HORTICULTURAL BOOKS 
Here are books worth reading. All offered can be sup¬ 
plied promptly. Prices are post-paid. Please note, though, 
that since I am neither a circulating library nor a second¬ 
hand book store, I cannot very well allow return of books 
once sent out. There is, by the way, no finer present for a 
garden-loving friend than a book of this kind. 
SOUTH AFRICAN PLANTS FOR AMERICAN GAR¬ 
DENS—Coombs. Introducing a whole new field of fas¬ 
cinating garden plants: the gold-dusted Nerines, metallic 
Ixias, fragrant Gladiolus, rare daisy-annuals in expanding 
chromatic range, the hosts of succulents, intriguing window 
plants, secretive stone-simulates. Details of cultivation are 
given, special recommendations, a list of dealers. The author 
is a recognized authority on this brilliant plant group, and 
here offers the results of several years of study and ex¬ 
periment. It is the only popular books on a subject of wide 
and increasing interest to all who garden. Fully indexed, 
17 plants illustrated in color, 7’3 in half-tone. $4.50. 
THE FLOWER-FINDER—Walton. Here is all the infor¬ 
mation the beginner needs to: identify wild flowers quickly. 
The classification and identification charts are so simplified 
that one needs no previous botanical knowledge, nor defini¬ 
tions of botanical terms, to find .the name of any wild flower, 
quickly and easily. 18 half-tone engravings and 573 pen- 
and-ink drawings. $2.50. 
ROCK GARDEN PLANTS—Clarence Elliott. No com¬ 
pilation this; it is written out of the fullness of Mr. Elliott’s 
long experience. He knows every plant that he describes 
through the actual growing of it. His word-pictures are 
vivid, his directions accurate, his comments on the merits 
and demerits of the various plants, candid, frank, pungent. 
The suggestions as to the alpine lawn, and does it surprise 
that alpine plants may be grown elsewhere than in a rock 
pile, are alone worth the cost of the book. Altogether it is 
a highly valuable anthology of the materials of gardening. 
328 pages. $3.00. 
WESTERN AMERICAN ALPINES—Gabrielson. Until 
one has this book, he can scarce realize the wealth of 
alpine beauty available as garden material from our western 
mountains. One will want to try them all when they read 
the alluring descriptions. The beginner will be delighted 
by the new vistas that it opens, the more advanced gardener 
will need it for constant reference. 260 pages. 124 illustra¬ 
tions. $3.50. 
CYCLOPEDIA OF HORTICULTURE—Bailey. The uni¬ 
versally accepted authority on horticulture. Intensely inter¬ 
esting. Three volumes, 3,637 pages. Four thousand illustra¬ 
tions of which 96 are full page, and 24 are color plates. 
Gives full descriptions and cultural data on thousands of 
plants. Then there are general articles on many interesting 
horticultural subjects, including one of 20 pages on “Apples,” 
treating apple-growing in all of its phases, and discussing 
its problems. The article on “Arboriculture” covers over 30 
pages, and takes up pretty thoroughly the growing of trees, 
kinds suited for different places and different purposes, care 
diseases, moving of large trees, and the like. The subject of 
“Planting” is discussed in fifty pages, divided into such 
headings as “Bog Gardening,” “Planting on Walls,” “Succu¬ 
lent Plants,” “Shrubbery in the Landscape,” “Winter Pro¬ 
tection,” “Plants for the Seaside,” and many others. Then 
throughout the three volumes there are shorter articles on 
matters of varied gardening interest, Aquatics, Rock Gar¬ 
dens, Window Gardens, Vegetable Growing, Greenhouses, 
Bulbs, Hedges, to name a few out of many. All this, be it 
remembered, is in addition to thousands of descriptions of 
flowers, trees, etc., listed alphabetically. In my opinion, no 
greater value in horticultural literature has ever been 
offered than this. It is a gardening library in itself. The 
complete three-volume set, $15.00. 
READ ABOUT BOOKS—My Special Book List, 
sent on request, describes in interesting fashion, with 
pungent comments, a large assortment of books. No 
attempt has been made to confine the offerings to 
only horticultural books, but any book that might 
appeal to the kind of person who likes to garden, 
may be included. Please note, the Book List is 
separate from the General Seed Catalog. If you 
want both, ask for both. 
[ 12 ] 
