HORTUS WOBURNENSIS, 
. 
A DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE OF UPWARDS OF G000 ORNAMENTAL PLANTS, 
CULTIVATED AT WOBURN ABBEV. 
With numerous illustrative Plans for the Erection of Forcing-Houses, Green¬ 
houses, &c. and an account of their management throughout the Year. 
BY JAMES FORBES, A. L. S. C. M. H S. &C. 
Gardener to His Grace the Duhe of Bedford , K. G. —8 vo. 456 Pages. 
Twenty-Six Lithographed Prints, and One Copper-plate Engraving.—Medium Paper, 21s.; 
Royal coid, £2. 2s. 
Whenever a new Work is placed in our hands, we have no small pleasure in 
being able to speak favourably of its contents. It is not to be expected that 
every trifle will meet with acceptance from a discerning public, particularly 
when the subjects treated are of great individual or national importance; as is 
the case with the cultivation of fruits, vegetables, and flowers. 
The present Volume, although its title seems to indicate a work of local, or of 
very limited interest, is yet of general utility. In saying this, we only do justice 
both to the author and our readers. 
It is not precisely of the character we should have preferred in a work of the 
kind ; for we are strongly prepossessed in favour of conciseness, and would have all 
knowledge compressed into as small a compass as possible; in order that such 
knowledge might be more generally diffused. And though this is not strictly 
the case with the “ Hortus Woburnensis,” yet, as practical gardeners, in offering 
an unbiassed opinion, we must say that its contents, compared with some trea¬ 
tises we have had occasion to notice, are worth three times the money. All the 
modes of culture therein detailed, we feel satisfied, have been fully proved by 
Mr. Forbes, before he brought them before the public, and though scarcely de¬ 
tailed so concisely as we could wish, we know from experience they may be fully 
depended upon. 
Woburn Abbey is popular for its splendid collection of plants, and the first 
part of the work contains a descriptive catalogue of them. The generic and spe¬ 
cific characters which are given in abbreviated terms, are fully explained in an 
accompanying glossary. 
The second part comprises the plans of parterres, pleasure-grounds, green¬ 
houses, plant stoves, heathery and other erections, with a description of the dif¬ 
ferent subjects enumerated, the soil, and the general management best adapted 
for the growth of the Cape, Botany Bay, and other exotic plants. 
A few extracts will convey a far better idea of the work than any thing we can 
say respecting the manner in which the author has treated on the various sub¬ 
jects. We have selected the following remarks :— 
“On the Propagation of Greenhouse and Conservatory Plants.— 
The propagation of greenhouse and conservatory plants will require to be per¬ 
formed at various periods throughout the year, as the cuttings should be put in 
according as they appear in a fit state; that is, when the young shoots begin to 
