656 



JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



Princess of Wales; "A Little Diplomatic Dinner-table" of Eoses, 

 Lady Gay," and Ellen Terry "; "A Court Bouquet " of Orchids, 

 made for Her Majesty Queen Alexandra; and the " Entrance- 

 hall at Claridge's "; and " The Eoyal Box at Olympia Great Inter- 

 national Horse Show, 1908." These and others, all superbly done, 

 depict floral art of a high degree of excellence. Many of the black and 

 white illustrations have much to interest private decorators who desire 

 to make the most of the decorative material they may have in their 

 own gardens and greenhouses. 



In not a few instances they represent triumphs of the floral artist's 

 skill. Such subjects as Baskets of Eoses, Dinner-table Decorations, 

 Floral Harp, Irish Harp, Fireplace Decorations, as well as decora- 

 tions for windows, chancels, fonts, and others Of a somewhat com- 

 prehensive character are depicted. We are in accord with Mr. Felton 

 when he says, " Nature not only places abundantly at our disposal the 

 flowers, with which to carry out our schemes, but she surrounds and 

 stimulates us with, endless suggestions, which we should ever patiently 

 study and faithfully follow. ' ' His advice when in doubt how to arrange 

 the flowers deserves to be strongly emphasized. The author advises 

 those in doubt " to ask themselves where and how the flowers with 

 which they may be dealing originally grew; and, having settled the 

 matter in their own minds, let them steadfastly endeavour to arrange 

 them in as nearly similar positions as possible, always allowing them- 

 selves that artistic latitude which will enable them to adapt the flowers 

 to their new surroundings. " It is very encouraging to read that England 

 need fear no rivals in respect of floral art, for " Each time I visit Paris, 

 Berlin, Hamburg, or even great centres of flower-growing, such as 

 Nice, Cannes, Grasse, and Monte Carlo, I find that we, as a people, 

 are more than holding our own in the great and beautiful works of the 

 floral world." Mr. Felton has many valuable suggestions to make 

 under numerous headings, and they are very practical, and invaluable 

 to those who desire to progress in floral art. In dealing with each 

 subject hi turn suitable flowers are mentioned, so. that the reader iway 

 be able to. determine quite easily the best kind to use for the suhjec-t 

 he may be dealing with. Contrasts in [his respect are also laid down 

 for the guidance of the inexperienced, as well as flowers which make 

 lovely decorations by themselves. There is a mass of information 

 within the covers of this beautiful book, which is based upon a long 

 practical experience in which the author has proved himself a^ j 

 " peer " among his fellows. It is brimful of excellent advice of the j 

 most, reliable kind, and deserves to be widely read by all who are i 

 interested in promoting the development of British Floral Art. 



** Hardy Plants for Cottage Gardens." By Helen E. Albee. 8vo., 

 309 pp. + plates. American Nature Series. (Holt, New York, 1910.) 

 $1.60 net. 



This is one of the copiously illustrated garden-books of the personal 

 type, though the title is rather a misleading one to English people,- 



