November  5,  1903. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORriCULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
423 
undecomposed  material.  The  manner  of  storage. — Properly- 
managed  dung  is  more  valuable  than  that  which  has  been  mis¬ 
managed. 
(To  be  continued.) 
- - - 
Book  Notices. 
An  Introduction  to  Nature  Study.' 
We  cannot  describe  this  as  a  very  interesting  bookj  or  one 
likely  to  tempt  beginners  into  the  studj^  of  natural  objects. 
The  author  has  confined  himself  simply  to  the  discussion  of 
groups,  and  types  from  the  groups,  using  simple  language,  it  is 
true;  but  his  style  of  writing,  after  all,  is  short  and  precise. 
It  could  have  been  freer,  in  more  of  the  literary  form,  and  still 
have  been  preci.se.  One-half  is  devoted  to  plant  life,  the  other 
half  to  animals.  The  author  deals  in  separate  chapters  with 
Grasses,  Ferns,  Moulds  and  other  Fungi,  Algae,  and  the  high 
types  of  vegetation  as  well.  The  opening  chapters  deal  with  and 
explain  elementary  botany.  In  the  animal  section  the  rabbit  is 
detailed  as  representing  a  typical  mammal,  and  then  follow 
birds,  frogs  and  tadpoles,  crustaceans,  molluscs,  and  worms. 
As  elementary  treatises  on  biology  are  not  very  numerous,  this 
one  should  be  considerably  used. 
Culture  of  Hardy  Tree  and  Bush  Fruits.' 
A  simple  little  treatise  on  the  various  methods  of  propa¬ 
gating  fruits,  and  how  to  cultivate  them.  Insect  pests  and 
fungoid  diseases  are  briefly  noticed,  and  chapters  are  devoted 
to  fungicides  and  insecticides,  discussing  their  properties,  and 
how  they  ought  to  be  used.  We  observe  some  hints  on  page  46 
on  how  to  save  trees  that  have  been  barked  all  round.  What 
is  done  is  the  insertion  of  connecting  strands  (shoots)  between 
the  two  gnawed  surfaces,  which  become  joined  once  a  callus 
forms,  and  so  the  sap  can  travel  up.  The  booklet  is  illustrated, 
and  is  published  at  actual  cost  price. 
Beautiful  Flowering  Trees  and  Shrubs.® 
Now  that  gardeners  in  general  are  devoting  greater  attention 
to  the  consideration  of  ornamental  trees  and  shrubs,  and  to  the 
proper  culture,  grouping  and  cft'ective  joint  arrangement  of  the 
same,  this  little  book  will  naturally  find  a  place.  The  means  of 
propagating  trees  and  shrubs  are  discussed,  but  we  think  it 
would  have  been  very  much  more  to  the  interests  both  of  pub¬ 
lishers  and  readers  to  have  omitted  the  hideous  coloured  plates, 
thirty-three  of  which  are  furnished,  and  to  have  devoted  the 
space  to  greater  amiolification  of  some  of  the  chapters,  and  this 
one  on  propagation  especially.  The  author  xjrovides  chapters 
on  trees  for  towns,  for  street  planting,  trees  with  coloured 
foliage,  trees  for  winter  effects,  how  to  group  trees  and  shrubs, 
Ac.  ;  and  the  second  half  of  the  book  is  given  over  to  a  survey 
of  trees  and  shrubs  alphabetically  arranged.  This,  from  a 
cursory  glance  through,  appears  to  be  as  complete  as  the 
generality  of  planters  may  require.  Coniferre  are  summarily 
included,  and  a  chapter  at  the  end  is  entitled  “The  Relation¬ 
ship  of  Trees  and  Shrubs,”  in  which  each  is  grouped  with  its 
allies  in  Natural  Orders.  The  book  extends  to  152  pn..  Sins  by 
.'^iins,  with  crimson  binding.  Had  the  coloured  plates  been 
Lft  out,  the  price  could  have  been  reduced;  but  they  may 
attract  the  inexperienced  amateur. 
Economic  Zoology.' 
