PARAGRAPHS FOR PURCHASERS 


NEW BOOKS 
“The Seasons in a Flower Garden,” by 
Louise Shelton, and published by Charles 
Scribner’s Sons, New York, is a_ practical 
guide for the amateur hand in gardening. The 
subject matter of the book is well arranged, 
giving specific directions for the care of the 
flowers month by month. It has, besides, a fund 
of information on such subjects as ‘‘The Wild 
Garden,” ‘‘The Water Garden,” ‘Insect 
Pests,” and last, but not least, ‘‘Bird Houses 
for the Garden.” It is all replete with garden 
wisdom, and not the least commendable thing 
about the volume is the quaint little intro- 
duction to each chapter. The whole book is 
of such a helpful nature and arranged in such 
practical manner that it is a sincere pleasure 
to recommend its use to those who ‘‘give love- 
labor to green things growing.” 

Another most attractive work on flowers is 
‘““Mountain Wild Flowers of America,” by 
Julia W. Henshaw. The subject offers oppor- 
tunity for a charming book, and Mrs. Henshaw 
has succeeded admirably in benefiting by the 
advantage. The book is meant to be more of a 
popular guide than a treatise in botany. And 
since the first attribute that attracts the 
traveler’s eye is invariably color, the flowers 
described are classified according to color and 
without special reference to their scientific 
relationships. The beauty of the ror illustra- 
tions from photographs, the concise and yet 
complete and accurate descriptions, should 
especially commend it to mountain tourists and 
all lovers of wild flowers. Published by Ginn 
& Co., Boston. 

“The Phantom of the Poles” suggests 
stories of hardship and suffering by icebound 
explorers; it might even serve as the title of a 
popular novel. But it is nothing more than the 
title chosen by William Reed for the book con- 
taining his arguments to prove that the earth 
is hollow—with openings where the poles ought 
to be! Mr. Reed is a master of theory, and 
no one having proved to the contrary, who 
shall successfully dispute his contention? The 
book certainly is interesting and the reader 
cannot help being impressed with the author’s 
conclusions. Published by Walter S. Rockey 
Company, New York. 

In “The Other Mr. Barclay,” Henry Irving 
Dodge has built a story around the inherent 
speculative instinct in the human race, and 
has done it so skilfully that his book is a distinct 
improvement on the average financial novel. 
It is a remarkably interesting story, with con- 
siderable literary quality. The one jarring 
note is the cheap illustrations, without which 
the book would take rank with the best of the 
year. Published by G. W. Dillingham Com: 
pany, New York. 

“The Young Folk’s Cyclonaeene of Natural 
History,” by John Denison Champlin, A. M., 
includes in one volume of 725 pages an outline 
of the entire animal kingdom. It is not 
necessarily a children’s book and might more 
correctly be called a primer of natural history. 
The author has followed the general plan of 
giving in the opening sentence the scientific 
facts indicating the animal’s place in nature, 
next a few generalizations respecting its family 
or genus, and lastly an account of the more 
important species, indicating the habitat, 
personal history and habits of each. The 
author has had unlimited privileges in th: use 
of the best zoologies, manuals and treatises by 
the best known authorities, and the collobora- 
tion of Prof. Frederic A. Lucas, late of the 
National Museum, Washington, and now of 
the Museum of the Brooklyn Institute. Of 
course, the work is authoritative. There are 
some eight hundred illustrations, most of them 
from drawings. Published by Henry Holt & 
Co., New York. 

Facts Worth Knowing 
The ‘‘Little Skipper” marine engine, made 
by the St. Clair Motor Company, Detroit, 
Mich., is enjoying a remarkable popularity for 
installing in rowboats and canoes. There must 
be a reason. The manufacturers claim it is 
because their Little Skipper engine is the only 
engine made that will run equally well on gaso- 
line, kerosene, blue blaze, distolite oil or 
alcohol without changes or extra attachments 
and without waste of fuel or loss of power, and 
because it is the only two-cycle gasoline engine 
made that cannot possibly back-fire. 
