THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 



255 



winter blooming kind. Cuttings 6truck in 

 August will bloom profusely till the spring 

 in a warm temperature near the glass, and 

 a poor soil well drained. The two which 

 please us most for taking up a rafter are 



Lilly Schmidt and Triomphe de Hyris. 

 For small pots, the double orange Nastur- 

 tium and Crystal Palace Gem are charm- 

 ing. Henderson's Ball of Fire is also 

 first-rate. 



NOTICES OP BOOKS. 



Bee-Keeping. By the Times Bee- 

 Master. Sampson Low and Co. — The 

 " Times Bee-Master" is Dr. Cumming, the 

 well-known divine, and author of various 

 works on the prophecies, etc. From a writer 

 enjoying a well-earned reputation in theo- 

 logical literature, the public had a right to 

 expect an original, truthful, and thoroughly 

 practical work on Bees ; that is to say, if 

 Dr. Cumming chose to employ himself in 

 such a task. It is a mistake altogether ; it 

 will damage his reputation, and cause 

 some hard things to be said as to his lite- 

 rary honesty. It consists for the most part 

 of extracts from other writers on the sub- 

 ject. These are put together in some such 

 way as country wives in olden time made 

 their patchwork quilts, that is, with the 

 least possible regard to order and harmony, 

 and by fitting in a piece of any quality or 

 colour wherever a place would be found 

 for it. So much for its originality. As 

 to its truthfulness, it is absolutely un- 

 just to the authors drawn upon so un- 

 sparingly for information ; exploded blun- 

 ders are here revived, and important disco- 

 veries of recent date are wholly ignored. 

 As to the practical part, let any of our 

 readers who may be foolish enough to pur- 

 chase it, read the description of the 

 method of taking a super (p. 137), and 

 by that judge if they would like to follow 

 the instructions of the "Times Bee-Mas- 

 ter" in the pleasant and profitable occupa- 

 tion of bee-keeping. It is rather odd that 



the process, of which the Dr. has a foggy 

 notion, was described in the " Garden- 

 Oracle" of 1863, and the Dr. might have 

 transferred the description by means of 

 his well-used scissors, and it would have 

 been of some value to the few readers he 

 may have. His descriptions of hives are 

 of no use at all, his engravings are copies, 

 and the who'e affair an imposition. We 

 may reasons! bly suppose that the respectable 

 publishers of the volume relied on Dr. 

 Cumming's literary experience, and ex- 

 pected a book which would have been a 

 credit to them, instead of which it is a 

 disgrace. However, they did their part 

 well, for the book is beautifully got up, 

 and being rich in extracts, will, to per- 

 sons who are not bee-keepers, prove en- 

 tertaining. 



Outlines of Soman History. (Ince and 

 Gilbert's series). By the Rev. E. Boger, 

 M.A., head master of St. Saviour's 

 Grammar School, Southwark, and late 

 Fellow of Exeter College, Oxon. An 

 excellent little work, perhaps the best of 

 its kind, written in an interesting and 

 readable style, not only useful for the 

 young, but also for those of riper years, 

 who wish to refresh their memories upon 

 the course of events in the rise and pro- 

 gress of the once "mistress of the world." 

 The table of contents is especially valu- 

 able, forming in itself a compendious 

 record of the salient landmarks of Roman 

 history. 



TO CORRESPONDENTS. 



POLYGALAS, ACACIAS, LaPAGERIA ROSEA, '| 



etc. — Will you kindly tell me in your 

 next number what sort of treatment Poly- 

 galas like? Shade or sunshine, an airy 

 or a close house, warm or cool, wet or 

 dry in winter, and when is the best time 

 for potting them? Should they be cut 

 back at all? I have one tiny cutting of 

 a year old, besides two large plants, all 

 tolerably healthy. Will acacias do well 



for the winter in a shady house facing 

 west ? They have been out all summer, 

 and are weli ripened and full of buds. 

 Or would a light sunny house facing 

 Fouth suit them better? All my houses 

 are lean-to ones. Which will best suit 

 camellias now ? And how can I get 

 worms out of their pots? I have tried 

 lime-water and bumping the pots to 

 frighten the worms. I have lifted one 