The  present  volume  consists  primarily  of  a  series  of  Reports 
to  the  Board  of  Agriculture,  of  Reports  and  letters  to  a  variety 
of  unofficial  correspondents,  and  cf  Re^ports  to  the  Foreign 
Office  and  to  the  Colonial  Office,  drawn  up  by  Mr.  F.  V.  Theo¬ 
bald  during  the  years  1901-1902.”  These  are  the  opening  lines 
of  the  preface,  which  is  written  by  the  Director  of  the  Natural 
History  Museum,  Prof.  E.  Ray  Lankester.  The  introduction 
explains  the  classification  of  animals  from  the  point  of  view  of 
economic  zoology,  and  wo  observe  sections  devoted  to  Animals 
Injurious  to  Horticulture,  to  Forestry,  and  to  Agriculture.  By 
“  animals  ”  it  should  be  understood  that  the  evord  is  used  iii 
refc^rence  to  what  are  usually  called  “insects”  by  the  non- 
.scientific  people.  To  show  the  valuable  character  of  this  Report 
to  garcleners,  it  will  only  be  necessai'y  to  name  a  few  of  the 
subjects  that  are  dealt  with,  as  the  injurious  Tipulidse,  the 
Pigmy  Potato  Beetle,  Potato  Stem-borer,  the  Bud  Moth,  Ants 
(their  destruction).  Scale  Insects,  various  Aphides,  Beetles, 
1  “  An  inirocluetion  to  Nature  Study,”  by  Eruest  Stenliou-ie.  Macmillan  and 
Co.,  Ltd.  3s.  Cd. 
2  “Culture  i  f  ITar  lv  Tree  and  Iliuh  Fruits,”  by  E.  Kemp  ToogooJ,  F.L.S. 
TooKOOd  and  iSons,  Southampton.  Price  6d. 
3  “P,eau.ifnl  Flowering  Trees  end  Shrubs,”  by  John  Weathers.  .Simpki.i, 
Jlarshall,  Iluiidl  ou,  Ken',  and  Co.,  Ltd.  G<. 
4  “  Fir.it  Report  on  Economic  /.'’olory,”  by  Fred  V.  Theoba’d,  M..4  .  London  : 
British  Mustum  .Natural  History),  printed  by  orJerof  the  Trustees.  Prire  fs. 
Wireworms,  and  Flies.  The  publication  has  an  index,  and  ex¬ 
tends  to  l92  pp.,  each  nearly  lOins  by  Cins,  with  some  illus¬ 
trations. 
Gardening  for  All.® 
The  title  of  this  book  is  ambiguous.  It  is  a  primer  for 
cottagers,  allotment  holders,  and  amateur  gardeners.  The 
writer,  however,  is  not  in  the  least  obscure,  but  makes  his 
statements  very  plain,  ancl  as.sists  them  with  numerous  draw¬ 
ings.  Vegetables,  fruits,  and  flowers  that  are  most  generally 
cultivated  are  here  considered,  and,  having  had  a  lonq  ex¬ 
perience  in  drawing  up  careful  reports  in  connection  with  the 
Exeprimental  Garden  at  Droitwich,  Mr.  Udale  knows  how*  to 
summarise  conclusions  in  the  most  condensed  form  for  reference. 
The  tables  on  artificial  manures  for  the  different  crops,  and  how 
much  of  each  is  required,  will  therefore  be  of  considerable  ser¬ 
vice.  The  plans  for  cropping  allotment  and  cottage  gardens 
are  another  feature  to  which  we  draw  attention,  and  there  are 
others  showung  rotation  cropping,  and  also  the  utilisation  of 
ground  for  both  fruit  trees  and  vegetable  crops.  Pp.  177,  7ins 
by  I^-ins. 
Winter  Flowering  Stocks. 
