(1) Trees and How They Grow (2) Wild Flowers as They Grow (3) Garden Flowers as They Grow (4) Garden Work: A Practical Manual of School Gardening (5) Dahlias

Abstract

IT is somewhat difficult to know just what to say about the majority of the numerous popular works on botany and gardening that are turned out in such rapid succession in these days—in some cases the writers of such books rival even the most popular of popular novelists in their industry, turning out half-a-dozen or more sizeable books a year. If one is to judge them critically, one is bound to say that these books are, on the whole, rather poor; if inclined to cynicism, one would certainly say that most of them are totally unnecessary; but, after all, one cannot but rejoice at the increasing interest in plant-life and gardening of which this flood of good, bad, and indifferent books may be regarded as the outcome and reflection. One may at least admit that compilers of books of this kind are making fairly good use of improved methods of colour and other illustration processes; that the letterpress, though too often hasty and slipshod, is freer from actual inaccuracies than one might have expected; and that these books are likely to arouse the reader's interest. So much to the good; only, since the writing of such books appears to be fatally easy, let us hope that some few readers may resist the temptation to write books themselves.

(1) Trees and How They Grow.

G. Clarke Nuttall. With 15 Autochromes by H. Essenhigh Corke. Pp. xi + 184 + plates. (London: Cassell and Co., Ltd., 1913.) Price 6s. net.

(2) Wild Flowers as They Grow.

Photographed in Colour Direct from Nature by H. Essenhigh Corke. With Descriptive Text by G. Clarke Nuttall. Fifth Series. Pp. viii + 200. (London: Cassell and Co., Ltd., 1913.) Price 5s. net.

(3) Garden Flowers as They Grow.

Photographed in Colour Direct from Nature by H. Essenhigh-Corke. With Descriptive Text by H. H. Thomas. Pp. iii + 197. (London: Cassell and Co., Ltd., 1913.) Price 5s. net.

(4) Garden Work: A Practical Manual of School Gardening.

William Good. Pp. xvi + 399 + plates. (London: Blackie and Son, Ltd., 1913.) Price 3s. 6d. net.

(5) Dahlias.

George Gordon. Pp. xi + 115 + 8 coloured plates. (London and Edinburgh: T. C. and E. C. Jack.) Price 1s. 6d. net. (Present-Day Gardening.)