137 I'l 
When the plants attain the height of about six or eight inches, I remove them to the stove, and at 
the same time have them staked. The description of stakes I find best adapted is one-year-old suckers 
from the bottom of filbert trees ; being much more slender than willows, they give a neater appearance 
to the plants, and have not that stiff appearance that stakes made of deal generally have — the latter 
being better adapted for harded-woodcd jjUmts than plants of this class. I always place a stake to 
each shoot, at equal distances apart, in a slanting position, round the outside, letting them rise towards 
the centre, which forms nearly a half ball. I jjrefer tying up singly, as the plants have a neater aspect 
than by tying them up in small bundles, wliich does not admit space for all the blooms to expand. 
After the shoots are tied to the stakes, I cut the latter to the height the plants are hkely to attain ; 
and nothing further is required but, as the shoots elongate, an additional tie to support them, and the 
usual routine of airing, watering, shading, &e., until they come into bloom ; then they may be removed 
to the greenhouse or sitting-room. By attending them with plenty of moistm-e, and avoiding cutting 
winds, they wUl continue in bloom for a long time. I may mention that I give occasionally a dose of 
clear manui'e water, which causes much finer blooms, and is a great support to them when the strength 
of the soil is exhausted. If it is wished to increase any favoni-ite sort, this can easily be done by 
placing cuttings in bottom heat, which will root in a very short time ; also by di%'iding the scaly bulbs ; 
and many of the varieties send out small tubers on the stem above the soil, which make equally good 
plants with the under-ground tubers. After the blooming season, the roots may be ripened off by 
gradually vfithdi'a'sving the sujjply of water. When ripened off I place the pots on their sides, on a 
shelf over the pipes, behind the stage of the greenhouse, where they rest secure until wanted to start the 
follomng season. By starting a few pots once a-month, noting the time of introduction, they may be 
had in bloom tkfoughout the year. I find they keep much better than otherwise by letting them 
remain in the old soil dm-ing theu- season of rest. 
lUniFm. 
Elementary Botany for the line of Beginners. By T. S. 
Ralph, A.L.S., &c. Loudon: Pamphlin. 
Low-PBicED books on elcmentaiy, rutUmentary, or popu- 
lar Botany, are become so numerous, that one feels 
disposed to criticise them much more closely than if 
such were not the case ; and each succeeding attempt 
to set forth the alphabet of botanical science, becomes 
thus in its turn more keenly scrutinized than its prede- 
cessor. 
There seems to exist a notion, wide-spread and 
prevalent, that it is a comparatively easy task to write 
elementaiy books for those who are beginning the 
study of any particular branch of science ; and, with- 
out doubt, such books are prepared with a small 
amount of mechanical labom-, inasmuch as they ge- 
nerally consist of an abridgment of the subject on 
which they treat. Notwithstandiug, however, this 
general opinion to the contrary, it appears to us that 
nothing can be more difficult than to write a good book 
for beginners ; who require rather' to have the essential 
fa^ts selected and set before them, than a digest or 
cibridgmeHt of the whole scope of existing knowledge on 
the subject ; and more than this, they reipure to have 
these facts expressed in a style so plain and unmistak- 
able as few wi'iters attempt to adopt, or attempting, 
succeed in realizing. It is extremely difficult for those 
who are well- versed in any branch of science, to place 
themselves in a position to fully realize the wants of 
those who are either partially or wholly rmacquaiuted 
with the subject ; and hence it is that we so often find 
those who aa'e well quahiied to teach advanced students, 
altogether fail hi then' object when they attempt to 
impart the rudiments of theh subject to those who have 
no previous knowledge thereof. Terseness, and con- 
spicuity of ideas combined, are the essential featm'es of 
elementary teaching ; even the former without the latter, 
often leads to the enunciation of generalized statements, 
which reciuire so much after qualification, as to become 
confusing to the learner. 
Tested by this standard, we do not see that Mr. 
Ralph's elementary lessons ai-e more perfect than many 
of those which have preceded them ; and the author 
appears to us to fall, now and then, into the all but 
universal error, of forgetting for what class he is wi'it- 
ing, although he evidently set out with the design of 
making himself inteUigible to all, even the most in- 
experienced readers. To this end a particular an-ange- 
ment of the subject is adopted, " as simple as the author 
has found it to he in his power to follow out" — the 
plan is, " that of commencing with simple views of com- 
plex objects, and afterwards admitting combinations of 
various kinds, introduced as gradually as the subject 
will admit." Nothwithstanding the exceptions, most 
of the ideas expressed ai'c clear and perspicuous ; and a 
very good plan is followed thi-oughout the book of teach- 
ing by means of the analysis of well-selected examples. 
The peculiar division of the subject, wliich the author 
has adopted, has, however, led him now and then, into 
some confusedness and incompleteness in his statements. 
Thus, at page 5, we read of the stem, that, " as a general 
rule, whatever part of a plant is above ground, of a 
greenish or greenish-brown colour, may be considered 
