38 THE JOURNAL OF BOTANY 
begin this month will be begun under the auspices of Sir William 
Thiselton-Dyer, K.C.M.G., C.1.E., LL.D., Sc.D., F.R.S., Director of 
the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Sir William’s well-known high 
standing as a botanist, his interest in Horticulture, and his position 
at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, with all the resources of that 
great establishment at his command, afford every possible guarantee 
that the high character of the Magazine will be well maintained, 
and, if possible, raised to a higher level of interest to the botanist 
and horticulturist, as well as to all lovers of the floral beauties of 
Nature.” 
Mr. Srantxy Guiron has published, in a neat little shilling 
volume (West, Newman & Co.), some Hints on Collecting and Pre- 
serving Plants. The young botanist who follows out all the author’s 
suggestions will incur a certain amount of unnecessary trouble, but 
e will turn out good specimens; and we could name certain 
veterans who (and whose correspondents) would greatly benefit by 
course of lessons based on Mr. Guiton’s instructions. At the 
same time we fear that the average beginner is likely to be deterred 
by the elaborations of some of the « plant’ required; few, we are 
sure, will “ get an asbestos gas-stove fitted up,’ or be in a position | 
to obtain ‘‘an ordinary fire-place ” fitted with gas and ‘ asbestos 
fire-balls’’ for their special use. We imagine Mr. Guiton hails 
from the Channel Islands; nowhere else would “an afternoon’s 
botanizing in the early spring ” yield Romulea Columne as an ordi- 
nary gathering. We do not think the advice to arrange a British 
herbarium in accordance with Engler and Prantl’s “ Pflanzen- 
familien”’ is at present in accordance with practical convenience; 
and, as the little volume is (incorrectly) dated “1905,” Messrs. ~ 
Groves’s edition of Babington’s Manual should have been men- 
one as the most complete handbook of British plants. The 
. - * the 
experien 
[uz Devonshire County Council are taking steps to stop the 
practice of the wholesale stripping of wayside banks and hedges 
in order to supply wild plants and flowers for Covent Garden 
Market. Tons of ferns, primroses, daffodils, and other growths 
prohibiting this destruction, and persons offending in future will be 
liable to a penalty of £5 or-a month’s imprisonment. Special 
exception is made in the case of persons gathering flowers for 
pleasure or for the purpose of botanical study. This is very well as 
far as it goes, but it must be obvious to anyone who goes about the 
tive undergrowth is destroyed, to make room for netiles and other 
unsightly weeds which thrive under the new system and disfigure 
