364 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER . 
[ October 23, 1890. 
snow being sent out from here for the first time, which will make their 
mark. 
Either by themselves, or mixed with variegated-leaved Pelargoniums, 
or other plants, taking care to have pleasing contrasts of colour, Violas 
can be used to any extent: and they begin flowering in April and last 
•until September and later.— W. Dean, Sparlihill, Birmingham. 
GOLD AND SILVER FERNS. 
Among the numerous handsome Ferns which now have a place in 
our houses, few are more generally admired than the Gold and Silver 
Ferns, as the species and varieties of G>mnogramma are appropriately 
designated. Having elegantly divided fronds, usually dark green on the 
upper surface, and plentifully sprinkled with a yellow or whitish powder 
beneath, being easily and quickly grown and readily propagated by 
means of spores, the plants possess ample merits to entitle them to 
popularity. It is therefore scarcely necessary to say much in their 
favour by way of inducing more extensive cultivation, for there are few 
lovers of Ferns who do not include in the smallest collections some 
specimens of these attractive plants. However, as there may be some 
who are unaware how easy it is to obtain such Ferns in good condition, 
a few remarks upon the treatment that I have found to suit them will 
possibly be of some utility. 
Gymnogrammas are chiefly natives of tropical regions, the forms in 
cultivation being from the \Y est Indian Islands and South America. 
One of their most important requirements is therefore a stove tempera¬ 
ture, or such as is provided for tropical Ferns where a separate structure 
is devoted to them. During winter this should not be allowed to fall 
below 50° Fahrenheit, a range of 10° upwards being permitted ; but too 
high a temperature at that time of year is inadvisable, as it tends to 
cause a weakened immature growth. In the summer the maximum 
should be about 80°. They need more exposure to light than many 
Ferns, the sunny side of a fernery or a slightly shaded position in an 
ordinary stove suiting them admirably. Abundance of water is required 
whilst they are growing and during hot weather, but as they are most 
impatient of any approach to stagnation the composition of the soil and 
the drainage must be carefully attended to. A compost of fibrous peat, 
light loam, abundance of sand with some small pieces of charcoal well 
incorporated, constitute a good soil, encouraging vigorous and healthy 
growth. The drainage should be regulated according to the size of the 
pot, placing the large potsherds at the bottom of the pot concave side 
downwards, filling up to the necessary height with small pieces and 
•covering with a layer of moss. Upon this some of the compost described 
above can be placed and the plant potted rather firmly, allowing a 
moderate space from the rim of the pot to the soil to facilitate the 
supply of water. In some of the varieties the fronds are long and heavy 
with rather weak stems, necessitating the employment of a few light 
thin stakes, to which the fronds must be secured, or they are liable to 
be broken. Another point that needs attention is to avoid wetting the 
fronds, as the delicate silver and gold farina is quickly washed off and 
the chief beauty of the plants destroyed. This is one inconvenience 
that attends the introduction of Gymnogrammas into a plant stove, as 
unless they can be allotted a position where they will not suffer from the 
frequent syringing required for the other plants their appearance is 
never very satisfactory. 
Gold and Silver Ferns are most readily increased by spores, as these 
germinate in a few weeks ; in fact, they are some of the quickest to 
germinate of the whole family of Ferns. The best mode of effecting 
this increase is to remove the fertile fronds from the plant before the 
-spores are fully mature, placing them in a dry warm house until they 
are ripe. Shallow pots or pans should be prepared by thorough drainage, 
upon which there should be placed a layer of sphagnum, filling up with 
very finely sifted loam and sand ; and if the former has been baked it is 
better, though so much care is not needed with these as with more deli¬ 
cate or longer-germinating Ferns. It is one of the peculiarities of the 
genus that the young plants produced in this way are extremely variable 
both in the form of the fronds and the colour of the meal or farina, and 
it is owing to this circumstance that many forms, varieties, and probable 
hybrids have been obtained. 
The following will be found a good selection -.— Gold: G. chryso- 
phylla, G. Laucheana, G. L’Herminieri, G. Martensii, G. decomposita, 
and G. sulphurea. Silver: G. Calomelanos, G. tartarea, G. peruviana 
=and var. argyrophylla, G. pulchella, and G. Pearcei.—C. 
BERBERISES. 
Bekberises yield to no other shrubs in beauty, whether we 
•regard the foliage, habit, or flowering properties. The foliage is 
peculiar in shape, of a bright glossy green ; the habit is compact, 
cmd the flowers produced in profusion, of a beautiful yellow colour, 
and are followed by berries which make the plants handsome for a 
long period. 
