EXTRACTS AND ‘NOTICES. 819 
Mr. Witx1am Rosinson sends us a copy of his ‘ Wild Garden,’ 
which, to quote the title-page, suggests ‘‘ one way onwards from the 
Dark Ages of Flower Gardening, with suggestions for the penne 
tion of the bare borders of the London Parks.” It er 
handsome book, the woodcuts—some of which are of seams 
representations of the plants they are intended to depict. The 
letterpress is of course rather horticultural than strictly hoeest 
ut it is very accurate, and shows acquaintance with the 
habits of our most important hardy lerbaceous plants r 
obinson has already done much to improve the taste of horti 
De ae and his labours have borne abundant and satisfactory 
fruit ; and the present volume cannot fail to add to his reputation , 
which is by no means inconsidera 
Mr. F. G. Hearn’s somewhat re work, with a similar title, 
‘My Garden Wild,’ compares unfavourably with Mr. Robinson’s 
book in po ares ansgece as it has no illustrations. The 
author is well kno s an enthusiastic admirer of ferns, and as a 
somewhat diffusive eee upon them. In the present volume he 
s turned his attention to our common British plants, a large 
number of which he has cultivated in his garden at South Hackney. 
Mr. Heath’s style is familiar to all who have read any of his other 
works, and the volume now before us will doubtless be welcomed 
y his admirers. His use of botanical es is often rather lax; 
and his uniform practice of spelling specific names with small 
initial lather shows a want of paraatanee with scientific custom. 
r. Heath’s enthusiasm is rather oddly distributed: he is rapturous 
about Chickweed, which he has always regarded “as an exceed- 
ingly beautiful object”; Dandelions “are welcome ‘to him’ in 
ion’’; and Groundsel, from its early flowering, 
has ‘an especial claim on [his] regard.” On oe other hand, so 
~ 
on, 
eath “oocasionally indulges in bold metaphor—as = e 
spadix of Arum is — of as “‘ wonderfully resembling a poker 
rising up like a spectre!” 
Mr. Petrer aa of New York, has issued a ‘ Handbook 
of Plants,’ arranged alphabetically after the manner of the 
‘Treasury of Botany,’ but designed for the use of “ * florista, 
been written with a eal view to ‘he wants of the pr of 
“sate a States,” and thus appeals mainly to our transatlantic 
