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JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY 



was not allowed to bloom for two years, and why it should be placed on 



the roofs of houses, he cannot imagine. 



Propagation and after treatment are very fully detailed. The author is 

 a practical gardener, and his practical instructions are to be depended upon. 

 One remark is well worth careful consideration. It is stated that " some 

 growers think that by keeping their houses closed during cold weather 

 they save fuel, which indeed they do at the expense of the plants." No 

 good gardeners would treat their plants in this way, as the blooms would 

 damp off, and the plants would become unhealthy. The only way to 

 obtain good Carnation blooms in winter is to maintain a rather dry 

 atmosphere from the moderate heat of the hot-water pipes, and ventilate 

 sufficiently to allow the moisture to escape ; a minimum temperature of 

 55 degrees is necessary. All details of culture are given ; the best form 

 of house in which to grow the plants, and diseases and insect pests are 

 treated as they deserve. There is a useful calendar of operations for every 

 month in the year, and the author finishes with a truism, " Whatever you 

 do in growing Carnations do it thoroughly, otherwise do not expect to 

 succeed." 



" The Commercial Products of India," being an abridgment of the 

 " Dictionary of Economic Products of India." By Sir George Watt, 

 C.I.E., M.B., CM., LL.D (Abd. and Glasg.), F.L.S., &c. Published 

 under the authority of His Majesty's Secretary of State for India in 

 Council. 8vo., viii -f 1189 pp. (Murray, London, 1908). 16s. net. 



The "Dictionary of the Economic Products of India " has, since its 

 publication in 1885-94, been the standard work of reference on all matters 

 pertaining to the animal, vegetable, and mineral products of India. It is 

 a large work, comprising six bulky volumes, and is now out of print. The 

 work under review, as its sub-title states, is an abridgment of the 

 " Dictionary," corrected and brought up to date; it is published in one 

 volume, and is confined to products which are of present or prospective 

 commercial importance. 



To prepare a definite plan for compiling the work and to make 

 recommendations on points of detail not provided for in the instructions 

 <^iven by the Indian Government an Advisory Committee was formed to 

 assist the author. This Committee consisted of Sir William T. Thiselton- 

 Dyer, K.C.M.G., C.I.E., F.R.S., then Director of the Royal Botanic 

 Gardens, Kew, Mr. J. S. Gamble, C.I.E., F.R.S., Wyndham R. Dunstan, 

 F.R.S., LL.D., Director of the Imperial Institute, Sir Thomas Holderness, 

 K.C.S.I., and Lieut.-Colonel D. Prain, the present Director of Kew. The 

 reputation of Sir George Watt as the best-informed writer on the subject 

 of which the book treats, and the high standing of the members of the 

 advisory committee, are guarantees of the thoroughness with which the 

 work has been carried out ; moreover the assistance of specialists is 

 acknowledged by the author in dealing with such subjects as " Metals 

 and Minerals," "Live Stock," " Tea," " Indigo," " Pepper," "Drugs," 

 Agricultural Chemistry, and the classical and vernacular names of products. 



In spite of its 1,189 pages the book is not too bulky to be held in the 

 hand, and the general "get up " is excellent ; the paper is thin but tough, 

 and the type is clear and well chosen. 



