manures, portable, compressed, crystalline, liquid, desiccated, disinfected, and the rest of them, we are by no means sure that this most necessary but rather disagreeable portion of horticulture may not soon be performed by the same delicate nerves that have hitherto fainted at the mention of it.

Ten years ago, when our authoress married Mr. Loudon, "it was impossible," she says, “to imagine any person more completely ignorant of everything relating to plants and gardening" than herself. She has been certainly an apt scholar, and no expert reviewer can doubt there is some truth in her remark, that her very recent ignorance makes her a better instructor of beginners, from the recollection of her own wants in a similar situation. One wrinkle of hers we recommend strongly to our fair readers, the gardening gauntlet,* described and pictured in page

10. We have seen this in use, and can assure them that it is far from an inelegant, and certainly a most comfortable assistant in all the operations of the garden. Let us also add a contrivance of our own, a close-woven wicker-basket, on two very low wheels, similar to those used at the Euston Square and most railway stations for moving luggage, only on a smaller scale it is much more useful than a wheelbarrow for carrying away cuttings, dead leaves, and rubbish of all kinds.

*Here, again, our old friend Laertes meets us. Truly there is nothing new under the sun. He had his gardening gloves before "Miss Perry of Stroud," celebrated by Mrs. Loudon as the inventor of them :

Χειρίδας τ ̓ ἐπὶ χερσὶ, βάτων ἕνεκα.Od., ω. 229.

There are in this volume many excellent general directions for the ordinary garden labours, some of which we shall notice, interweaving them with further observations of our own.

Watering is the mainstay of horticulture in hot climates. When King Solomon, in the vanity of his mind, made him "gardens and orchards," he made him also "pools of water to water therewith the wood that bringeth forth trees;" and the prophets frequently compare the spiritual prosperity of the soul to "a watered garden." It is with us also a most necessary operation, but very little understood. Most young gardeners conceive that the water for their plants cannot be too fresh and cold; and many a pail of water that has stood in the sun is thrown away in order to bring one "fresh from the ambrosial fount." A greater mistake could not be made. Rain-water is best of all; and dirty and stagnant water, and of a high temperature-anything is better than cold spring-water. Mrs. Loudon recommends pump-water to be exposed in open tubs before it is used, and to be stirred about to impregnate it with air; perhaps the addition of liquid manure or any other extraneous matter would be useful. Those who have found how little service their continual watering has done to their plants in a dry summer would do well to attend to these simple

rules.

Lawns and gravel-walks, the pride of English gardens, can hardly have too much care bestowed upon them. Oftentimes more of the beauty of a

garden depends on the neatness with which these are kept than even on the flowers themselves. Great attention should be paid to the kinds of grass-seeds which are sown for new lawns. The horticultural seedsmen have selections made for this purpose. We must refer our readers to Mrs. Loudon's 9th chapter; but let them be sure not to omit the sweet-scented spring-grass (Anthoxanthum odoratum), which gives its delicious fragrance to new-made hay. Limewater will get rid of the worms when they infest the lawn in great quantities; but perhaps it is as well not to destroy them altogether. Most gardeners strive to eradicate the moss from their grass: it seems to us that it should rather be encouraged: it renders the lawn much more soft to the foot, prevents its being dried up in hot weather, and saves much labour in mowing. The most perfect kind of lawn is perhaps that which consists of only one kind of grass; but for the generality a mossy surface would be far better than the mangy, bare aspect we so often see. The should never be mown without grass having also its edges trimmed. We have seen in some places a small slope of grass filling up the right angle usually left between the turf and gravel, and we think it an improvement.

The smoothness and verdure of our lawns is the first thing in our gardens that catches the eye of a foreigner; the next is the fineness and firmness of our gravel-walks. The foundation of them should always be thoroughly drained. Weeds may be destroyed by salt; but it must be used cautiously.

LAWNS-WALKS-EDGINGS.

49

For

No walk should be less than seven feet broad. terraces a common rule given is, that they should be twice the breadth that the house is high. Though of course it is enough for a "lover's walk "-without which no country place is perfect—to accommodate a duad, yet, be it in what part of the grounds it may, every path should be broad enough to admit three persons walking abreast.

Who cannot call to mind many an awkward feeling and position where want of breadth in a gardenwalk or wood-path has called into play some unsocial precedence or forced into notice some sly predilection? And who likes to be the unfortunate lagbehind-the last in a wood?

The edging of borders is always a difficult affair to manage well. Box, the commonest, and perhaps the best, is apt to harbour slugs, and get shabby, unless closely attended to. The gentianella, where it flourishes well, is a beautiful edge-flower. Thrift, of which there is a new and handsome variety, was once (like its namesake) much more in vogue than it is now, and deserves to be restored. We have seen very pretty edgings made of dwarf oaks clipped; nothing could look neater; but it seemed like robbing the forest. Worst of all are large rugged flints, used commonly where they abound, and in small area-gardens. In a symmetrical garden, and where they harmonise with the house, strips of stone-work might be introduced; and we think that a tile might be designed of better shape and colour than any we have yet seen.

E

On the minor decorations of the garden, such as rock-work, moss-houses, and rustic seats, &c., Mrs. Loudon gives some very good hints, though we should be sorry to set up on our lawn the specimen baskets which embellish pp. 357 and 358; but, in truth, these things, contrary to the common rule, usually look better in reality than on paper. Where beds of irregular wavy lines are required to be made we have found nothing better than a good thick rope, which, thrown at random on the ground, will, with a little adjustment, give a bold and natural outline that it would be difficult to work out otherwise in tenfold the time.

Mrs. Loudon's Ladies' Companion to the Flower Garden,' is in alphabetical arrangement, and exclusively devoted to flowers. In all our references to this book for practical purposes and for the present paper, we have scarcely once been disappointed. Though chiefly a book of reference, it is written in so easy a style and so perfectly free from pedantry, that, open it at what page we may, there is something to instruct, interest, and amuse. The practical directions are necessarily very compressed, but nothing of importance seems omitted. The greatest "Ignorama "* in flowers could not have this volume on her table long without having every doubt and difficulty removed. We know of no book of the kind so likely to spread a knowledge of, and taste

* So, appropriately enough, signs herself a fair correspondent of one of our gardening Journals. We think this quite equal to Mr. Hume's "Omnibi."