FAVOURITE FLOWERS 
GARDEN AND GREENHOUSE 
INTRODUCTION 
From the earliest periods of which we have any records, flower gardens 
have constituted a source of pleasure and a means of recreation to the 
human race. In the older civilisations, as in the new, wealth and taste 
have been lavished upon gardens, and we are bold to say the investment 
has been remunerative in the best meaning of the word. The aesthetic sense 
that finds an outlet in the creation and maintenance of a garden, is itself 
stimulated and strengthened by its own offspring; and this is true not 
merely of the garden of one or many acres, but equally so of the tiny 
plot attached to the humble suburban dwelling of the city clerk or the 
mechanic. In many of these restricted areas the amateur gardener finds 
serious difficulties in his way, in the shape of a crude clay or gravel earth 
deficient in humus, obstacles to light and air, and so forth ; yet these 
difficulties may be, and often are, overcome by perseverance and the 
determination to succeed. 
So widespread is now this desire for a plot of ground whereon to 
cultivate the beautiful among plants,—a desire restricted to no particular 
class or condition of society,—that the present might well be termed the 
age of gardens. There are quite a large number of admirable periodicals 
devoted to gardening, both professional and amateur; and there is an 
extensive literature of modem books on gardens and gardening of all 
kinds, but there appears to be no valid reason why a few more should 
