558 Villa and Cottage Florist's Directory. 



the practical instruction that he is so well fitted to afford to 

 them, by the exposure of his ignorance of a subject which is 

 altogether out of place * in his volume. It is painful to be 

 obliged to make these remarks, especially when the castiga- 

 tion is applied to an individual who is a very able floriculturist, 

 and a most respectable man ; but we have a public duty to per- 

 form paramount to every other consideration. We therefore 

 recommend the purchasers of this book to pass their pens 

 over what is termed the physiology ; and then they will find 

 it a very useful guide. 



But, leaving this part of the subject, we would correct a 

 few errors that have crept into the better part of the volume. 

 Thus tubers are frequently confounded with roots ; and we 

 are informed that the turnip and carrot are " bulbs differing 

 only in form." Now we can most confidently assure our 

 readers that neither bulbs nor tubers are ever the productions 

 of roots, but of the stem, or ascending axis of the plant ; and 

 that the turnip, and also the carrot, is a real root or descend- 

 ing axis : it is of little importance, and does not invalidate the 

 fact, that the portion of the stem usually producing bulbs and 

 tubers is beneath the surface of the ground. We are more 

 surprised that such an error should appear, after finding it 

 stated, that tubers are productions of the stem. (p. 19.) We 

 are also informed that the leaves are of no use in perfecting 

 the young bulb ; yet, in treating of the cultivation of polyan- 

 thus-narcissus, our author correctly admits that cutting off 

 the leaves whilst in vigorous growth is detrimental. He doubts 

 whether the crocus can be ranked as a bulbous plant. If it be 

 not, what is it ? The author's application of the phrase " vis 

 inertiae," to what he terms the sleep of the anemone, is perfectly 

 new. In the use of well-known terms he is also frequently 

 incorrect : thus he calls the support of the carnation apediinclc, 

 whereas the immediate support of every flower is a pedicel ; 

 the prop of the pedicel, if it has one, is a peduncle. He 

 uses the word fecund.ified instead of fecundated ; and fre- 

 quently other words peculiar to himself: thus, for example, 

 caidine instead of caidinar. His employment of terms that 



* We cannot agree with our reviewer in this position. Unless the sub- 

 ject of vegetable physiology be altogether beyond the reach of cultivators, 

 in what work can the application of its principles be more appropriately 

 introduced than in a treatise on flowers ? The fault of our excellent friend 

 Mr. Main consists not in having introduced the subject ; for that he appears 

 to us to deserve great praise ; but, as we have mentioned to our friend per- 

 sonally, in having mystified it. Mr. Main has too much good sense and 

 good feeling, not to profit from the reviewer's remarks. — Cond. 



