TO THE FLOWER GARDEN. OO 



Strawberry-like fruit render it suitable. Good loatny soil. 

 Propagated either by layers or from the seeds. B. fragijera, 

 ilowers yellowish, is the oue in cultivation. 



BERBERIS. Barberry. [Berberacese.] Handsome 

 shrubs, mostly hardy, and nearly all evergreen. The common 

 Barberry, B. vulgaris, is deciduous, grows well in any soil, 

 and, besides being bushy in itself, throws up suckers from its 

 roots like a tliicket. If the beauty of the shrub is to be pre- 

 served, these suckers should be removed as fast as they come 

 up ; and if taken off properly, with a portion of root to them, 

 they form young plants. Although there is not a shrub more 

 decidedly shrubby, it can be formed into a pretty standard. 

 Young suckers may be supported with stakes until they run 

 up to the height required, all their side-shoots being removed 

 before tbey advance much in growth; the top may then be 

 taken off, and a few of the lateral branches encouraged close 

 to the top ; these, shortened before they grow much, cause 

 other laterals to grow, and a good head may be formed in a 

 short time. Generally a deep sandy loam is desirable. Pro- 

 pagated by cuttings in autumn, by grafting in the case of 

 rare sorts, and by seeds where large quantities are reared. 



One set of the Barberries have been called Mahonias. 

 These are beautiful dwarf evergreen shrubs, with bright, 

 shiny foliage, growing thick and rich, and bearing beautiful 

 close bunches of bright yellow flowers in the spring, succeeded 

 by rich purple fruit. There is hardly a prettier set of ever- 

 greens in cultivation. They afford a very striking variety in 

 the foliage of a mixed clump ; but, as the plants feather down 

 to the ground, there should be nothing to hide them : on this 

 account they make excellent lawn plants. They bear round, 

 bright purple fruit, which looks as pretty as the ilowers ; and 

 the plants, which do not grow higher than three or four feet 

 in general, and are a good while reaching that height, are 

 handsome without either flowers or fruit. They are multiplied 

 by suckers, which may be taken off in the autumn. They also 

 strike freely, and may therefore be raised from cuttings ; but 

 of late they have been chiefly raised from seeds, which yield 

 a much greater variety of foliage than the several enumerated 

 sorts exhibit. The seed should be washed out of the soft 

 berries and dried; then a bed, with a portion of turly peat 



