214 MONTHLY REVIEW OF LITERATURE AND ART. 



WARLEIGH, OR THE FATAL OAK ; A LEGEND OF DEVON. BY MRS. 

 BRAY, AUTHOR OP FITZ OF FITZ-FORD, &c. IN THREE VOLS. 

 LONGMAN, REES, AND Co. 



WE are not usually partial to fatal oaks, or legends, of any place, and 

 we had almost thrown this aside, but the name of Mrs. Bray, and a motto 

 from the " Excursion," caught our eye, and we augured well of the con- 

 tents ; nor were we disappointed. There is much in these volumes to 

 commend and admire. The time at which the story is laid is well chosen, 

 being that period in the history of England immediately after the imprison- 

 ment of Charles the First, which of course affords ample scope for contrast 

 of character and a stirring succession of incident. Here we have striking 

 pictures of animate and inanimate life the storm and the calm, the battle 

 and the revel confiding love and treacherous hate the deadly cavalier 

 the stern and almost puritanical roundhead all contribute their interest to 

 the story. Perhaps the conduct of the tale, as a whole, is not so success- 

 ful as individual scenes ; be this as it may, there is much to admire. The 

 last trial piece deserves our unqualified praise for the interest it excites, 

 and the way in which the denouement is brought about. It is not the less to 

 our taste because we believe it is in a great measure historical. We shall 

 be happy to see Mrs. Bray again. 



THE FRUIT CULTIVATOR. BY JOHN ROGERS. JAMES RIDGWAY 

 AND SONS, LONDON. 



THERE is a fashion in literature, or rather in book-making, as well as in 

 dress-making; and in making announcements of expected works, the 

 simplest and best way would be to head them "Literary Fashions." 

 During the last season works on horticulture, and so forth, have been 

 leading things with some respectable houses in the trade. We are 

 rather glad that such is the case, because during the prevailing mania, 

 amongst many bad, some good books almost invariably make their ap- 

 pearance ; and these, when the receding tide of fashion have left the strand 

 crowded with rubbishing debris, are worth picking up and preserving. 



The Fruit Cultivator, is one of this class, and will be a welcome addi- 

 tion to the reading of amateur gardeners. What more especially pleases 

 us in this book, is its perfect freedom from pretension, and an utter absence 

 in its pages of those ridiculous technicalities, which have hitherto been the 

 worst enemies to the progress of botany, and indeed of science in general. 

 Books are in many instances got up by parties, who have no practical ac- 

 quaintance with the subjects on which they write, and errors are conse- 

 quently continued year after year, till some man of original mind and an 

 inquirer into things as they really are, produces a work having some pre- 

 tensions to accuracy. Mr. Rogers, is himself a practical cultivator, and 

 his remarks upon stocks, pruning, and planting are particularly good and 

 explicit. 



" In the general management of pear trees," the author.says, " he is 

 fully persuaded that moderate growth and consequent prolificacy may be 

 given, by attention to planting on proper stocks (quince or seedling stocks, 

 either by bud or graft), planting in light and shallow soils, prevention of 

 unnecessary growth by disbudding in early spring, and the least possible 

 application of the knife. He particularly recommends rich, deep, and 

 moist borders to be avoided, and condemns very justly the fanciful and 

 contorted training, ranging, and disbarking so much recommended by 

 many writers." There is one remark which we quote, and which is 

 worth gold to the gardener " A tree may certainly with proper treatment 

 be kept in moderate health and fruitfulness, without doing violence to 



