Garden Botany. 61 



is like that of all the-botanical publications of the indefatigable 

 author, excellent ; and its high price enables it to assume an 

 appearance of finish and perfection, to which neither the Bo- 

 tanical Magazine nor Register can externally lay claim. 



The Geraniaceae, the Cistinece and the British Flower Garden, 

 are all three works carried on simultaneously by Mr. Robert 

 Sweet, a well known excellent cultivator and good practical 

 botanist. The Geraniaceae will comprize all the species or 

 varieties of that extensive and fashionable order which from 

 time to time may make their appearance in the gardens. As 

 hybrid varieties of all descriptions are included, the author's 

 labour is not likely soon to terminate. We observe that De- 

 candolle takes this work as the text-book of his species of 

 Geraniaceae. The Cistinece, or history of the pretty tribe of 

 plants called rock roses, is just commenced, and from what has 

 yet appeared, seems likely to be a useful repository of figures, 

 which we think are, upon the whole, both better drawn, and 

 more carefully coloured than in the Geraniaceae. The British 

 Flotver Garden is intended to represent such hardy plants as 

 may appear deserving of notice. The execution of the letter- 

 press is equal to that of the author's other works, but that of the 

 plates bears no sort of comparison with the neatness and accu- 

 racy we are accustomed to expect in works of this nature. We 

 hope this hint will not be thrown away upon the publishers. 



The Flora Conspicua is a work lately brought forward by 

 Mr. Richard Morris, and seems intended to include figures 

 of all such plants as are handsome subjects for a fine plate, 

 without regard to their novelty or importance otherwise. We 

 confess we do not perceive the utility of this work as a bota- 

 nical publication, but we must, nevertheless, do justice to the 

 execution of the plates by Mr. Clark, which are really beauti- 

 ful specimens of art. Such talents deserve to be better em- 

 ployed than in drawing and engraving subjects like Azalea 

 Pontica, and other well known things. 



The Botanic Garden is a little work published by Mr. B. 

 Maund in monthly numbers, each containing one plate, repre- 

 senting figures of four plants neatly coloured, and four leaves 

 of letter press. Like the Flora Conspicua it is destined to re- 

 ceive only hardy plants. The plates are very well executed, 

 and do credit to the artists employed ; but each subject being- 

 confined to a very small size, the largest and the smallest 

 plants appear by the side of each other of the same dimen- 

 sions; this inconvenience is however diminished by the degree 

 in which the figure of a given plant is reduced below its natu- 

 ral size, being explained upon the plates. The letter pi*ess is 

 respectably written; and is of much the same character as 

 that of the Flora Conspicua. 



