304 THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 
that great skill and patience were needed for its recovery. Thecare 
bestowed upon the plant met with an ample reward, for it not only 
grew, but soon flowered, and every particle of pollen was applied to 
its destined purpose, and thus the first Aucuba berries were pro- 
duced in England. 
It was on March 5, 1864, that the late Mr. Standish exhibited for 
the first time a female Aucuba loaded with glistening coral-coloured 
fruit, and in a very brief period the demand for male Aucubas was 
immense. The young plants were sold at the rate of about a guinea 
for every leaf upon them, and the pollen was considered far more 
precious than gold dust. There was no difficulty in selling ever 
plant that could be produced ; the only difficulty was to multiply thet 
fast enough to meet the demand, though every bud that could be cut 
was converted into a plant by grafting, and hastened into growth by 
stove temperature. To Mr. William Bull, of Chelsea, must, however, 
be awarded the credit of publicly demonstrating the capabilities of 
the Aucuba by his exhibition of about fifteen varieties at the horti- 
cultural exhibition held in the Guildhall of the City of London on 
November 14, 1866. Since the last-mentioned date it has been a 
quite common occurrence for berried Aucubas to make their appear- 
ance at the horticultural exhibitions held during the winter. 
The commonest of all known garden trees was thus re-introduced 
to public notice as an altogether new, interesting, and remarkable 
subject, and thousands who never before reflected upon the laws 
which govern reproduction in the vegetable kingdom, resulting in so 
beautiful a replication of the phenomena of the increase of animal 
life, were led to inquire into the first principles of vegetable physio- 
logy, and thereby to discover that in the commonplace we have for all 
intellectual and perhaps moral inquiry an emblem of the inexhaust- 
able. Since Mr. Bull’s famous exhibition of Aucubas covered with 
scarlet berries, the fact of the separateness of the sexes in this plant, 
and the certain development of its complete character in our gardens, 
has become part of the stock of everyday knowledge ; but nevertheless 
it will be long before the air of novelty is worn away from the 
subject. 
It is not necessary to say much in reference to the cultivation of 
the Aucuba, for it is well known that it will thrive in almost any soil 
and situation, and that it is one of the very best evergreens in exist- 
ance for town gardens. Especially desirable for smoky districts are 
the green-leaved kinds, for the leafage of these does not so readily — 
become discoloured by the smoke and dust of towns as that of the 
variegated varieties, and the leaves are so smooth and glossy on the 
surface, that a moderate shower is quite sufficient to thoroughly 
cleanse them again. 
For planting in beds and borders bushes are the most desirable, 
but when they are grown in pots for the conservatory neat standards 
are valuable for their. distinct and effective appearance. They are 
exceedingly beautiful when loaded with berries, and their formation 
is a pretty bit of practice for the amateur who takes an interest in 
his garden. 
Aucubas may be multiplied by means of layers, cuttings, grafting, 
