SCOPE AND LIMITATIONS 



Many years ago an ingenious writer compiled a book 

 dealing with a subject with which he had no practical 

 acquaintance. The whole of his alleged observa- 

 tions were second-hand, being derived from previous 

 writings on the subject. In order, however, to hood- 

 wink the public, this author laid great stress on the 

 uselessness of mere book knowledge, saying that an 

 ounce of experience was worth a stone of theory. 



Like many other foolish sayings, this one has been 

 regarded as an inspired utterance, and has been copied 

 by nine-tenths of all subsequent writers of handbooks. 

 As a matter of fact, whilst a certain amount of practical 

 experience is absolutely essential to the proper under- 

 standing of nearly all subjects, an intelligent reader can 

 learn more in an hour from a sensible book than from 

 many weeks of intercourse with merely practical" 

 people, and many weeks of so-called experience. 



This little book, forming one of a series of hand- 

 books with an aim purely practical, has itself an entirely 

 practical object. This object is to teach those who are 

 comparatively new to gardening the general principles 

 which they must observe if they wish to grow success- 

 fully those flowering plants which are able to live their 

 whole lives in the open air of this country. By old- 

 fashioned flowering plants are meant those which we 

 may class with the herbaceous, bulbous and other hardy 

 plants which one always expects to find in the old 

 cottage gardens, old vicarage gardens and old farmhouse 

 gardens of romance, and occasionally in those of reality. 

 One is continually discovering fresh old-fashioned people, 

 A ' 



