THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 



79 



peculiar it is not however a lively 

 shrub, as the leaves are small and 

 dark-coloured, and the berries have 

 a dull tone of red. Its best place is 

 on the face of a bank or rockery, 

 where it should be allowed to grow 

 in its own way without pruning. 

 When aged, and in a good position, 

 it has a remarkably fine appearance. 

 When grown for furnishing, it is 

 necessary to cut back all the long 

 ungainly shoots, but the small twiggy 

 side shoots should be left untouched. 

 When grafted on the thorn this coto- 

 neaster makes a curious and interest- 

 ing standard, suitable for the decora- 

 tion of the lawn. 



Cotoneaster Simmonsii is almost 

 deciduous, which is a misfortune. 

 But it compensates for the partial loss 

 of its leaves in winter by the profu- 

 sion of its orange-red berries, which 

 are very attractive and apparently not 

 cared for by birds. Messrs. Pince 

 and Lucombe, of Exeter, are very 

 successful in growing standard trees 

 of this species without grafting. 

 Some standards on their own roots, 

 received from this firm a few years 

 since, have done remarkably well in 

 our London garden, where they are 

 planted in a deep and damp loam, and 

 have had no more attention than is 

 bestowed on the commonest shrubs. 

 During the winter and far into the 

 spring they are one mass of glittering 

 berries. At the end of March we 

 gather the crop to sow it, and the 

 seedlings appear a few weeks after. 

 In the course of time, we shall have a 

 large stock of seedling plants to incor- 

 porate in our system of winter fur- 

 nishing. 



Aucuba Japonica. — We have al- 



ready, on several occasions, given our 

 readers reason to hope that the day 

 would come when all the great 

 aucubas in our gardens would become 

 as fruitful of berries as any evergreens 

 known. It will perhaps be to the 

 majority of our readers only the re- 

 petition of a familiar fact, if we say 

 that in the aucuba the male and female 

 flowers are produced on different 

 plants ; and all the specimens hitherto 

 planted in English gardens are fe- 

 males, having probably proceeded 

 from but one female plant originally. 

 Mr. Fortune had the good fortune to 

 secure the male form of the species 

 for Mr. Standish in his last expedition 

 to Japan, and one result of that im- 

 portation was seen at the spring exhi- 

 bition of the Eoyal Horticultural 

 Society, on the 5th of March, when 

 Mr. Standish exhibited a female 

 aucuba japonica covered with scarlet 

 berries. As soon as the male plant 

 can be distributed at a moderate price, 

 the possessors of old aucubas will 

 have at their command the means to 

 render them fruitful ; and no doubt the 

 aucuba japonica will prove itself the 

 most useful of all the hardy shrubs 

 adapted for decorative gardening. 



Holly. — Some varieties of holly 

 scarcely ever produce seed ; others 

 are almost invariably fruitful, though 

 of the same varieties the individuals 

 differ, and much of course depends 

 upon age, soil, situation, etc. Those 

 who use hollies for winter furnishing 

 are advised to give the preference 

 to Broad-leaved Silver, Milkmaid, 

 Bronze, and Painted Lady, as these 

 are tolerably fruitful in a small state. 

 Occasional lifting promotes fruit ful- 



THE SPRING EXHIBITIONS. 



The Eoyal Horticultural and Botanic 

 Societies of London generally enliven 

 the dreariness of the month of March, 

 by interesting exhibitions of the early 

 spring flowers, The first show of 

 the Eoyal Horticultural Society took 

 place on March 9th, at South Ken- 

 sington. The day was one of the 



most miserable which could possibly 

 happen for a flower show. Early in 

 the morning a heavy fall of snow 

 commenced, and continued without 

 intermission until an advanced hour 

 of the afternoon. But in spite of this 

 the visitors were numerous, a consi- 

 derable number of ladies gracing the 



