BOOK REVIEWS. 



289 



say?"; "It seems scarcely necessary that I should say much " ; 

 "How futile it seems to attempt "; " There is perhaps little to say," 

 &c. These may represent the light vein apologized for in the preface — 

 but are not very amusing. 



Still, it is ever easy to find fault, so we will content ourselves 

 with grumbling at the total omission of the lovely and easily grown 

 autumnal crocuses, also at the reason given for deep planting for 

 crocuses — viz., because the new bulb (which is a corm, by the way) 

 forms on the top of the old one. This shows a shocking lack of 

 complete knowledge, for the stand-roots of a crocus are fully capable 

 of pulling it several inches deeper in the ground in a year or two. 

 Then again Aquilegia alpina, in spite of its fancy portraits, has no 

 white about it, and is such a poor flimsy thing, even when it con- 

 descends to flower at all, in ordinary English gardens, that we cannot 

 agree it is suitable for the rockery." 



There is, however, a great deal of information in these many pages, 

 and the illustrations are good and numerous. No one reading care- 

 fully therein could fail to profit from them and improve his knowledge 

 of gardening, but I hope, even should he read all of them, he will not 

 claim the title of a complete gardener for himself. 



"Wild Flowers as they Grow." By G. C. Nuttall, B.Sc. 

 Photographed by H. E. Cooke, E.E.P.S. 2nd and 3rd Series. 8vo., 

 7 + 197 pp., viii + 199 pp. (Cassell, London, 1911.) 5s. net each. 



A series of popular notes written round coloured illustrations of 

 familiar wild plants reproduced from colour photographs of the plants 

 in situ. The value of colour photographs should be that the colour 

 tones are nearer nature than can be got by means of ordinary ' ' three- 

 colour " reproductions, but all that can be said of these is that, while 

 they are as good as most of their class, they do not represent exactly 

 the delicate tints of many of our wild plants. Eeference to the plate 

 of the beautiful little wood-sorret opposite p. 116 will show what we 

 mean, for it is represented with a lavender tint. Those in the 

 3rd series are much more pleasing. The reds are too red, the blues 

 often too blue, and so on. The book will prove useful, though, in 

 enabling the novice to acquaint himself with the names of some common 

 plants, and to read something about them. 



" Types of British Vegetation." Edited by A. G. Tansley, M.A., 

 F.L.S. 8vo., XX -1- 416 pp. (University Press, Cambridge, 1911.) 

 6s. net. 



This is the first serious attempt to describe the flora of the British 

 Isles according to habitat and distribution in relation to environment. 

 Much piecemeal investigation has been carried on, and its results 

 are here brought together. Such investigations as these, together 

 with research in vegetable physiology and the enormous bulk of 

 experience gained in gardens, will by and by give an opportunity 

 for a book on the principles of horticulture which will be worthy the 