An  effort  made  to  sing  the  praises  of  the  summer  Ten  Week 
Stock,  because  of  its  delightful  fragrance,  would  be  regarded  as 
supei-fluous.  Commonly  cultivated  as  the  Ten  Week  and  other 
Stocks  are  in  summer,  they  are  hardly  known  in  winter ;  yet 
there  is  the  same  fragrance,  and  the  same  flowers,  though  not, 
perhaps,  so  many  colours  obtainable.  There  are  strains  specially 
selected  for  winter  purposes  which  anyone  with  a  frame  and 
greenhouse  can  cultivate,  and  certainly  there  ought  to  be  as 
great  a  value  in  a  well  grown  Stock  as  in  that  of  a  Primula  or 
Cineraria,  plants  which  so  many,  even  with  scant  accommoda¬ 
tion,  strive  to  grow.  I  am  not  disposed  to  decry  the  Primula 
or  the  Cineraria,  but  I  hold  that  the  winter  Stock  should  have 
as  much  favour,  besause,  in  addition  to  the  charm  of  the  Stock 
as  a  plant,  there  is  the  delightful  fragrance  which  pep'ades  the 
greenhouse  or  the  dwelling  room,  unconsciously  bringing  re¬ 
minders  of  the  summer  evenings  spent  among  the  flowers  in 
the  open  garden.  The  greater  charm  of  the  Stock  is  embodied 
in  the  scent  which  it  emits  at  eventide,  a  time  when  most 
scented  flowers  give  cf  their  best. 
The  varieties  that  have  given  us  so  much  satisfaction  are 
Sutton’s  Perfection,  white  and  red:  Princess  Alice,  and  Winter 
White  but  to  name  these  few  necessarily  leaves  unmentioned 
a  good  many  others  probably  of  ecmal  value.  It  suffices,  how¬ 
ever,  for  mo  to  name  those  of  whicli  I  have  experience,  leaving 
other  readers  to  supplement  them  with  those  kinds  that  will 
surpass,  or  even  equal  them  in  all  round  merit.  The  last- 
named  is  an  Intermediate  Stock,  dwarf  of  growth,,  and  bearing 
short  spikes  of  extra  fine  blooms ;  the  others  are,  of  the  Ten 
Week  class,  giving  taller  plants  and  greater  freedom  of  spike, 
which  are  so  convenient  and  useful  for  cutting. 
Sown  in  June  and  July,  and  dealt  with  as  one  would  do 
Cinerarias,  they'-  make  good  flowering  plants  from  October 
onwards  through  the  winter.  They  do  not,  fortunatel.y,  expend 
themselves  in  one  di.splay,  but  when  cut  other  successive  shoots 
and  flowers  appear,  a  trait  which  is  of  so  much  value  in  winter 
time.  The  earlier  sown  batch  are  stood  in  the  open  when  they 
have  advanced  to  a  size  justifying  such  a  course.  This  sets 
uu  a  sturdy  and  more  consolidated  growth  than  would  obtain 
confined  to  the  pit  cr  frame;  but  in  this,  as  in  every  other 
gardening  matter,  the  ultimate  purnose  is  that  which  should 
direct  procedure  from  fir.st  to  last. — M  .  &. 
- - 
Aster  puniceus  pulcherrimus. 
There  is  in  cultivation  a  very  fine  garden  Starwort  called 
Aster  puniceus  pulcherrimus,  which  I  have  grown  in  my  garden 
for  a  goocl  many  year.s,  and  which  one  finds  i.s  much  admired, 
although  I  do  liot  find  it  so  useful  for  cutting  as  some  others. 
The  flowers  are  crowded  together,  so  to  speak,  at  the  top  of  the 
stems,  and  when  cut  are  not  so  conveniently  arranged  with  others 
as  cue  would  like,  especially  if  one  desires  to  show  the  character 
cif  the  flower — a  desirable  point  with  some  of  us  in  arranging 
these  blooms.  The  arrangement  of  the  flowers  on  the  plants  is 
almost  pyramidal,  while  their  colour  is  fairly  well  described  as 
blush  white,  the  petals  being  partially  incurved.  The  stems  of 
the  plant  are  reddish,  and  it  grows  about  5ft  high.  It  flowered  this 
year  early  in  October,  but  it  generally  comes  into  bloom  in  Sep¬ 
tember.  It  seems  to  differ  much  from  the  typical  Aster  puniceus 
as  figured,  and  to  be  greatly  the  superior  of  that  plant.  Of  its 
origin  I  have  no  record. — S.  A. 
5  “  Gardenin  '  for  All,"  by  .lames  Uilale,  Chief  Instructor  in  Horticul  ure  fo” 
Worcester'ihire  with  an  Introduction  liy  the  Rt.  Hon.  Vise  unt  C.ibham.  TJunl 
edition,  |ii-e  is.  Stoiubridge  :  M  ok  and  Moody,  “  Couucy  Expresi  ”  Offices. 
Ivndo.i:  fcimpkhi. 
