SECOND WEEK IN OCTOBER 



indeed at this time of year ; and Berberis Darwini becomes 

 a brilliant mass of fire-coloured blossom in early spring, 

 followed by myriads of purple berries. But all the barberries 

 are highly appreciated by the birds of the garden, and this 

 variety seems specially to tempt them, for the bush is full of 

 birds as soon as the berries are ripe. Two of the best berry- 

 bearing plants for winter are Aucuba japonica and Skimmia 

 fortunei, as the large coral-red berries they produce are left 

 untouched by the birds, and therefore last a long time ; 

 although in the case of the aucuba they are slow in taking 

 on their brilliant colouring. These two shrubs are excellent 

 town plants, and might well be substituted for the Japanese 

 euonymus in city gardens. In either case, however, it is 

 necessary to plant a specimen of each sex, as these shrubs 

 are dioeceous, i.e., produce their male and female blossoms 

 on distinct plants. 



The best season for planting shrubs of many kinds is now 

 at hand, and it will be well to select suitable positions for 

 those to be put in. 



The best soil of all in which to plant shrubs is turfy loam, 

 i.e., turfs about 3 inches thick cut from an old pasture six 

 months previously, and stacked for that time in a dry shed, 

 until all the roots of the grass are dead, then chopped up 

 with a spade, leaving all the fibre in the soil. But where 

 this good stuff 7 cannot be obtained, rich soil from the kitchen 

 garden without fresh manure will make a good substitute, 

 and if this should be of a heavy type it will be well to mix 

 some leaf-mould with it and any burnt vegetable material 

 which can be procured, with sand, charcoal, and a little soot, 

 this not exceeding one-twentieth of the whole. 



Then the roots of all shrubs which have been sent from a 

 distance should be soaked for half an hour in lukewarm 

 water before they are planted ; a considerable hole (about 2 

 feet each way) should be taken out for each, and partly filled 

 with this fresh compost ; the roots must be laid out hori- 

 zontally on this in their natural positions (not dropped 

 perpendicularly into a hole) and covered with fine, pure 

 soil, treading them in firmly. The position of the collar of 



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