of Ornamental Annuals. 89 



liarly so for such as are defective in soil, situation, or exposure to the sun, as 

 is amply shown in the Suburban Gardener. 



" Mr. Paxton, the chief manager of the gardens of His Grace the Duke of 

 Devonshire, in a late number of his excellent Magazine of Botany, observes : 

 ' Considered as the principal ornaments of the flower-garden throughout the 

 most delightful period of the year, and during a considerable portion of it as 

 the most interesting features in the green-house, annual plants have great 

 claims to our attention, and should be very extensively cultivated in every 

 pleasure-garden. But the vast number and variety of sorts that are now 

 known in our collections, the whole of which it is almost impossible to intro- 

 duce into even the most extensive gardens, renders necessary a judicious 

 selection of the best kinds, in order to compensate for any deficiency in num- 

 ber or variety, by the superior beauty of those which are admitted.' Such a 

 selection it is my object to offer to the public in the following pages." 

 (Inirod., p. ii.) 



The arrangement of the work is according to the natural 

 system ; and an important feature in the plan is, that a number 

 of .species are grouped together in the same plate ; so that each 

 number will contain from 12 to 20 figures of the natural size. 

 Had these figures been given on separate 8vo plates, instead of 

 25. 6d., they would have cost 75. or 85. There is another ad- 

 vantage of having them grouped, which is, that the difference 

 between species nearly alike is more easily detected. The letter- 

 press is ample, being at the rate of 5^ 4to pages to each plate. 

 Every species is described scientifically and popularly, with the 

 geography, history, properties and uses, culture, and, in short, 

 everything worth knowing of the plant, (p. iii.) The culture is 

 given at length ; and great part of the information under this 

 head will be original, being communicated by various gardeners, 

 eminent for their success in the culture of annuals. In short, 

 there is not a cheaper, or more useful, or, indeed, a more elegant, 

 botanical and horticultural work in the course of publication. 



We cannot conclude this notice without again referring to the 

 plates. The subjects are drawn from nature by, or under the 

 superintendence of, the same accomplished artist who super- 

 intends the plates of the Floral Cabinet ; and they are so deli- 

 cately drawn on zinc, and so beautifully and artistically coloured, 

 that wei-e it not for the engraved names at the bottom of the plate, 

 each impression might pass for an original drawing. The plate 

 of larkspurs in this first number, is not, we believe, to be equalled 

 in any botanical publication whatever ; and we may affirm the 

 same of the plate of nigellas. These plates, it may truly be said, 

 have been got up regardless of expense; but such is their ex- 

 cellence, and the usefulness of the work, that we have no doubt 

 it will amply repay the very spirited publisher; who, indeed, 

 from the success which has attended the Floral Cabinet since he 

 became its publisher, must be aware that the public are not slow 

 to appreciate excellence, when it is combined with cheapness. 



It is no small recommendation to the Ladies' Florver-Gardeti, 



