14 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
April 1. 
capable of deriving both pleasure ami instruction from tbe 
possession of a plot which he feels to be peculiarly under his 
own care. The little boy who, returning from a walk, runs 
to you with his hands full of Violets or Primroses, exclaim¬ 
ing joyfully,—“Look, mamma, at my pretty flowers!"is a 
florist in the bud. I am not the only lover of flowers who 
can trace his interest in them to the time when ho gathered 
Buttercups and Daisies in the fields around London, and 
learnt, upon a mother's knee, my first lesson in vegetable 
phyysiology by examining a French Bean. A strong spirit 
of inquiry is exhibited as soon as the tongue can lisp a ques¬ 
tion. By encouragement and patient explanation, this gift 
of nature may ripen into that taste for scientific investiga¬ 
tion which is daily adding to our stock of knowledge, and is, 
at least, highly conducive to the formation of habits of 
thought and observation.—E. 
BERBERIS FORTUNE 
(Mr. Fortune’s Berberry.) 
Tue following history of this plant is from the pen of its 
discoverer, Mr. Fortune:— 
“This species is an evergreen bush, with pretty pinnated 
and serrated leaves of a dark green colour, and grows gene¬ 
rally from two to four feet high in the north of China, where 
it flowers in the autumn months. It produces its flowers 
both from points of the young shoots and from the sides of 
the old stems; the spikes are short, generally six or seven 
together, aud the colour of the flowers is yellow, which 
contrasts well xvitli the deep green leaves. 
“ It was found in a nursery garden near the city of Shan- 
ghae, in the north of China. In all probability it is an in¬ 
habitant of those provinces which are several degrees 
farther north than Keangsoo, in which Shanghae is situated, 
for it is extremely rare in this part of China, and evidently 
not indigenous to it. If this be the case, there can be 
little doubt that it will be perfectly hardy in Europe, and 
will be a very nice addition to our collection of hardy ever¬ 
greens. 
“ It will grow well enough in any common garden soil, 
and, I dare say, will he found to' be easily propagated either 
by cuttings or layers. It will be a good plant for a rock 
work, or for a small neat garden where large straggling 
shrubs are unsuitable .”—Horticultural Society's Journal. 
It reached England in the April of 1840, and has proved, 
as anticipated, hardy in this country. It is called by the 
Chinese Chr-wang-chok (Blue and Yellow' Bamboo), merely 
because the leaves are bluish-green, the flowers yellow, and 
“the stems have a slight resemblance to those of the 
Bamboo.” It is apt in this country to acquire a nakedness 
of stem, but then Berberis aquifolium sometimes does the 
same. We incline to think this arises from deficient prun- 
ing, for in China, Mr. Fortune says, it is “ particularly valu¬ 
able, ow ing to its neat, compact habit.” 
