Mr. Hovey, in the September number of his magazine, alludes to our remarks about the Bonte de St. Julien Strawberry in a manner which we are not disposed to leave unnoticed. His allusion to our unfortunate deafness is unbecoming, to say the least of it; it has nothing whatever to do with the subject, and is much too deep an affliction to be made the object of a public jest We are fain to believe that it escaped him in a moment of thoughtlessness. Now let us examine Mr. Hovey's criticism for a moment It must be evident to every body that our object was simply to ascertain whether the Bonte de St Julien was as productive with others as it was in the particular case alluded to, and the fact of its having been introduced two years ago, or exhibited in Boston, or whether we had seen the plants elsewhere, had nothing to do with our purpose. The point we aimed at is plain enough. We meant to have said, "in fruit for the first time;" but that matters but little. We will go a little into detail in order that Mr. Hovey may not misunderstand us. His own books will show that the particular plants referred to, with others, were bought of himself about two years ago, since which time they have been pretty constantly under our eye.

They were laid in without preparation, and made their runners, but produced only a little fruit; indeed, they were not. expected to fruit, and we could not in fairness have said they were in fruit, for the purpose we had in view. Last fall they were put in a prepared border, and produced the results recorded. The simple fact is, Mr. Hovey, we saw and ate the fruit some three times last season, (1860,) besides this, but did not see the plants at the time. We were offered plants of it last fall in Philadelphia, but declined because we had as many as we wanted. We had seen it advertised by yourself, Mr. Prince, etc.; and had read descriptions of it in foreign journals; but all these things were quite beside our object in asking the question we did, and we should not in the least allude to them if we had to repeat it. What we want to know is, whether any of our readers who have grown this Strawberry, have found it to be as productive as in the particular instance referred to. Mr. Hovey concludes as follows: "Only think of wishing ' to hear more' about a Strawberry introduced and widely disseminated for two years." Sure enough, only think of it! Why, it's dreadful! We ought to consider a Strawberry old, and worn out, and good for nothing but to be forgotten at the advanced age of two years; but somehow or other we can't do it here in New York. We hare Strawberries here considerably older than that which we still consider new.

But Mr. Hovey only means this as a good joke; for in his last number he advertises this very Strawberry as a new variety, so that on this point there is, after all, so difference between us. But whatever may be the case in Boston and Massachusetts, we know that in New York, Connecticut, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and a great many other states, the Bonte de St. Julien is not yet widely disseminated; on the contrary, it is comparatively little disseminated, even with the plants sent out this fall. If it has become " widely disseminated " in two years from the time of its announcement, it has accomplished a pomological feat never before even attempted by any fruit yet introduced to public notice.