GARDEN BOOKS 



tion. Beware of orchids unless the purse is full. 

 Mr. Eden Philpotts brings all the beauty of his 

 poetic style to bear upon the subject of "My 

 Garden," thus deliciously prefacing his book: 

 "The time has come when, to have a garden, and 

 not to write about it, is to be notorious." Let 

 me commend the three chapters on the iris in this 

 fascinating book to the attention of all iris-lovers. 

 There never has been, there never can come from 

 another pen, so poetic, so beautiful a bit of writing 

 on this alluring flower. Done in entrancing lan- 

 guage, it tempts the most unyielding to become 

 an iris-collector. I myself, on reading these de- 

 scriptions, felt so deep a debt of gratitude to Mr. 

 Philpotts for them, and for the pleasure which 

 for years back had been given me by his Dev- 

 onshire tales, that I experienced a real delight 

 when the following request caught my eye: 

 "Many new and exquisite vines may now be ob- 

 tained, and among lovely things that I am open 

 to receive from anybody (and will pay carriage) 

 are Vitis Thunbergii; Vitis Calif ornica, a tremen- 

 dous grower; Vitis aconitifolia, a gem from China; 

 and Vitis megaphylla, most distinct of all arrivals 

 in this family." 



My heart leaped with joy as I thought: "Is it 



231 



