212 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



should watch carefully the additions that are made to the lists [of new 

 fruits and vegetables] and endeavour to profit by them. Older and well- 

 trifd types which give satisfactory returns are not to be discarded without 

 substantial reason, but sometimes on the score of earliness or lateness 

 alone B new variety may bring in greatly advanced prices." Another 

 much-needed bit of advice is to sow and to plant out in good time, for 

 "a few days' difference in this often makes a wide difference in the time 

 of marketing, and consequently in the price realised." We are delighted 

 to learn on such good authority that, though " size still exercises an undue 

 influence, there is an increasing tendency in the best markets to pass the 

 coarsest produce for clean even samples of moderate size, but showing 

 good cultivation and quality." "The better class of buyers do not look 

 with favour upon the huge specimens " which are still too much cherished 

 by many. The directions for making bags, boxes, and baskets at home in 

 winter evenings are excellent, and we can but hope that many will employ 

 their time so profitably as Mr. Castle suggests. The whole book is full 

 of mo.-t useful suggestions ; but, as we have said before, though a cottager 

 may without doubt gain a great deal from its study, it is more generally 

 applicable to a grower with the command of rather more land, time, and 

 money than the average cottager can possibly be presumed to have. 



"Botany, A Text-book of." By Dr. E. Strasburger, Dr. Fritz Woll, 

 I >r. II. Schenck, and Dr. A. F. W. Schimper. Translated by H. C. Porter, 

 Ph.D. 2nd. ed. 686 illustrations, in part coloured. (Macmillan & Co.) 18s. 



Comparing this edition with the first English one, there are ninety - 

 two additional figures, four extra pages of index, and twelve pages of an 

 Index to Literature. Part I. treats of external and internal morphology, 

 and also of physiology. Part II. describes typical plants of (1) Crypto- 

 gams and (2) Phanerogams. It concludes with a systematic index of 

 otlicinal and poisonous plants as well as a general index. 



"A Concise Handbook of Garden Flowers." By H. M. Batson. 

 tMethuen, London.) 8s. 6(/. 



Few books are so true to their names and their pretensions as the present. 

 It i- ;i pMttern of conciseness, and that without being in any sense meagre 

 orappy. Some 1,800 plants are mentioned, with amply sufficient 

 cultural details to satisfy anyone who knows the merest smattering of 

 L'ardeniiiL'. Here i- a specimen, taken where the book fell open : — 



"'Lilium i l< gans' I Elegant Lily), Liliacea>. Japan. 1 to H ft. Yellow, 

 apricot to red. July and August. Offsets. Syns. L. formosum ; 

 L. Thunbergiemtm. A dwarf hardy species admirable for forcing, 

 and lot masses in borders or in rock-garden. It likes deep planting 

 m n lkdit lmm with peat and leaf mould, but will often thrive in 

 ordinary soi] even on )L day bottom. There are many forms." 



Then there is a really splendid index, which gives all the English as 

 well as the Latin names. 



