LORD BACON. 



ESSAYS.-OF GARDENS. 



" God ALMiaHiT first planted a garden; and, indeed, it is the purest of human pleasures; it 

 is the greatest refreshment to the spirits of man, without which, buildings and palaces are but gross 

 liandiworks ; and a man shall ever see that, when ages grow to civility and elegancy, men come to 

 build stately sooner than to garden finely, as if gardening were the greater perfection. I do hold it, 

 in the royal ordering of gardens, there ought to be gardens for all the months of the year, in which, 

 severally, things of beauty may be then iu season." 



INTRODUCTION. 



In the present edition of our Illustrated Spring Seed Catalogue and Guide to the 

 Flower Garden, it has been our endeavour, so far as the limits of such a work will 

 permit, to assist the amateur in the pursuit of that purest and most delightful of all 

 occupations, gardening. For the attainment of this object, we have spared neither 

 labour nor expense, to make interesting and useful what would otherwise be looked 

 upon as merely dry detail. 



We have excluded from these pages many worthless genera, species, and varieties, 

 generally found in seed lists, as they only lead to disappointment. 



The Novelties of 1861 and 1862 are distingmshed by black letters. 



In our Guide to the Kitchen Garden we have furnished such cultural infor- 

 mation as will enable the amateur to have a succession of the best vegetables from 

 January to December; and still further, we have placed only the really valuable 

 kinds in black type, while the whole have been divided into sections, according to 

 their respective uses. 



SPECIAL NOTICES. 



All Packets of Flower Seeds sent Post Paid. 

 All Packets of Vegetable Seeds sent Post Paid or otherwise. 

 Orders for Vegetable or Flower Seeds by weight or measure ; and all Flower Eoots or seed 

 Potatoes, amounting to 21s. and upwards, sent Carriage Paid, to any railway station in England and 

 Wales ; to Edinburgh, Glasgow, or any intermediate station ; also to Dublin, Cork, Limerick, 

 Belfast, Newry, Londonderry, or any Town on the Jirish Coast, having duect steam-boat communi- 

 cation with London, 



FIVE PER CENT, allowed on all payments made within one month from date of Invoice. 



NO CHARGE FOR PACKING OE PACKAGES. 



All remittances by Post-office Orders to be made payable at King-street Post-office, W.C. (our 



ESTABLISHMl'.NT IS ELEVEN DoOKS WeST OF THE OfFICE, AND OPPOSITE THE GaRRTCK ClUB). 



All Cheques to be crossed "London and County Bank." Any amount may be paid in Postage-stamps. 



Those with whom we have not previously had business transactions are respectfully requested to 

 send with their order a remittance, or a London reference. 



In giving Flower Seed orders, it is only necessary to specify the marginal numbers in the Catalogue. 



It would very greatly facilitate the dispatch of business, if on each order the name and address 

 were written distinctly, and in full, and the most direct route by steam-boat or railway stated. 



Paxtonian Collections of Flower Seeds, suitable to any style 



of Gardening see page 12. 



Collections of German Flower Seeds „ 4. 



„ Carnations, Picotees, and Pelargonium Seeds „ 7. 



„ Vegetable Seeds suitable to Gardens of various sizes, see page 86. 



A 2 