The common Berberry (Berberis vulgaris), is a native of this 
mutry, and is found in hedgerows and on wooded hills, where its 
fruit has refreshed many a rustic’s palate. The flowers are pro¬ 
duced in yellow racemes in April and May, are offensive to the 
smell if closely approached, but at a short distance their fragrance 
is very grateful. There is something very singular about fertilisa¬ 
tion in .a Berberry flower. The stamens are bent back to each 
petal, the concave tips of the petals sheltering the anthers. Watch 
a bee come and plant its proboscis into the flower, sipping the 
nectar from the bottom of the cup where the filaments join the 
ovary ; and immediately any filament is touched near the ovary, 
the stamen springs from the petal and shakes the pollen on the 
stigma. A pin or hair similarly brought into contact with the 
lower part of the filaments next the ovary produces the same 
result, but no shaking of the branch, nor any pinching or touching 
of any part of the flowers exteriorly, has any effect on this irritable 
flower. The fruit, about the size of a pea, succeeds the flowers, 
and when ripe makes an excellent preserve if one quart of fruit be 
boiled along with 1 lb. of loaf sugar. In its raw state the fruit is 
cooling and agreeably acid, and its juice is used for flavouring 
sweets, and in a dry state for making sugar plums. The bark of 
the tree is used even now as a cure for jaundice and affections of 
the liver. 
Berberis vulgaris, and its several varieties—viz., violacea, alba, 
nigra, lutea, and purpurea, all named after the colour of their 
fruit, thrive in almost all soils and situations ; but deep rich 
sandy loam suits them best, and an open sunny site or aspect is 
necessary to secure fruit. In woods, however, where the shrubs 
receive a moderate amount of light without much sun, I have seen 
them plentifully producing fruit, which seems to be well relished 
by some of the feathered tribe. As we begrudge a few Cherries 
and Strawberries for the songsters’ invaluable nine-months picking 
of grubs out of our gardens, is it asking too much to request that a 
few Berberry shrubs be planted in the woods ? They are an excel¬ 
lent cover for game. Nevertheless, their fruit grown in shade is 
never so highly flavoured as when exposed to sun heat, light, and 
air ; therefore I by no means recommend planting Berberries in 
woods in hopes of obtaining their berries to increase the novelty of 
the dessert, and fill the preserve-jars in the store-room. Still the 
fragrance of the flowers imparts a charm to the woodlands in 
spring, and may help to keep the songsters from the netted 
Cherries. 
As a hedge plant the Berberry has a few points to recommend 
it. It will bear any amount of cutting, grows rapidly and close, 
and is rather rough to face, its short prickles or spines not being 
pleasant. It is not so good, however, as a Quickset (Thorn) 
hedge, and at the very best is but a second-rate hedge plant. 
Irrespective of its claims as a hedge plant, in which respect it 
ranks with the Privet, it will be admitted on all hands that the 
Berberry is a highly ornamental shrub, whether planted in large 
shrubberies or by the side of woodland walks. Besides its pecu¬ 
liarly ornamental character it is of easy culture, requiring but little 
care after first planting. 
Berberries may be best treated of in two classes—the deciduous 
and the evergreen. 
Deciduous Species. —Of these Berberis vulgaris is the type. 
They are suitable for woods, where they form, as mentioned before, 
a capital cover for game, and for large shrubbery borders ; but they 
are not suitable for planting in groups on lawns, for there plants 
should be as ornamental in winter, for the most part, as in summer, 
and this the deciduous character of the Berberries in a great 
measure prevents. 
In planting them in shrubberies, it is necessary that the ground 
should be trenched deeply without turning up too much of a clay 
subsoil ; and if that be wet, drains should be cut 4 feet deep and 
21 feet apart, with a suitable fall and outlet. If the ground be 
poor, a liberal dressing of manure or leaf mould will contribute 
much to the prosperity of the shrubs ; and a barrowful of fine, but 
not very rich, soil put a little under, around, and on the roots at 
the time of planting will materially assist the plants to form fibres 
and roots, and give them a start. 
Half the height which any shrub attains is the proper distance 
to plant from a walk, and its full height the distance from plant to 
plant in the shrubbery. Most shrubberies, however, are faced with 
some of the undershrubs, or lower-growing kinds ; consequently 
the taller kinds may be planted at a greater distance from the walk, 
so as to allow of those of low growth being planted in front of the 
border, so that, even when of full size, they will not need cutting 
back or clipping to prevent their encroaching on the path or space 
beyond their limits. Every tree or shrub should be planted at such 
a distance that it will never be made by crowding to assume an 
appearance contrary to its natural habits. 
Were I forming a shrubbery I would have no duplicates in 
it, for no beauty can be pleasing unless it be varied. Shrub¬ 
beries of the present time have no beauty beyond that seen at 
first sight, for such are mostly composed of the commonest shrubs 
purchasable, and have nothing to recommend them beyond cheap¬ 
ness, which is not commensurate with the interest lost. Were no 
duplicates admitted the shrubbery would afford an interesting field 
for study at all seasons, and take hours instead of minutes to inspect 
before all its beauties could be noticed. 
