Preface to the Third Edition. 



It has been thirty years since the last edition of this 

 important work was issued, and such great changes 

 have taken place in all departments of horticulture 

 within this period that a new edition of the book has been 

 long demanded. 



Many varieties of vegetables and fruits now popular in 

 the South were unknown twenty years ago, and some 

 that were cultivated in those days have been supplanted 

 by other varieties of superior quality. The character and 

 composition of fertilizers have also undergone great 

 changes, and remarkable advancement has been made 

 by the introduction of the numerous brands of commer- 

 cial manures. Certain methods of cultivation also differ- 

 ing from those in practice some years ago have become 

 popular, and are now in general use throughout the 

 country. 



A great impetus has been given to gardening in the 

 South by the many excellent bulletins which have been 

 issued from the Experiment Stations of the several States 

 on the subjects of botany and horticulture, so that the 

 science of cultivating the fruits and vegetables has 

 become almost a new profession. The man who is now 

 guided by a book written twenty or thirty years ago will 

 be far behind the times in nearly all departments of 

 planting and cultivating. 



For these reasons there has been a demand for many 

 years on the part of the people of the South for a revision 

 of White's Gardening. 



