192 



IRISH GARDENING. 



DECEMBER 



and remove any decaying leaves, &c. Continue to 

 trench and manure land. Basic slag on old soils is a 

 valuable fertiliser. If to be used it ought to be put on at 

 once, as its action is accounted slow. Take up mint 

 and pot up, to place in heat for an early supply. In 

 order to have the land tilled and prepared to suit the 

 needs of the various crops it is necessary to decide on 

 the site for each. In this rotation of crops as much as 

 is possible must be considered. Onion beds may now 

 be prepared and manured, remembering that the land 

 can hardly be tilled too deeply or too well for this im- 

 portant crop. The turning and mixing of compost heaps 

 and manure heaps might also have attention. Against 

 severe frost the tops of celery may require to be pro- 

 tected with some covering. Broccoli seems over succu- 

 lent this season (at least in the south), as after a long 

 drought the rains of autumn encouraged late and soft 

 growth, which leaves the crop liable to suffer if severe 

 frost follows. However, most of it must be left to take its 

 chance, as protection in a general way is scarcely 

 practicable. 



The Reader. 



ROSE GROWING MADE EASY. By E. T. Cook. 

 PubHshed by "The Country Life, Limited." at 

 one shilling. This book, written for beginners, 

 is both instructional and stimulating in its treatment of the 

 subject. The author truly says that the rose garden to 

 be beautiful must be designed, planted, and tended, not 

 with labour and cultural skill only, but with brains and 

 with love, and with all those best qualities of critical 

 appreciation — the specially cultur.-il knowledge of what 

 is beautiful and wh)' it is beautiful— besides the necessary 

 ability of the practical cultivator. Referring to hybrid- 

 ization, amateurs are encouraged to attempt the en- 

 grossing work of raising new varieties, and in this 

 connection particular mention is made of the successes 

 of Dr. Campbell Hall as an example of what may be 

 done by the enthusiastic rose grower. 



Planting, pruning, and propagation are clearly de- 

 scribed, and the processes abundantl)' illustrated when 

 necessary by graphic outline drawings. There are 

 chapters on arches and pergola, roses for walls, rose 

 hedges, &c., together with an instructive chapter on the 



making of a rose garden, accompanied by a working 

 plan. The volume concludes with an exhaustive de- 

 scriptive list of the best roses distinguishing between 

 these that are suitable for standards and bushes. This 

 little work is written in Mr. Cook's well known lucid 

 style, and forms an excellent and not too bulky text 

 book for all amateurs who desire to enter upon the 

 fascinating pastime of rose growing. 



Monthly Gleaning in a Scottish Garden, by L. H. 

 Soutar. T. Fisher Unwin. — This tastefully got up 

 volume contains a series of twelve chapters correspond- 

 ing to the twelve months of the year. It consists of a 

 succession of word pictures describing the p.ageant of 

 the seasons as observed from day to day in an old- 

 world Scottish garden rich in trees and shrubs and 

 herbaceous flowering plants. As an example of our 

 authoress's style we may quote the following as a 

 typical passage : — " In the Wild Flower Garden among 

 the lengthening grass the rhododendrons are a blaze of 

 colour. Of all shrubs the rhododendrons are the most 

 grateful for the care bestowed upon them in yielding 

 showy blossom. They do not root deeply, and on the 

 face of the hill which constitutes the Wild Flower 

 Garden, beneath the shade of the trees and in a soil of 

 little depth, 'Flaming June' has reached her fame in 

 producing a bewildering feast of colour." The book is 

 delightful reading, and will appeal to everyone who 

 loves a garden and appreciates a literary treatment of 

 a subject that is too often dealt with in a mere matter-of- 

 fact way. It is not a book of cultural directions and a 

 list of " the best varieties. " but a book throbbing with 

 a real appreciation of nature from the time that spring 

 sends her heralds into the garden to quicken the new 

 life of the 3ear on through the joyous wealth of 

 summer growth and beauty to the close of the 

 year " when the mists, the rains, and the winds have 

 fulfilled their ministry, when the withered leaves clothe 

 the damp earth in lustreless deca)'. and the garden 

 looks grey and wan, but the flowers have hid in their 

 hearts the hope of spring, and beneath the cold sod lie. 

 not dead, but sleeping." 



The book has a coloured frontispiece and twenty- 

 four plates of photographic reproductions illustrating 

 some charming bits of garden scenery. As a Christmas 

 gift (its price is 6s.) this book will be welcomed by many 

 of our readers. 



END OF VOLUME IV. 



