By one of the last foreign mails our German correspondent sends us clippings from German papers, which we forwarded at once to the State Department in Washington, giving the " Berne Convention" (July 4, 1883) Phylloxera law; according to which England, France, Austria, Hungary, Germany, Belgium and Switzerland, agree not to pass any plants over their border, but either destroy them or return them, even if accompanied by a sworn certificate that no vines have been grown within thirty yards from the shipment; as long as such shipment comes from any country outside of their convention. In other words, they establish a black list, and the United States, of course, are at the head of it.

Now this is a crying evil, for the oath of one man is as good as that of a conventionalist, and our Government should look after this ostracising of plants, and influence these silly laws to be applied in a more moderate form, securing the conventionalists that protection from the plague, they are looking for. But here we have sold this spring, goods to the different countries in the plant line, for fall delivery, and we do not know how to reach our customers.

To you, as an organ in the trade, we direct these grievances, trusting that the press may find a way out of this dilemma and arouse the officials to action. Or is this to be a second " pork exclusion?" Trichina, phylloxera, what next? A beastly country ours must be in the eyes of foreigners, if we stand idle. Join the convention? We hardly can, unless we wish to draw a wall around us. But to insist that the oath of an American before a foreign Consul is just as valid as that of any German, Englishman or Frenchman, and claims the same belief, is in our opinion, the duty of our State De partment to enforce with those conventionalists.

Since the 12th of July, this law is in force abroad, and we had the grandest trouble to convince German Custom House authorities, that Dutch bulbs were no plants - but meant to become plants (when, as a compliment, a few bulbs were sent from Holland to a friend in Germany). Then we succeeded in getting them passed, but to-day we are informed, the law is applied also to bulbs. Poor tuberose!

[While we are suffering from cabbage worms, pea weevils, codling moths and what not, imported from the old world, it is strange that the old folks should kick up like this - and so absurdly too. The phylloxera is already in Europe, in myriad millions, and far more likely to spread by intercourse among each other, than by anything they may get from us. And England too, a party to this farce! A country which has phylloxera in almost every grape border - which raises "hothouse vines" in almost every nursery - and which hopes, of course, to do a good deal of "shopping" with her associates. America could live and prosper without any of these countries, and might very well afford to shut out all importations of every description from abroad. It could afford to retaliate by just such a regulation. But she has the good sense to know that she cannot get any good at all without the risk of some attendant evil, and is perfectly willing to take the evil with the good, and trust to human knowledge and human progress to improve the good and conquer the bad.

The following letter explains itself:

Dep't. of State, Washington,

October 15, 1883. "Prof. Thomas Meehan, Editor Gardeners' Monthly : "Sir - Your letter of the 5th inst., relative to the prohibition of the importation of plants into the States participant in the Berne Convention of July 4, 1883, has been received. In reply, I have to inform you that this Department has already taken action in reference to this subject, by instructions to our Ministers in the principal countries of Europe, and that every effort will be made to have the unnecessary restrictions complained of, removed. The result of the correspondence upon this subject will be promptly made public, for the benefit of those interested.

I am, sir, your obedient servant,

"Frederick T. Frelinghuysen."

It is to be hoped, for the sake of common sense in human nature chiefly, that the contracting parties will see soon how silly they have acted. Common sense, however, does not seem to be a very common article among the rulers of the old world. Republics make mistakes sometimes, but these asinine exhibits of the old-world folks, must be a source of comfort to those who have faith in popular self-rule. - Ed. G. M.]