98 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
January 30. 1904. 
these chapters will prove highly serviceable by enabling them 
to make a suitable selection with that object in view. 
Another chapter gives lists of the varieties of Roses that 
usually bloom, from September to, November. In succeeding 
chapters we have Roses for arches, pillars, and verandahs 1 , 
rampant Roses; for bowers and pergolas, for covering walls of 
house®, banks, rocks, and various other purposes. Even Rose 
hedge® are not overlooked, and a. list of single Roses brings up 
the'rear of the Roses for different seasons. Other lists, how¬ 
ever, deal with Roses for exhibition, table decoration, sprays, 
and ’buttonholes, for cutting, packing, for making pot-pourri 
and Roses notable for their scent. In this latter list, how¬ 
ever, we do not notice the delightfully-scented Rose named 
Zephyrine Drouhin, and possibly there are many others, espe¬ 
cially of the; old-fashioned kinds, which used to constitute such 
delight for the cultivators of forty years ago. The list, how¬ 
ever^ is classified into those having wild Brier scent, the Sweet 
Brier scent, Moss Rose scent, Tea-scented, hay-scented, H.P. 
scented, and Violet-scented. Cultural articles are distributed 
through ‘the book, so that, much information is, .given in a, 
small'amount of space, and will constitute interesting reading 
to those who 1 are devoted to this favourite flower, while it will 
also prove serviceable to, intending planters, and especially 
amateurs. 
Vegetables and Flowers. 
Useful books and interesting books are not always synony¬ 
mous terms, though to an ardent student a useful book should 
certainly be an interesting one from the student’s, point of 
view. That under notice should be both, judging from the fact 
that it has already reached its eleventh edition, the last having 
been sent out in i902. It runs to 433 pages, including a good 
index. The first, half of the w< ■'"k is devo,' ed to vegetables, and 
the second to flowers, while, a useful chapter is given at the 
end dealing with insect pests,. This chapter contains numerous 
illustrations of the insects that do damage, as well as, various 
fungoid pests, and the result of their attack upon, the plants. 
The various chapters or articles on vegetables are arranged 
alphabetically under the name of the vegetable under discus¬ 
sion. This might seem to indicate that there is no necessity 
for an index, but the value of the latter comes in where there 
may be numerous references to some plant under different 
treatment or in relation to treatment at different periods of 
the year. This method of arrangement makes the book valu¬ 
able to those who have frequent necessity for appealing to it 
as a reference book. The utility of the book comes in the 
form of reminders what to sow at certain periods of the year, 
and how it, should be treated. The various chapters on 
vegetables are thus what the tourist guides would say was 
“ dull, useful information.” This would mean that the in¬ 
formation supplied is. of directly practical use, to gardeners, 
amateurs, and others who have gardeners under their care. 
A chapter on the rotation of crops will prove serviceable to 
those who have not studied the natural affinities of plants, or 
who have not hitherto kept, the subject of rotation before 
their eyes. The question is one of greater utility than it would 
at first sight, appear, the difference being in many instances 
that of failure or success with certain crops. We are well 
aware that some gardens have been practically ruined for 
the time being by a.n annual use of the same kind of manure, a 
similar amount, o,f it, and by cropping the land with the same 
vegetables without deviation for many years in succession. 
This cannot be done without ill-effects, even if the method is of 
the simplest, and easiest that can be, so as to, complete the work 
in the shortest time possible. 
On the other hand, there -are certain crops which may be 
grown on the same ground for twenty years or more in suc¬ 
cession, giving good results annually and almost without 
failure. This is due, however, to frequent renewal of the 
ground by deep cultivation or trenching, and by heavy appli¬ 
* The Culture of Vegetables and Flowers, from Seeds and Boots. By Sutton 
and Sons, Beading. 11th Edition. [London : Simpkin, Marshall, Hamilton, Kent 
and Co., Limited. 1901. Price 5s. 
cation of different kinds of manure. This might not always 
be the most economical plan to pursue, although there are 
many gardens in which it can be done cheaply, because the 
manure is close a t hand. 
Furthermore, it may be necessary, as in the case of Carrots 
and Onions, to prepare the ground in a certain way, and when 
that is done the; gardener can get good crops year after year, 
and that is the main point to be kept in view at whatever 
cost. There are cases, however, in which the gardener is 
unable to attain success, even at considerable cosh Neverthe¬ 
less, this chapter on rotation will form a useful subject, for 
study to those who have not hitherto given any attention to it. 
Other chapters deal with the chemistry of garden crops, the 
culture of flowers from seeds, including hardy annuals, half- 
hardy annuals, tender annuals, hardy biennials and perennials. 
The book, in fact, contains a vast store of useful information 
for everyone who has anything to do with the cultivation of 
vegetables and flowers. 
Begonia Countess of Warwick. 
{See Supplement.) 
The above variety first came under our notice at the Holland 
House Show on June 25th last. The striking combination of 
colours a,t once impressed us with the singular beauty of the 
variety. The double flowers are of large size without in any 
way being coarse,, and as regularly imbricated as a Camellia,. 
The outer petals: are orange, but flushed with a, delicate shade 
of salmon-pink, which at, once marks off the original or true 
petals from those which have: been evolved by the florist in 
the making of a double flower. 
The: petals, that succeed to, the inside of this might be 
described a,s deep buff-orange, while all the inner ones are of 
a. rich yellow, but, delicately shaded with orange in, such a. way 
asi to form a subtle and beautiful combination of colour that, 
is very difficult; for the artist to reproduce. Those inner petals 
vary somewhat with age. Being the younger parts of the 
flower they do not reach their full development till somei time 
after the expansion of the bloom, and as they acquire their 
normal size they gradually deepen in tint until they moire 
nearly resemble those towards the circumference. 
As far as we have seen, however, the centre of the flower is* 
always paler than, the circumference, and the pink colour 
visible on the edges of the outer petals does not creep over 
the younger ones with age. The greater part of the flower is 
thus; a beautiful combination of orange and yellow, tire com¬ 
bination being difficult, to, describe. The pink colour on the 
edge of the outer petals is also, very evident on, the back of 
them while still in bud, and, properly speaking, they ought to 
be called sepals, for there are really no, petals in a true Be¬ 
gonia. These are, however, merely botanical technicalities, 
and gardeners usually describe those organs, a.s petals which 
are highly coloured. 
In making allusion to the development of the petals, inside 
the outer set,, we should say that they are usually, though not 
always, derived by evolution and the unfolding of the stamens 
into coloured organs resembling petals. We may, however, 
state that double flowers are not always evolved from the 
staminate one® in a, Begonia, although that is usually the case 
amongst, the tuberous, race. The florist, has,, however, so, altered 
the character of the tuberous Begonia and unfixed its. stability 
that the seed-producing flowers do also in some cases become 
double. Where such is the, case the gardener may observe 
that, there is, no seed vessel. The carpellary leaves that go to 
make up the seed vessel become completely spread out, so that 
the ovules or unfertilised seeds, when any trace of them i®i 
visible, may be seen in the form of little masses of white 
tubercles towards the edges of the petals. 
Gardeners may merely look upon these as a little bit of 
malformation without really conceiving the fact that they are 
what Nature intended to be seeds, but have been rendered 
useless, by the remarkable evolution to which the flower has 
