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THE DICTIONARY OF GARDENING, 
Leucothoe — continued. 
hairs on the under surface. Young branches clothed with 
powdery down. h. 2ft. to 3ft. North America, 1765 
L. Catesbæi (Catesby’s). fl. white, exhaling the unpleasant 
odour of Chestnut blossoms ; sepals ovate-oblong, not overlapping 
in the flower. May. J. ovate-lanceolate to lanceolate, and taper- 
ing into a long and slender acumination, serrulate throughout, 
conspicuously petioled. k. 2ft, to Aft. North America. SYNS. 
an Catesbei (B. M. 1955) and A. axillaris (B. M 
L. Davisize (Mrs. Davis“). “ fl. white, recurved, pendulous; 
‘racemes nearly sessile, many - flowered, erect, forming close 
terminal icles. J. oblong, obtuse at both ends, obscurely 
on right green. h. 3ft. to 5ft. California, 1853. (B. M. 
L. racemosa (racemose).* „. white; racemes or spikes mostly 
solitary, erect or ascending; sepals lanceolate-ovate, very acute. 
May and June, J. oblong or oval-lanceolate, acute, serrulate, 
somewhat pubescent when young, and on the midrib beneath, 
h. Aft. to 10ft. North America, (W. D. B. 36, under name of 
Andromeda spicata.) ; 
L. recurva (recurved). i, white; racemes spreading or recurved 5 
ovate, June. l. more acuminate than in L. racemosa. 
North America, This species is dwarfer and more straggling than 
L. racemosa, SYN, Andromeda recurva. : 
LEUZEA (named in honour of De Leuze, a friend 
of De Candolle). Syn. Rhacoma. ORD. Composite. A 
genus comprising three species of hardy herbaceous peren- 
nials, one broadly dispersed through the western region 
of the Mediterranean, another from Portugal, and the 
third from Spain. Flower-heads purplish, large; involucre 
ovoid or sub-globose, shining; receptacle densely sub- 
paleaceous, setose. Leaves alternate or radical, dentate 
or pinnatifid, hoary-tomentose underneath. Only one 
species L. conifera—is in cultivation. This is a pretty, 
rather strong-growing, interesting plant. It requires an 
ordinary garden soil, and may be increased by seeds, or 
by divisions of the plants, in spring. 
L. conifera (cone-bearing). -heads purple; involucre scal 
; glabrous. Tuy. Ean” Bee ee one-headed. I. 
. South Europe, 1683. ‘ 
LEVELLING. A scientific knowledge of Levelling, 
sufficiently exact for land surveying, is rarely expected 
of a gardener; but, in the execution of ordinary ground 
work, an acquaintance with the principles, and the method 
of applying them according to requirements, will be of 
the utmost importance. Levelling is a term similarly 
applied to the equalising of soil, either on a horizontal 
or an inclined plane surface. When the preparation of 
land, by digging, for the reception of seeds or crops, is 
the only object in view, the surface will generally be 
rendered level enough with the spade or rake, if their 
use is guided under the eye of a practical workman. In 
the formation of an edging of any description, the making 
or gravelling of walks, turf-laying on lawns, draining 
operations, &., some method, in accordance with scien- 
tific teaching, must be adopted, if satisfactory results 
would be attained. The difference in permanent work, 
as above named, executed on a definite plan, regarding 
_ the Levelling or the natural inclination of the soil, and 
that performed in a haphazard way, is widely marked, 
even on its completion, and more so when tested, after- 
wards, by heavy rains. Where the general surface of 
garden land is flat, or nearly so, Levelling is of greater 
importance, in order to dispose of any superfluous rain 
or other water which may collect. A slight incline will 
Levelling— continued. 
strument is provided with a spirit-level and adjusting 
screws, for fixing its proper position. On ascertaining 
tha apparent level at the opposite end, through the tele- 
scope, the amount of rise or fall in the distance will 
be indicated, and a calculation will show how much it 
is in a given distance. Far less expensive, and, more- 
over, invaluable instruments for Levelling purposes gene- 
rally, are a good spirit-level, an ordinary straight-edge, 
and three borning-rods. The spirit-level, in its simple 
form, consists of a glass cylinder tube, filled with spirit, 
except a very small space, which is occupied by a 
bubble of air, The tube is sometimes fixed in the 
centre of a straight-edge; but this plan is not to be 
recommended, on account of the liability of the latter 
to become crooked. A more certain method is that of 
fixing it exactly in the middle of a piece of hard wood, 
having a plane surface on all sides. The air-bubble, 
being lighter than spirit, will rise in the tube, when- 
ever either end is placed above the horizontal line. A 
straight-edge should be made of a strip of wood, not 
liable to warp easily, and its edges should be planed 
straight and even as frequently as they get the least 
otherwise. Borning-rods are about Aft. long, and have 
a strip of wood placed exactly at right angles across 
their tops, and painted respectively red, white, and either 
black or blue, in order to distinguish each readily from the 
other. When made of an equal length, and placed in 
line, all the tops must run evenly when viewed from 
either end. Sometimes one rod is made longer than 
the others, and a very small hole is bored through the 
strip at the exact height of the others, so that the eye 
may not be misguided. By sufficient practice, Levelling 
may be very exactly carried out with the borning-rods, 
after the spirit-level and straight-edge have aided in 
fixing the proper position for the pegs at the two ends. k q 
An insertion of ordinary wooden pegs, at distances of 
abont 8ft. apart, will be a sufficient guide for forming 
a dead level surface, or for equalising a fall throughout 
a given length. There are other forms of levels, but 
those referred to will be found sufficient for all garden- 
ing purposes. 
LEVISTICUM (a corruption of Ligustikon, the 
name given by Dioscorides to another Umbellifer). 
ORD. Umbellifere. A monotypic genus. L. officinale 
is a hardy herbaceous perennial, with yellow flowers, 
and ternately-decompound leaves, having deeply-toothed 
ae) 
cause water to flow, but an obstruction to the same ex- 
tent will similarly check its course; and, as inequali- 
ties of this sort cannot with certainty be avoided where 
the uses of levels are ignored, their value in securing 
a uniform surface on any plane will be readily seen. | 
Reference may first be made to the theodolite, a | 
rather expensive instrament, principally used in land sur- 
veying, for measuring the horizontal or the vertical 
angle between two distant objects. It consists of a | 
small eee. Which — raised or lowered ac- 
; k 1 n of the ground may require, 
the angle in either direction being ascertained by 
two graduated circles, which are attached. The in- | 
