THE BOOK SHELF 



Around the Year in the Garden. Frederick Frye Rockwell. The Macmillan 

 Company. 350 pages. Illustrated. Si-75- 



The author says in his foreword that this book is designed for the busy man 

 or woman whose spare time available for gardening is limited, and who, 

 consequently, is interested in utilizing even* hour to the best purpose. 



The book begins in an engaging manner by getting people to thinking about 

 their gardens in January. Nothing is so fascinating to the gardener as plan- 

 ning the spring and summer work. This and getting tools ready and ordering 

 seeds, occupy January. February brings a definite plan of this year's gardens, 

 — vegetable and flower, and starting seeds in the greenhouse and planning 

 fertilizer for the soil. Mr. Rockwell's plan for March must be for a more 

 Southern climate than ours but might be used for April, — for he begins plant- 

 ing out of doors in this month. However, he plans definite work for each week 

 — including planting, cultivating, weeding, spraying for insect and fungus pests 

 mulching for the dry weather, summer pruning, and tells which week of 

 which month we are liable to have to look after a special crop. There are 

 specific directions for planting and care of all the plants grown in the flower 

 and vegetable gardens. Directions are given for building a hot bed and cold 

 frame, and various ways suggested in which concrete may be used to help in 

 gardening. Methods of tree doctoring are described, — also the making of 

 winter window gardens. Around the Year in the Garden is certainly a most 

 complete and helpful manual. 



The Strawberry in North America. S. W. Fletcher, Professor of Horticulture 

 at The Pennsylvania State College. 227 pp. with 26 illustrations. 

 Published by the Macmillan Co. $1.50. 

 This book completes a survey of the strawberry as grown in North America, 

 dealing mainly with the origin and history of the North American type 

 Modern cultural methods are presented in a companion volume, "Strawberry 

 Growing." The book is divided into six chapters; the first taking up the 

 early history of the fruit beginning with strawberries in the colonial days; 

 the wild strawberries of Virginia, New England and the West and gives the 

 first steps in the domestication of the wild strawberry. It then goes on to the 

 beginning of garden culture and the beginning of commercial culture near 

 Boston and New York speaking of the yield and the prices at that time. Then 

 the introduction of the Hovey strawberry, its origin, first novelty and its 

 unsatisfactory results. The extention of the commercial culture from 1838- 

 1854. 



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