June 18, 1896. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
659 
While speaking on mutual improvement societies, 
I may add, I believe, that they would benefit if they 
adopted a method of allowing the public to be 
admitted to meetings on payment of say threepence 
or sixpence. Then let every member endeavour to 
bring something to make a display to attract visitors. 
The cash raised in this way might go to the garden¬ 
ing charities, to which every society ought to contri- 
ute yearly. Surely the gardeners have no secrets 
in our craft .—Chard. 
NOTICES OF BOOKS. 
Culture of the Pansy. 
The Pansy : How and when to cultivate it, with 
Appendix on a few Select Florist Flowers and 
vegetables. By Alex. Lister. Price is. J. & J. 
Smith, Printers, Glasgow. • 
This small book of 107 pages contains an account of 
the practice and experience of Mr. Alexander Lister, 
a Pansy grower, of R othesay, as well as a successful 
exhibitor, so that beginners who desire a simple 
guide might do worse than follow the directions here 
given. The details concerning the best methods of 
propagation from seed, cuttings and division, as well 
as the suitable times for accomplishing the operation 
are told in simple and plain language that anyone 
could follow. It is possible to make mistakes even after 
reading the book, but in 99 cases out of every 100, 
the fault is due to the awkwardness of the operator. 
An experience like that given by Mr. Lister concern¬ 
ing his assistant who failed even after verbal instruc¬ 
tions, is by no means a solitary case. In dibbling in 
some 20,000 cuttings, the assistant had hung them 
up by the neck so that of all that number only 5,000 
or a fourth part of them formed roots. Those who 
are really interested in their work soon learn the 
proper way to do it. 
The chapter on culture gives very good instructions 
as to what should be done in the case of unsuitable 
soil, and shows that Pansy growers adopt similar 
methods in importing fresh soil to their gardens, as 
Carnation growers do. But the author does not tell 
us how many years this soil will answer the purpose 
before it requires renewal. Even where the natural 
soil is good it becomes more or less exhausted after 
a year or two, and we have seen the Pansies die off 
wholesale during the middle of the season. If the 
same ground is used again and again it must be 
trenched 2 ft. deep every year and manured. Speak¬ 
ing from an exhibitor’s point of view, Mr. Lister 
would probably recommend more or less of fresh soil 
every year. When dealing with the amelioration of 
heavy or light soil, the author recommends trenching 
it two good spits in depth, and mentions several 
ingredients that may be incorporated with it. The 
various operations in planting to secure good results 
for exhibition purposes are also dealt with very 
minutely. 
Some details concerning mulching would also have 
been of service to those who have to contend against 
the droughty weather that often prevails in May, June 
and July in the sunny south, as at present. The 
rainfall of Rothesay is always much heavier than in 
the southern counties of England 
The book also gives excellent advice concerning the 
methods of destroying green fly, red spider, and 
mildew which are the worst enemies with which the 
Pansy has to contend ; for we have experienced them 
all. Moreover, the green fly is sometimes red. Mr. 
Lister by chance or accident discovered that Taddy's 
Snuff was a perfect cure for green fly. We also 
discovered two years ago that tobacco powder was 
equally effective; we apply it exactly in the same 
way as Mr. Lister does Taddy's snuff, except that 
we do not trouble to wash it off, and find no harm 
resulting from this negligence. 
The florists' flowers dealt with, besides show and 
fancy Pansies, are Asters, Antirrhinums, Carnations, 
Dahlias, Marigolds and Pentstemons. The vege¬ 
tables include Beet, Leeks, Celery, Parsnips, and 
Parsley. The instructions given are chiefly from an 
exhibitor's point of view. Onions and Carrots, 
equally as important as the above, have been over¬ 
looked, probably because so common; but for that 
very reason we should have included them. 
A Handy Directory. 
The American Florist Company's Directory or 
Florists, Nurserymen and Seedsmen of the 
United States and Canada, and Reference Book, 
giving a list of the Florists, Nurserymen and 
Seedsmen Geographically and Alphabetically 
Arranged. Price, two dollars. Chicago. 
Published by the American Florist Company, 
x8g6. 
As the title page indicates, this is meant to be a 
very comprehensive directory and must be useful to 
all concerned. There is just one serious omission 
we should lay to its charge, and that is the absence 
of a list of gardeners in private establishments. 
Such a list is indeed the primary feature of the 
directories issued from London, on this side of the 
Atlantic, and proves exceedingly useful. The 
amateur element in gardening is much stronger in 
Great Britain than it ever has been in America (the 
more is the pity) but time may alter matters as the 
love for gardening grows. The importance of the 
commercial aspect of the question may be conceived 
when it is stated that there are 4,659 trading 
establishments in the United States. That 2,795 of 
these were started between 1870 and 18^0 and 1,797 
of them between 1880 and 1890, go to prove the 
enormous growth which the industry has made within 
the last twenty-six years. It may interest the lady 
gardeners here, to know that 312 of these establish¬ 
ments are owned and managed by women. Various 
other interesting statistics may be gleaned from the 
pages of the directory. The compilers "believe that 
it will be found a more complete and attractive 
publication than any other Horticultural Directory 
yet issued in this country or Europe.” We grant that 
it is comprehensive, and, with the above mentioned 
exception, complete beyond our expectations; but we 
have never taken kindly to the American method of 
interleaving the general information with advertise¬ 
ments. Another unusual feature is the paging of the 
book from cover to cover, the figures being at the 
bottom of the page except in the more essential parts 
of the Directory, where they are transferred to the 
top. 
home to them, should themselves relapse into mono¬ 
syllabic expressions. These lists are carried out in 
the only sensible and rational manner that can make 
an alphabetical list of any practical value to busy 
men. To every list-maker we should say go and do 
likewise. 
