1871.] Notices of Books. 387 



suffer very much from strong winds, from which they will be 

 protected if judiciously planted near sheltering banks and trees. 

 Even in quite level districts it will be possible to secure shelter 

 by planting trees of various kinds ; among which such graceful 

 conifers as Thujopsis borealis, Thuja gigantea (true), Cupressus 

 macrocarpa, Cryptomeria elegans, &c, should be freely used 

 in the foreground, as in beauty of form they are unsurpassed by 

 any short-lived inhabitants of the summer garden. Except, 

 however, in the case of the Tree-ferns and various other things 

 not grown in the open air, but simply placed there for the 

 summer, it is very desirable not to place the plants in the shade 

 of trees. All the things which have to grow in the open air 

 should be placed in the full sun. Not a few hardy subjects will 

 thrive very well without any but ordinary shelter, as, for 

 example, the Yuccas and Acanthuses ; but judging by the remark- 

 able way in which the hardy Bamboo thrives when placed in a 

 sheltered dell, shelter has a considerable influence on the well- 

 being even of these, as it must have on all subjects with large 

 leaf surfaces. But it should not be forgotten that shelter may be 

 well secured without placing the beds or groups so near trees 

 that they will be robbed, shaded, or otherwise injured by them." 



The book is divided into three parts ; the first contains Intro- 

 duction and General Considerations ; the second gives the 

 Description, Arrangement, Culture, &c, of suitable species, 

 hardy and tender, alphabetically arranged; whilst the third part 

 contains Selections of Plants for various purposes in the Sub- 

 tropical garden. The second part occupies far the largest 

 portion of the book, and is of the greatest use, as it gives 

 full descriptions of all (frequently illustrated with woodcuts) the 

 plants which the author has selected, the kind of care they 

 require, and the most suitable position in the Subtropical 

 garden for them to be displayed to the best advantage. 

 As an illustration of the method adopted by the author in 

 this part of the work we cannot do better than give a quota- 

 tion : — 



" Dicksonia antarctica. — A very noble evergreen tree-fern, 

 with a stout trunk, which varies considerably in thickness, and 

 attains a height of 30 feet or more. The fronds, which form a 

 magnificent crown 20 feet or 30 feet across, are lancet-shaped, 

 much divided, of a shining dark green on the upper surface, and 

 paler underneath, from 6 feet to 20 feet long, beautifully arched, 

 and becoming pendulous with age. Perhaps the hardiest of tree- 

 ferns, and therefore most suitable for placing in the open air 

 in summer in sheltered shady dells, from the middle of May to 

 the beginning of October." (See Fig. 7, on the next page.) 



It is with mingled feelings of pleasure and regret that we close 

 this work — regret that those who have had the laying out 

 of some of our parks and public gardens have not adopted more 

 freely the judicious views here expressed, in preference to 



