268 TRANSACTIONS OF THE HORTICULTUEAL 



grounds will be found of great advantage to shrubs and to all living 

 beings. 



I speak of this from knowledge. A small cladastris (yellow 

 wood), struggled on, on my place for a long time. The winter 

 would take off what was gained in the summer, until a belt of spruce 

 became high enough to shelter it from the west wind. It has since 

 put on a robust, healthy look and now is as vigorous a tree as I have; 

 also a daphne, a little sheltered, has been growing and blooming for 

 the last sixteen years, always the first to greet us in the spring with 

 its fragrance and beauty until it seems almost like one of our house- 

 hold. Sometimes during our severe hard drouths, it would drop its 

 leaves in mid-summer, still it struggled on and was always ready to 

 smile on us in the spring. In selecting shrubs, two objects should 

 be held in view; first, bloom and second good foliage. During the 

 season, some consider the latter the greater object, but plants that 

 both bloom well and also hold their foliage are to be preferred. Do 

 not be discouraged by insect attacks. With a little care and patience 

 they can be overcome. If attacked by worms, slugs or other leaf 

 eaters, syringe with water in which Paris green or London purple 

 has been mixed, but if attacked by aphis, more patience will be 

 required, but they will sooner or later leave. 



Our old favorite viburnum sterilis, snow ball, for four years in 

 succession was attacked by an aphis that caused the leaves to roll up, 

 the flowers to be imperfect, and affected the growth of the plant. 

 Last year they disappeared, and the old bush shone again in its orig- 

 inal splendor. It is well to be suspicious of all shrubs that come 

 from Africa, China, Japan, Southern Europe and Southern North 

 America. Occasionally we get a hardy shrub from them and a fine 

 one, but they are the exception. The rule is for them to be tender 

 here. Be also a little cautious about buying new, strange and won- 

 derful plants of strangers, who have something your nurserymen 

 can not get. A short time since one of the gentry was selling near 

 by, red and red and white striped Philadelphus syringa, either color, 

 as his customer might desire, and as they were rare a rare price had 

 to be asked, one dollar for a bush eighteen inches, and a much 

 larger price for larger bushes. A great many were sold. The ladies 

 felt happy and laughed at the nurseryman when they found he had 

 none, and they had, but they have not laughed since, for those that 

 were true syringas, had only white bloom, and what were wieglias 

 soon died. In the following list and description I give you only my 

 experience. The philadelphus, common syringa, are all hardy and 

 good bloomers, are either fragrant or not according to variety, and 

 hold their foliage well. We cannot do without it. The golden 

 leaved aurea is fine, holds its color well and makes a low, compact 

 shrub, fine for fancy hedges. If planted in the shade, it fades to a 

 green. All golden foliaged trees and shrubs must have full sun-light. 



