28 THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 



neat head three feet over, which, you will ohserve, has already shed its leaves. The 

 abundance of the large orange-red berries of this species compensate, in a great 

 measure, for its being deciduous ; but we really want an evergreen Cutoneaster with 

 berries such as these, and it" the explorers cannot find anywlicre in the world a 

 species, the gardeners must set to work and raise a hybrid. 



Allow me next to make a few remarks on a most important genus of berry- 

 bearing shrubs — namely, the Skimmias. Tliese are most interesting and beautiful 

 shrubs — the very models of plants for plunging, and for any decorative purpose in 

 winter ; the only fault they have is a halic of growing very slowly ; but they 

 make amends for this by producing such prodigious crops of berries, that tlity are 

 sometimes all berries ; the leaves, and stems, and roots appear to be accidents, and 

 they may at any time remind us of Albert Smith's description of a bouquet with a 

 young lady attached to it. All the species of Skimmias are of neat, compact, and 

 handsome growth ; they produce abundance of berries, and the terminal umbels ol' 

 flowers appear while the berries of the previous year's growth still remain as fresh 

 and bright as in autitmn. In the specimens before you there are plenty of berries, 

 and also clusters of flower buds, showing where the next bunches of berries will 

 occur. The best species is S. oblata, which produces large berries of a brilliant 

 scarlet colour. We may hope for yet more species of Skimmia from Japan ; but 

 with oblata and Japonica alone wonders might be accomplished in the reformation 

 of villa gardens, and the systems of decoration tliat prevail amongst them. No one 

 has ever yet seen belts and clumps and marginal lines of berry-bearing shrubs in 

 villa gardens ; yet how easily might they be grown, and how delightfully would they 

 warm up our gaixlen scenes, and perhaps take away something of tlie sting of reproach 

 that foreigners indulge in when they speak of the winter climate of this glorious 

 country. Our gardens are so inky in winter, that we deserve the sarcasms that 

 ioreigners level at us. "We ought to show them that, though we cannot change a 

 - leaden sky to a golden aurora, or compel the sun to shine when the atmosphere 

 consists of pea-soup, we can, nevertheless, cover the ground with green leaves and 

 ruddy berries, and present countenances as cheerful as our own hollies, and in our 

 domestic embellishments display a taste as sound as our commercial prosperity, 

 which is like heart of oak. 



Let us now briefly consider the claims of the Aucuba as a berry-bearing shrub. 

 I take it for granted that the gentlemen who are here to-night are familiar with the 

 little j^assage of botanical history of which the Aucuba is the subject. But it would 

 be to render this paper intentionally incomplete were I to omit all mention of the 

 matter. Sufhce it, then, to say that the Aucuba Japonica was introduced to this 

 cotmtry in 1783, and was for some time after grown in stoves and ffreeuhouses. Its 

 perfect adaptability to our climate was not discovered until it had been several years 

 in cultivation, and then in quite an accidental way. In due time it became known 

 that the Aucuba is one of those shrubs which Linnaeus termed dioecious, each indi- 

 vidual plant being of one sex, and producing either male or female flowers only as 

 the case might be. The plant or plants originally introduced provided us with 

 the female form only, and for lack of pollen from the male plant the Aucubas of 

 our gardens have never prodticed fruit. It may be worth remarking, however, 

 that at various times female Aucubas have produced the outward semblance 

 of fruit in our gardens— as, for example in the winter of 1862, many of these 

 trees were observed to have upon them a few red berries, wliich were quite 

 abortive, being destitute of seeds through not having been fecundated. The case 

 was simply analogous to the cucumbers without seed, and grapes without stones, 

 and pods without peas, which are occasionally produced in gardens, and it served 

 only to indicate how eminently desirable it was that the male plant should be 

 obtained in order to render our established trees fertile. This was accomplished by 

 Mr. Fortune, who discovered the male Aucuba in a garden near Yeddo, in Japan, 

 and sent home specimens in "Wardian cases, and Mr. Standish was the first to exhibit 

 It, an honour of no small value. The plant was first exhibited at one of the spring 

 shows of the Royal Horlicidtural Society in tlie year 1863, and by this time 

 thousands have been sold, and there have been many exhibitions of Aucubas covered 

 with berries through the application to their flowers of the pollen obtained from the 

 male plant. 



The most useful species for outdoor purposes is no doubt Japonica, the several 

 varieties of which are all good. If a selection is needed, I advise my friends to 

 secure first the varieties known as ibemina latifolia which has green leaves and n 