If it were not for this arrangement, who on earth 
would care to wade through some thousands of 
names of Chrysanthemums to unravel the identity of 
the following:— 
Spaulding, Ada Jap., 1890. Spaulding. Light pink. 
Spaulding, Amber Ada. 1895. Amber sport from 
Ada Spaulding, identical in all respects save 
colour. 
Spaulding, Gladys., Anem. 1887. Spaulding. 
Yellow. 
Spaulding, H.F., Jap. 1892. Spaulding. Apricot, 
yellow, and rose. 
Spaulding, M B. Jap. 1892. Hill. Deep lemon. 
Spaulding, Miss Gladys. Inc. 1895. SpauldiDg. 
Globular bloom, white. 
Spaulding, Mrs. H. F. Jap. 1893. Spaulding 
White. 
Spaulding, Mrs. T. H. Jap. Thorpe. White. 
SNOWDROP WINDFLOWER. 
The merits of this summer-blooming Windflower 
are greatly overlooked, owing no doubt to the wealth 
of hardy flowers of all kinds that are produced in 
abundance during May and June. The botanical 
name of Anpmone sylvestris would suggest that it 
grows in woods; but for the matter of that our 
native species (Anemone nemorosa) enjoys a very 
similar title, seeing that the specific name means 
Anemone sylvestris. 
The addresses of the respective nurserymen, 
florists, &c., are exceedingly numerous, showing how 
necessary such a book must be to those engaged in 
the business. Many other items of information are 
furnished, such as trade organisations, seed growing 
statistics, firms that issue catalogues, park superin¬ 
tendents, botanical gardens, and others that should 
be useful even in Great Britain. A calendar of 
operations for every week in 'the year, supplies 
information that must be-useful for whom it is in¬ 
tended. The alphabetical arrangement is carried out 
to great perfection in all the most essential 
portions of the book. The United States are first 
divided into States alphabetically, then the towns 
under each State likewise, and lastly the names of 
those engaged in the horticultural trade are disposed 
in alphabetical sequence. 
The reference lists of Roses, Chrysanthemums, 
Carnations, and Cannas, interest us more than any¬ 
thing. The first two lists are remarkably compre¬ 
hensive, and alphabetically arranged according to 
the surnames. This method makes us mentally 
exclaim, why should such a simple plan not be 
adopted by compilers in this country. If it were not 
for the shortness and defectiveness of our memories 
we should not want a reference list of any kind ; but 
we are the more exasperated, when consulting those 
reference lists in which the Christian name or the 
title is made to determime the alphabetical 
arrangement, and discover that we cannot remember 
whether the name should begin with Mr., Mrs., Miss, 
Mdlle., Mon., Mad., Dr., T. or O. &c. &c. The 
waste of time is outrageous ; and we feel no surprise 
that those whose lapses of memory are thus brought 
belonging to or growing in the grove. We know that 
the latter grows naturally in great abundance under 
deciduous trees in woods and copses, but at the same, 
time, it grows in a variety of situations fully exposed 
on all sides, and thrives well enough provided the 
ground is sufficiently moist. That is precisely the 
case with the Snowdrop Windflower under notice. 
It is, in fact, of easy culture in any garden soil that 
is neither too stiff and clayey, nor too light and dry. 
The rootstock is of a slightly rambling or creeping 
nature, as is the case with A. japonica and its forms 
which flower in autumn. The plant under notice 
varies in stature according to conditions from 6 in. to 
18 in., but 1 ft. is its average height. The deeply 
five-lobed leaves arise mostly near the ground, and 
the flower stalks rise clear above them and bear a 
single flower of large size, pure white, and nodding 
at first; but ultimately erect or nearly so. The 
blooms consist of five petals and are not unlike those 
of A. japonica on a small scale, but much more 
graceful. It may be planted on the rockery or in the 
front of the herbaceous border in a situation that 
will allow it space to ramble naturally and produce 
the greatest quamity of bloom. It never becomes 
weedy, however, and should be allowed free play. 
The accompanying illustration shows the character 
of the flowers, and the plant in a state of nature. 
-- 
A curious wish.—A writer in one of our contem¬ 
poraries recently said, “ If I could be a plant and 
choose my surroundings, I would be a yellow Iris, 
living on the banks of a river. So I have thought 
since a day last week, that I spent lying in a boat, in 
among the Sedges, Reeds, and Irises, dabbling my 
hands in the cool, clear water, and watching the 
birds dip in and out along the bank.” 
