. He chops here and there, and leaves the ground lumpy and uneven. He always winds up his day's work with the feeling that he has earned his money because he has sweat so much ! No use to show him a different way ; as soon as you are out of sight he is hammering away again ! His forte is a grub hoe and a thistle patch.

There in the berry patch is another man with a hoe. He has weeds in his eye, and his hoe never touches the ground where there are no weeds. This is the most fatal of all mistakes, for it indicates that the man has not conceived of the very first principles of hoeing. However ignorant our ancestors may have been - and our neighbors still are ! - a man should know that wherever good work is expected hoeing means cultivating, not only weed-killing. So, after every weed is taken out of our berry patch we shall still need to hoe it.

Among the egg-plants is still another man with a hoe. He works easily and appears to do his work well. But watch him an instant. He skims the surface just as our mothers used to skim milk. He catches every weed and tickles the entire surface of the ground, but he is not hoeing - he is simply scraping. That clay is just as hard as it was before he touched it with his scraper.

So here are three types of hoe-users - the chopper, the weed-hunter and the scraper. They all work faithfully and do not earn fifty cents a day. What is hoeing ? That is easier asked than answered. Let a man get a deep conception that hoeing means pulverization, with such incidental advantages as weed-killing, leveling, smoothing and the like, and let him come into the feeling that it is not mere drudgery, and he soon learns how to hoe. Nor do we think this latter attribute an unimportant one. Just in proportion as a man looks upon his work as drudgery, does it deteriorate in value. It lacks spirit and intelligence. What a pleasure it is to loosen up the soil! How the plants love it! How the air penetrates the loose mold ! How all nature smiles upon you as a helpmeet and gives you a double reward ! And the fields and the winds and the loves of plants and birds are yours !