1877.] 



AND HORTICULTURIST. 



317 



edition, and so far on as the fifth edition of a 

 work like this, because it shows that there is a 

 much deeper interest taken in the culture of 

 these plants than many people suppose. When 

 some years ago we were favored by a series of 

 articles from the pen of that admirable orchid- 

 grower, Mr. Taplin, some would ask us why take 

 up room with instruction on plants that no one 

 grew ? but that was just the reason we valued 

 Mr. Taplin's papers. People take Horticultural 

 papers for the reason that they need instruction, 

 and they wish to know what they ought to do in 

 order to get as much pleasure as possible from 

 gardening. Orchid-growing is one of these special- 

 ties which always gives pleasure. It was at one 

 time thought to be very expensive to care for 

 these plants, and to require great skill in their 

 management; but thanks to writers like Mr. Tap- 

 lin, and especially to the labors of Mr. Williams, 

 whose " Manual " is now before us, the work of 

 growing them has been much simplified. Of 

 course if one desires to excel in orchid-culture as 

 in anything else, the more knowledge and expe- 

 rience the better. To all, whether novices or 

 experienced hands, Mr. Williams' book will be 

 welcome, but we need hardly say this of a book 

 in its fifth edition. This speaks for itself as to 

 how useful it is found to be. 



The Cabbage Family. By David Landreth & 

 Sons, Phila. This gives the history of the Cab- 

 bage, from its wild to its improved condition, and 

 an account of the leading popular varieties of 

 the day. 



The Locust Plague. By C. V. Riley. As most 

 of our readers know. Prof. Riley more perhaps 

 than any other man, has made the locusts a 

 study ; and his position as Chief of the United 

 States Entomological Commission on the Grass- 

 hopper gave him unusual facilities for studying 

 them. This little book contains all that Mr. Riley 

 knows about them, and there is no one likely to 



suffer from this insect, but will find profit from 

 reading it. 



Fruit AND Bread. Translated from the Ger- 

 man of Gustav Schlickeysen by Dr. Holbrook, 

 New York. Published by M. L. Holbrook & Co. 

 This is an attempt to prove that man was des- 

 tined to eat only fruit and bread, and drink only 

 water, — that he has wandered from this original 

 design of nature, — and that the consequence is the 

 numerous diseases by which he is afflicted, and 

 that it would be better for him if he should re- 

 turn to his primitive food. How he came to 

 wander so far away while other animals have re- 

 mained true to their original instincts, is not 

 shown ; but the work on the whole may be re- 

 garded as the best exposition of vegetarian views 

 that has yet appeared. 



Swine Husbandry. By F. D. Coburn, New 

 York. Orange Judd & Co. Harris on the Pig, is 

 a well-known work by the same publishers, and 

 one might suppose from this fact that another 

 one on the same subject, by the firm, would be 

 of a totally different character. A comparison 

 with that work shows that there is room for 

 both. Orange Judd & Co. seem to be taking the 

 lead as publishers of standard agricultural books 

 in this country. 



The Floral Gazette. — This was once Park's 

 Floral Gazette and as such is now in its eleventh 

 j'ear. Mr. Park now publishes it at Mt. Vernon, 

 Ohio. It is an unpretentious little monthly, of 

 sixteen pages, devoted wholly to flowers ; but in 

 its way does a great deal of good. 



The Florist and Pomologist. Edited by 

 Mr. Thomas Moore. We have before us the 

 numbers for June, July and August, each with 

 colored plates of some new fruits and plants. 

 The price is only one shilling a part, which, con- 

 sidering the excellence of the plates is cheap 

 indeed. It is one of our most welcome English 

 exchanges. 



.MORTICULTURAL r^OCIETlES. 



EDITORIAL NOTES. 



Display of Cut Flowers at the Permanent 

 International Exhibition. — In order to adorn 

 the building on the " Governor's Day," in Phila- 

 delphia, premiums were offered by the manage- 



ment for floral displays, and which brought (,ut 

 considerable competition. We seldom admit 

 into our columns anything of purely local inter- 

 est, but as these exhibits will be continued as 

 occasion offers, and are intended as the Exhibi- 

 tion itself is to be, a whole world affair, we give 



