28 
THE FLOEIST AND POMOLOGIST. 
[ Fepruary, 
the form of the leaves are the varieties named 
Disraeli, Earl of Derby, and Lord Cairns, of 
Eno-lish collections, and the trilobus of the 
Belgian gardens.—T. Moore. 
INDOOK BERRY-BEARING 
PLANTS. 
Callioaepa pdepueea. 
LANTS which bear a profusion of 
brilliantly-coloured berries are justly 
appreciated for their ornamental quali¬ 
ties, more particularly during the winter sea¬ 
son. Allow me to claim a prominent place 
amongst them for the CalliGarpa purpurea , 
an old neglected plant which one seldom sees. 
The Oallicarpa is a stove evergreen shrub, 
native of the East Indies, growing from two to 
three feet in height ; and as the name denotes, 
bearing a profusion of bright violet-purple 
berries, which, individually, are but small, but 
being produced in neat regular clusters of 
from 20 to 30 in the axil of each leaf, they 
have a remarhably pleasing effect; and asso¬ 
ciated with brilliant red and yellow-berried 
plants, they form an effective and striking 
contrast. They are freely produced from cut¬ 
tings, and as freely grown, being amenable to 
general stove treatment. The soil should be 
fibry loam, peat, charcoal, and sand, and they 
must not be over-potted; 5, G, and 7-inch 
pots will be the most serviceable sizes to plant 
in, for general work. Although the}'’ grow 
freely and make rapid progress in a close humid 
atmosphere during the early stages of growth, 
it will be necessary, as the plants attain 
maturity, to afford them a fully exposed situa¬ 
tion near to the glass, with a free circulation of 
air, without which the benies would not set or 
be produced with that regularity which resrults 
from more complete exposure. This is one of 
many plants that would succumb to shading in 
any form—a fact which cannot be too strongly 
impressed on cultivators, as numberless plants, 
stove-plants more particularly, are seriously, if 
not permanently, injured every year from over¬ 
shading. The Oallicarpa grown in small pots 
is particularly serviceable for associating with 
flowering plants in trays, forming a pleasing 
contrast and standing well. 
The Skimmias. 
The Skimmias are very useful plants for 
decorative purposes, being of a compact habit, 
and bearing large clusters of bright crimson 
or scarlet berries. These plants are not very 
readily managed, to keep them in the com¬ 
pact form and lustrous health which they 
must possess to be at all effective; and from 
the fleshy nature of their roots, they are 
impatient of being disturbed, and therefore 
should be always grown in pots when used for 
decorative purposes. The plants delight to grow 
in a rich sandy peat, and will keep healthy 
for years in comparatively small pots, if well 
attended to during their growing season. They 
dislike coddling in any shape, and prefer partial 
shade, with an abundance of water during their 
season of growth. Under these conditions, they 
not only set their berries better, but are exempt 
from red-spider, which is one of their greatest 
enemies, when exposed in a dry situation. 
Aucubas. 
Since the introduction of the male form 
which enables us to obtain the beautiful scarlet 
berries in rich abundance in combination with 
the grand and effective foliage, the Aucuba has 
perhaps become the most effective berried plant 
we possess for all purposes of adornment. Grown 
as bushy little plants, in G-in. or 7-in. pots, they 
are most useful; but to insure perfect fertilisa¬ 
tion, the female plants must be set in a cool, 
airy house, with a few male plants amongst 
them. Whether, however, they are plunged in 
a house, or out-of-doors in a favoiirable situa¬ 
tion, rYhich will answer, fertilisation must be 
assisted, the pollen from the male flowers being 
conveyed to the stigmas of the female flowers 
with a camel’s-hair pencil, during bright sunny 
weather. When it is necessary to preserve the 
pollen from the male plants, it can be kept 
in a dry situation, between pieces of glass or in 
tin-foil, for several weeks. Any ordinary soil will 
grow Aucubas perfectly. The only care im¬ 
portant with plants in pots being to attend duly 
to watering them, and to syringing overhead, 
to keep the foliage healthy. —Geo. Westland. 
BEGONIA INCARNATA. 
MONGST the many species and varieties 
of Begonia now grown, this fine old 
plant, though exceedingly beautiful, 
is seldom seen in cultivation. I have grown 
a plant of it in the past year in a pillar form, 
and planted out in the border of a warm con¬ 
servatory. The plant is now nearly nine feet 
in height; it has been covered with its fine 
