"Flowers fresh in hue, and many in their class, 

 Implore the pausing step." — Childe Harold, canto ii., st. 117. 



ADDRESS. 



' " Tlie combat thickens." The Battle of the Catalogues seems likely to i 

 become, in its small way, as famous and as fierce as Swift's *' Battle of the I 

 Books." Each vender of his small wares, instead of humbly saying, with 

 Touchstone, " An ill-favoured thing, Sir, but mine own," resembles, as the 

 German epigrammatist has it, " a barn-door fowl^ which having laid an egg, 

 goes forth cackling, to announce to all the world its wondrous feat." 

 I We are therefore driven, per force, to say something of the peculiar , 

 ' features of ours. I 

 I We have carefully noted the quantity of each name, that our readers j 

 may know 



" "VMiat's long, \\-hat's short, each accent where to place." 

 This, we hope, will be found no small service. 



I THE ILLUSTRATIONS 



we have introduced are such as will, we trust, ensure it a place on the drawing- 

 room table of every one " who loves a garden and a greenhouse too." 



THE GUIDE TO THE FLOWER GARDEN 



for the present season is unusually rich in genera, species, and varieties, all carefully 

 described after the best authorities, and with cultural notices as comprehensive as 

 the nature of the work will permit {on each packet of seed detailed cultural 

 directions are given). Many worthless flowers, usually named in seed lists, have 

 been excluded from the Guide, while others of high merit, both on account of 

 their rarity and beauty, have been added. The object kept in viev/ throughout 

 has been to make interesting as well as useful, what is commonly set down in dry 

 detail, and so to contribute to the pleasure of the practical gardenei', as well as 

 to the amateur who cultivates flowers for amusement and recreation. Neither time 

 ' nor expense has been spared to effect this result. 



Our patrons will, we trust, commend the work to their friends, and on their . 

 I suggestion we shall feel much pleasure in sending copies to any parties they may j 

 I name. j 

 To lessen the labour in giving orders we enclose an " Order Sheet," on i 

 which it will be sufficient to place the marginal numbers of the Guide. 



THE ORDER SHEET j 



we hope our patrons will avail themselves of, and we shall be happy to supply as 

 many additional copies as may be required. 



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