THE AMERICAN BOTANIST. 23 



efforts to provide us with worthy additions to our native 

 plants, have searched the whole world over and now we may 

 stay at home and see the plants of South Africa, Japan, Si- 

 beria, Australia and other far lands, by the simple process of 

 sowing the seeds in our own grounds. If you are inclined to 

 think that you can recognize the members of the various plant 

 families at sight, sow the seeds of a lot of these foreigners 

 and see how easy it is to be mistaken. There is, however, 

 great pleasure in watching these unfamiliar species slowly 

 coming into bloom and in examining the structure of the 

 flowers as they open. In our advertising pages appear the 

 notices of two firms, who offer the seeds of a large number 

 of these unusual plants, and we suggest that our readers can 

 find an interesting field for experiment next summer in back- 

 yard, botanizing by means of these seeds. Get a catalogue, 

 select the plants with single flowers and Latin names, avoid- 

 ing the varieties, and add botanical interest as well as beauty 

 to your beds and borders. 



* * * 



On several occasions we have written in commendation 

 of the excellent series of gardening books, issued by John 

 Lane, London and New York, under the general title of 

 "Handbooks of Practical Gardening." Three new volumes 

 have since come to hand, and it is almost needless to say, 

 maintain the excellent standard of earlier volumes. Es- 

 pecially to be commended is the "Book of the Lily" by W. 

 Goldring, which gives a history of the lily family, full direc- 

 tions for growing and propagating these plants, and what will 

 doubtless be found of most interest to our readers, a descrip- 

 tion of all species of lily, with an account of the named varie- 

 ties derived from each. This volume and an earlier one on 

 the Iris, deserve a place in the library of every gardening 

 botanist. The "Book of the Winter Garden" by D. S. Fish 

 gives an acount of such plants as bloom during winter in the 



