REVIEWS OF BOOKS. 



803 



Pond, and Of Many Things are specially attractive. It is difficult to fix 

 on any part of the book being better than another, but the chapters on 

 Irises and The White Rockery should be read by every flower-lover. We 

 have only one fault to find with this delightful work — viz. that capital 

 letters have not been used in the names of many plants. For instance, 

 on p. 4, Bomneya Coulteri is given thus, " romneya Coulteri'' ; otherwise 

 the work is excellent and can be strongly commended to all. It is an 

 attractive book for the drawing-room table. 



"Pictorial Practical Potato Growing." By Walter P. Wright and 

 Edward J. Castle. 8vo. 152 pp. (Cassell, London.) l.s. M. net. 



A most useful and excellent little book well illustrated and indexed. 

 After giving the history of the potato's introduction into Europe, the 

 author devotes a very interesting chapter on the Deterioration of Varieties of 

 Potatoes, followed by one on " The Benefits derived from Change of Seed," 

 and this chapter is worthy of careful attention by large or small growers. 

 Anyone ambitious to raise new varieties will find full instruction in the 

 following chapters, also all the best modes of propagation are ably dealt 

 with. As the potato is such an important national crop the preparation 

 of the ground is treated very fully, both in the garden and field, and 

 if growers will follow out the advice of the authors on these points, and 

 the culture recommended afterwards, good crops of fine tubers may be 

 confidently expected. The very important question of storage after the 

 crop is lifted is explained so clearly that a no\ice can scarcely make a 

 mistake. Frequently complaints are made that disease, insect pests, such 

 as wire- worm &c. spoil a large proportion of the potato crop, arising no 

 doubt, in many cases, through no proper methods being taken to destroy 

 or check these pests. A new remedy is strongly recommended for killing 

 insect foes — viz. " Vaporite " — which we have no personal experience of at 

 present ; but the next remedy is a well-known and thoroughly good one, 

 and as the information is of such general interest we cannot do better 

 than quote the authors : " Gas -lime is an old and proved remedy. It 

 should be quite fresh, spread over the land at the rate of 4 tons per 

 acre, \ cwt. per rod, and left for a month or six weeks, when it may 

 be worked into the soil. Autumn is the best time to apply, as time is 

 then left for the dissipation of the fumes before planting is done." Last, 

 but not least, is an excellent chapter on How to Cook Potatoes. From 

 the first to the last page the book teems with sound information. 



"First Steps in Gardening." By Walter P. Wright and Edward J. 

 Castle. 8vo. 152 pp. (Cassell, London.) Is. Qd. net. 



For the amateur, possessing only a small garden, this little book will 

 be especially valuable. The forty-six chapters are too numerous to 

 mention in detail, but they contain practically all that the amateur wishes 

 to know : some of the principal things dealt with are early bulb-forcing, 

 budding, grafting, propagation, pruning, fruit, flower, and vegetable culture, 

 both under glass and in the open ; manuring, watering ; how to have 

 a weedless lawn ; and, for people of small means, how to have a gay 

 garden for 2.s. 6fZ., with full details of how to do it. It is an eminently 

 practical book, and, we believe, will attain much popularity among amateurs. 



