THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 21 



conifers for the purpose are Juniperus sdbinoides and /. tammnsci- 

 folia. The elegant /. Virginiana, Hispanica, etc., so well adapted 

 for Ibrmal planting, are of no use under trees ; tliey become in a 

 few years mere ghosts of their former selves. Of Arbor vitas we 

 can only recommend one, and that is Thuia plicata, and this will 

 not thrivein the most shady positions. It may startle growers of 

 conifers to learn that the noble Cedrus Deodara is almost as well 

 adapted to plant in the shade as any tree we possess. Of course it 

 would in time fight for pre-eminence with the trees that shadowed 

 its infancy, but for ten or fifteen years would keep within bounds, 

 and form a graceful ornament in a shaded plantation. We must 

 confess that we have been surprised at the success which has 

 attended the trial of this grandest of forest trees as a shrub for con- 

 fined and shaded positions. 



Ameeicans. — For the front of a plantation shaded by large 

 trees, a selection of Wiododendrons and Kalmias will constitute a 

 grand and interesting feature. A moderate amount of shade suits 

 them, and in that position they must have a suitable soil, and if 

 sheltered from rains, abundance of artificial watering during their 

 growing season. If planted to form a belt, the soil should be taken 

 out in a trench four feet wide and two feet deep. This trench 

 should be filled with good turfy bog, or a mixture of half peat and 

 half silky loam, or half peat and half leaf-mould, with no animal 

 manure. The showiest kinds for the purpose are Ivyhrid Bhododen- 

 drons and Kcilmia latifolia. In the front of such a belt might be 

 planted Shimmia Japonica, Gaultheria Sliallon, Perneffyas, Ledums, 

 Andromedas, Rhododendron Tauricicm and Ciliatum, and a few other 

 choice small-growing peat plants. 



SuRrACi^'Q Plaxts. — The common English Ivy and common 

 Feriwinkle are the two best plants for surfacing mounds and the soil 

 between shrubs under trees. If walls, old stumps, or trellises 

 require to be clothed, Irish Ivy {Hedera helix Hibernica) and the 

 large-leaved Ivy {H. Megneriana) have a fine effect. S. H. 



MANAGEMEAT OE GOLD FISH. 



|AYING received a great many letters on the subject of 

 gold fish, it has occurred to me that such favourites of 

 the home ought to be treated of in these pages for the 

 benefit of many who find it difficult to preserve their 

 pets for any length of time. 

 The first difficulty occurs at starting; for, be it known, that 

 gold fish are raised for the market in much the same way as winter 

 cucumbers — that is to say, they are bred in heat — for the gold carp 

 rejoices in a bath of from 80 to near 100 degrees of Fahrenheit ; 

 and the fish so produced are known in the market as " hot-water 

 fish." These hot- water fish are very often queer things; some of 

 them have broken backs, some double tails, many are without the 



