IRISH GARDENING. 



173 



The Reader. 



BlLBS AND THi:iR LL LTIVATIOX. By T. W. Saiideis. 

 London : Collingridge. 2/6 net. — Bulbs as a class 

 aflord greater scope in the extent and manner of 

 cultivation than any other group of flowering' plants. 

 They may be planted in their thousands either natural- 

 ised in grass or massed together in formal beds, or 

 grown within the restricted confines of pots or bowls in 

 the homes of the " masses." Everyone, therefore, who 

 wishes to do so can grow bulbs, and those with the desire 

 but without the know- 

 ledge, may get all 

 the information they 

 require by consulting 

 the present little 

 volume by the Editor 

 of Atnafcur Garden- 

 ing. The book is 

 divided into three 

 parts, the first deal- 

 ing with hard)' bulbs, 

 the second with in- 

 door bulbs, and the 

 third with miscellan- 

 eous information — 

 propagation, pests, 

 diseases, &c. The 

 various chapteis 

 are well illustrated, 

 and useful lists are 

 given throughout. .A 

 most handy alpha- 

 betical list for refer- 

 ence is given from 

 pages 58 to 85, n 

 which all necessary 

 information for in- 

 tending planters '\- 

 conveniently tabu- 

 lated. A novel 

 method of growing 

 hyacinths in moss is 

 described as fol- 

 lows :^" Procure 

 ordinary moss from 

 a damp hedge, bank 

 or wood ; tie this into 

 a ball about eight 

 inches or so in dia- 

 meter, then arrange 

 hyacinth bulbs all 

 round, adding moss 

 10 fill the spaces between the bulbs, and interlacing this 

 with string as the work proceeds to keep the bulbs in 

 position. When finished run a stout piece of wire 

 through the centre, and form a loop at one end, so that 

 the ball can be hung up in a cool, dark cellar. Before 

 hanging up the ball dip it in water. As soon as growth 

 has begun bring the ball to a light window and dip in 

 water two or thiee times a week. In due course the 

 bulbs will send forth spikes radiating in every direction, 

 and you will have a distinct floral novelty. Crocuses 



and tulips could be grown in a similar way, only the 

 ball should be smaller in size." The author strongly 

 recommends the cultivation of hardy bulbs in unheated 

 greenhouses, and promises results that will give gre<it 

 satisfaction to the lover of these beautiful flowering 

 plants. To the amateur especially this book may be 

 warmly recommended. 



The Gardeners" Companion. By Selina Randolph. 

 London : Mills & Boon. 2s. — Miss Randolph has pro- 

 duced a helpful little book for reference by amateurs in 

 gardening. It deals more especially with ornamental 

 planting round the 

 home, in other words, 

 with the making of a 

 real garden of plea- 

 sure. "Yourgarden," 

 she says, "should be 

 a little world of your 



w n , representing 

 your own mind and 

 your o w n taste; 

 made, according as 

 yi>ur space and means 

 will permit, to suit 

 your own special re- 

 quirements, and to be 

 a delightful haven of 

 rest at all times and 

 seasons." The chap- 

 ters bear evidence of 

 much knowledge of, 

 and great enthusiasm 

 for, this aspect of 

 gardening. 



Kelway's Manial 

 ok horticilture. 

 Langport : Kelway & 

 Son. — This extremely 

 attractive publication 

 represents the fifty- 

 seventh edition of the 

 well - known cata- 

 logue of Messrs. Kel- 

 \v ay & Son. It is not 

 iMily exhaustive as a 



1 .italogue, but is also 

 lull of information 

 V oncerning the char- 

 acter and treatment 

 of a vast number of 

 garden plants. Her- 

 baceous perennials, 



for which this firm of nurserymen is famous, takes, of 

 course, the largest share of its pages, but considerable 

 space is given to bulbs, fruit trees, shrubs, greenhouse 

 plants, and vegetables. The book consists of I42 

 large pages, printed on plate paper, and lavishly illus- 

 trated with photographic reproductions and special 

 coloured plates reproduced from colour photographs 

 taken direct from nature in the nursery grounds at 

 Langport last year, and the whole tastefully bound in 

 cream -white, decorated boards, lettered in gold. 



