MARCH. 91 



ployed to communicate the forms and structm-e of vegetation to all 

 classes, and thus prove the means of increasing our knowledge of vege- 

 table life. It is surprising how httle is yet known of the vegetation of 

 other cHmates, or even of our own, by people in general. It is true 

 herbariums (or collections of dried plants) give those who may be for- 

 tunate to have access to them a tolerable knowledge of exotic plants ; 

 yet, beyond the few who possess this opportunity, but little is known of 

 foreign plants. Nor has, in fact, anything been done towards popu- 

 larising botany, on a scale sufficiently extensive for its introduction into 

 the routine of an ordinary education — a consummation we hope Nature- 

 printing will materially help to realise. Nor are the advantages of this 

 new art likely to end here ; for, no doubt, it will give important aid to 

 all interested in the art of designing for the embellishment of manu- 

 factured goods. Vast as is the improvement which has taken place of 

 late in this department, by designers selecting subjects, as decorative 

 objects, taken from nature, and more especially plants, the very limited 

 knowledge possessed by artists of the many beautiful and graceful forms 

 met with in Exotic plants, has hitherto prevented their more extensive 

 introduction. We therefore hope Nature-printing will be the means 

 of bringing within the reach of designers a wide field of subjects, 

 which will tend to improve the taste and elegance displayed in our 

 textile fabrics, as well as in pottery, and manufactures in metal. On 

 these, as well as on grounds purely botanical, we hail its introduction 

 to Britain as an important event to art generally ; and, as such, the 

 editor, writer, and printer, are alike entitled to our praise for the 

 manner in which the work is brought out, which, we hope, is only 

 the forerunner of similar works having the same object in view. 

 The present numbers contain figures of different kinds of Lastrea. 



HORTICULTURAL THERMOMETERS. 

 Good thermometers are but seldom to be met with amongst cultivators, 

 yet how essential it is that we should be able to ascertain to what tem- 

 perature our stoves and greenhouses descend on cold nights. Scarcely 

 two thermometers are found to be correct ; indeed, if we happen to 

 possess half a dozen we are only puzzled by finding we have half a 

 dozen different results. Too much stress cannot be faid on the im- 

 portance of having good instruments, for gardeners are too apt to 

 consider, if they happen to have a thermometer, that it must be a good 

 one ; unfortunately, good ones are few and far between. Then, again, 

 how seldom do we find self-registering thermometers in use in our hot- 

 houses, although their great utility in recording the extremes of heat 

 and cold, especially the latter, in winter, cannot by any one be questioned. 

 Feeling the want of a really good instrument, I stated to Messrs. 

 Negretti and Zambra (the celebrated opticians of Hatton Garden, 

 London), my desire that they should turn their attention to the con- 



