406 THE GARDENER. [Sept. 



These plants will flower again during the autumn, if they are taken 

 care of. Pick all the flower-stems off, and shift them into C-inch pots, 

 and grow them on in a little heat until June, when they will do in a 

 cool pit or frame, as described above. Though the flowers are never so 

 large as on younger plants, still they may turn in very useful. Where 

 it is considered desirous, from having an extra good strain of plants, 

 or other circumstances, to save one's own seed, a few of the best 

 plants should be set apart for this purpose, — not, as is very often done, 

 to set them aside out of the way and to partial neglect, but setting 

 them aside for special treatment — even better treatment than when 

 grown for flower — keeping them well watered and free from insects, 

 and assisted to form seed by fertilising the blossoms. This can some- 

 times be done, and is practised by some, by pulling off a few of the 

 flowers gently : as the flowers bring the anthers along with them, and 

 are drawn over the stigma, a portion of the pollen may happen to come 

 in contact with them, thus securing fertilisation. However, we consider 

 this a very barbarous mode of procedure, as no doubt all the parts of 

 the flower are intended to perform their part in maturing the seed. 



J. G., W. 



OENAMENTAL TREES AND SHRUBS. 



COTONEASTER (THE COTONEASTER). 



The genus Cotoneaster is composed of a goodly number of hardy 

 evergreen, sub-evergreen, and deciduous low-growing trees and shrubs 

 very diverse in general appearance. They are found distributed over 

 Europe, Asia, and America ; and several of the species have been long 

 cultivated in this country, and are still extensively used in the adorn- 

 ment of our gardens and pleasure-grounds. Few shrubs or trees 

 adapt themselves with greater facility to almost every variety of soil, 

 if dry ; and they are found to thrive in poor, gravelly, or sandy ground 

 where it would be difficult to induce other plants of their character 

 to grow. Though most of the sorts are perfectly hardy, they should 

 always be planted in situations sheltered from the full force of 

 violent winds. 



C. frigida {the frigid Cotoneaster). — This is a sub-evergreen, or in 

 mild winters and in sheltered localities an evergreen, tree of about 

 20 feet in height, indigenous to high mountains in Northern Nepal, 

 from whence it was first introduced into this country in 1824. The 

 leaves are of an elliptic form, tipped with, a small spine, crenulated, 

 of a dark shiny-green on the upper surface, and lighter below. The 

 branchlets and under sides of the leaves are covered with a minute 

 wool while young. The flowers are pure white, small individually, 

 but being produced very abundantly in terminal panicles, they pro- 



