NOVEMBER AND DECEMBER. 187 



Paris in small bouquets, ^vrapped round with 

 coloured papers. The monthly rose, as its 

 name might import, is in bloom almost through- 

 out the year, but has most beauty and vigour 

 in the months of June and July. The stem 

 and leaves are of a light green, and the flowers 

 semi-double, and its colour varies from a blush 

 colour to a deep red. In order to secure a 

 good number of autumnal blossoms, the young 

 flower buds should be cut from the tree in 

 June. 



The winter cherry {Physalis alkekengi) is 

 now in full lustre, as its bright red, glossy fruit 

 shines through the thin, fibrous, bladder-hke 

 calyx which encircles it. The white flowers of 

 this plant open in July, and are ornamental, 

 but it is for the sake of the beautifid fruits 

 that the plant is valued. When the calyx is 

 macerated, either by exposure to the rains 

 of the winter season, or by steeping in 

 water, it forms a very pretty addition to the 

 everlasting flowers, and the evergreens which 

 are placed in the winter vase. The fruit, 

 which is slightly acid, is wholesome, and was 

 esteemed by the ancients for some valuable 

 medicinal properties which they considered it 

 to possess. In Spain, Switzerland, and Ger- 

 many, it is a common fruit of the dessert. In 

 all these countries it grows wild, as it does also 

 in China. The fruits of the eatable winter 

 cherry, {Physalis Peruviana,) a native of South 

 America, are sometimes cultivated in this 

 country for tarts. 



