PREFACE. 
The love of Nature affords us the purest delight and is implant- 
ed in the human breast. While contemplating the wonders of the 
vegetable kingdom, we instinctively bow before her shrine and are 
forced to acknowledge her sovereignty. ‘‘ Flowers, of all created 
things, are the most innocent—simple and the most complex— 
playthings for childhood and ornaments for the grave.” Nature 
is most lavish in her gifts, and in order to appreciate and enjoy 
them, we should listen to her voice and study well her teachings, 
for they will surely inculcate a tone of refinement, afford pleasant and 
healthful employment, and give us exalted views of her Creator. 
With a view of being instrumental in inducing some, at least, 
to partake of the pleasures which the practical study of Floricul- 
ture imparts, and to the repeated demands of kind friends, the 
present little volume is presented to the public. 
Numerous and excellent have been the works written on Flori- 
culture,\yet they are generally unsuited to the wants of the Ama- 
rrur, for should he have occasion to consult their pages upon an 
emergency—being written, in most cases, for the guidance of the 
scientific Florist—he either cannot understand them or fails to find 
the information which he seeks. In order to remedy this defi- 
ciency, in part, the author has been induced to embody his prac- 
tical experience in the management of the Flower-Garden; and, in 
the arrangement of the work, he has endeavored to present, in a 
clear and available manner, every necessary detail, thereby ob- 
viating, or removing to some extent, the difficulties which the 
Amateur encounters in the works referred to. Should it be the 
