138 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



poisoning and stimulating plants, and compares these effects under 

 different conditions. She shows that the frequently repeated general- 

 ization that a very minute quantity of a poison is a stimulant is not 

 always true, and that a poison may behave very differently when in 

 soil as compared with its behaviour in water cultures. She does 

 not make it clear, however, whether this difference is due to the 

 presence of other compounds which may react with the poisonous 

 one, or to physico-chemical effects. She has produced an indis- 

 pensable book of reference on the interesting and important subject 

 with which she deals, and one which no serious student of plant growth 

 can afford to ignore. A lengthy bibliography is given at the end of 

 the book, which, though not exhaustive, will be very valuable. 



" The Flower-Finder." By G. L. Walton. 8vo. xxvi + 394 pp. 

 (Lippincott, Philadelphia and London.) 8s. 6d. net. 



An introduction gives notes upon the form of plants, so as to make 

 the novice acquainted with common botanical terms ; the bulk of 

 the book arranges American wild flowers under keys, so that they 

 may be " run down " from the flower or the fruit. Notes on the 

 habitat, derivation of name, and occasional legendary lore and poetical 

 allusions, accompany a simple description of each plant, and most are 

 figured by an outline drawing frequently showing details, and there 

 are also several plates from photographs. The Latin name of each 

 plant (frequently accented for pronunciation) and a " common " 

 name, which, as is usual with such names, is not always in common 

 use, head the descriptions. The system of classifying flowers by 

 their colour, for ease in identification, while useful for that purpose, 

 often leads to the separation of very nearly related plants, and this 

 is to be regretted, though probably those interested by their initial 

 study will not be content to leave off where this excellent little book 

 leaves them, but will pursue the subject further and learn more of the 

 relationships of plants to one another and to the animate and inanimate 

 world around them. 



" The Herbaceous Garden." By Alice Martineau, with an Intro- 

 duction by W. Robinson. 8vo. 298 pp. (Williams & Norgate, 

 London, 1913.) 75. 6d. net. 



Though the title of this book seems to fix severe limitations to its 

 contents, the wide experience and practical knowledge of the writer 

 have enabled her to fill no less than thirteen chapters with sound 

 views and useful instruction for the formation and upkeep of a garden 

 containing all that is really worth growing in the open air. A chapter 

 devoted to the subject of the site gives the writer an opportunity 

 of discussing trees and yew hedges as backgrounds. Further chapters 

 concerned with design, colour, or the massing of species open the way 

 for descriptions of many famous and well-known gardens, and others 



