299 



little hillock. On the other hand, 

 if we examine trees in artificial 

 plantations, in which the soil has 

 been deeply trenched, we shall gene- 

 rally find that, though they have 

 been planted at first level with the 

 surface, they will, after a certain 

 number of years, have sunk con- 

 siderably below the surface ; or if 

 care has been taken to keep the 

 ground about them level, by adding 

 fresh soil as the surface sinks, they 

 will appear with their collars com- 

 pletely buried, and their trunks 

 rising out of the soil like so many 

 posts driven into it by art, in- 

 stead of springing from a wooden 

 base, rising above the soil like trees 

 and shrubs in a natural forest, or 

 on a common. In planting single 

 trees, therefore, hillocks should at 

 first be raised to a height which will 

 for a year or two appear quite un- 

 natural, as sho"WTi injig. 51, in which 

 may be observed a small hollow at 

 the base of the stem for retaining 

 water ; but they will soon sink down 

 to the appearance shown in Jig. 52 . 



Si>"ni'ngia.— 6'es?ie?'«cetE.— Stove- 

 l^lants with large bell-shaped flowers. 

 They should be grown in light rich soil. 



Siphoca'mptlos. — LoheJidccce — 

 A sufi"i-uticose plant, with red and 

 green tube-shaped flowers. It is 

 generally kept in the greenhouse, 

 but it is nearly hardy. It should 

 be grown in heath-mould, and it is 

 propagated by cuttings, which should 

 be dried a little before they are 

 planted. 



SiPHO'NiA. — Euphorhiacece. — 

 The Amei'ican India-rubber tree. 

 — The first elastic gum brought to 

 Europe was the produce of the Ficus 

 eldstica ; and as this plant is a native 

 of the East Indies, the substance was 

 thence called India-rubber. It has 

 since been found that several trees 

 produce it ; and the Caoutchouc used 

 for the Macintosh cloaks, &c., is prin- 



I cipally produced by the Siphbnia 

 ' Cahiichu, a native of Guiana. The 

 j species requires a stove in England; 

 1 and it grows freely in peat, loam, and 

 I sand. It is propagated by cuttings 

 ! of the young wood in sand, with a 

 I bell-glass and bottom-heat. 



Sisyri'nchium. — Irldece. — Beau- 

 I tiful little plants resembling bulbous 

 i plants in their flowers, but with 

 j fibrous roots. They are all natives 

 j of America, and they should be 

 j grown in sandy peat. 



Ski'mmia. — Aurantiacece. — A 

 very fragrant shrub, with spikes of 

 small white flowers, and bright red 

 j berries ; the leaves are evergreen, 

 I smooth and shiny, and they are as 

 fragrant as the flowers. S^Ja^onica, 

 the only species yet known, was in- 

 troduced by ]\Ir. Fortune, and first 

 flowered in this country in March, 

 1853. 



Skoll-cap. — See Scutella'kia. 

 Slipper-wort. — See Calceo- 



LA^RIA. 



Slugs. — See Li'max. 



Saii'lax. — SmiUxcece. — Evergreen 

 monocotyledonous, dioecious, climb- 

 ing shrubs, with curiously ribbed 

 leaves, and numerous tendrils, which 

 they twine round every object with- 

 in their reach. The roots are thick 

 and fleshy, and from them (and 

 particularly those of one species) 

 the drug called sarsaparilla is made. 

 The flowers are small and whitish ; 

 and those of the female plants are 

 j succeeded by red or black berries. 

 The handsomest species is <S. rubens, 

 the tendrils of which are of a bright 

 red ; and the next is S. excelsa, from 

 the large size of its leaves. All the 

 species may be grown in the common 

 garden soil ; but they should be 

 planted in a shady situation, and 

 kept rather moist. S. China and 

 some other species are rather tender, 

 and require protection from severe 

 frosts. 



