190 REMARKS ON THE LILAC. 



bending their slender branches to the turf every way, and forming a 

 mount of blossoms, arising from the green sward, that could leave the 

 most voluptuous florist nothing to wish. Of the Persian lilacs, the 

 variety with cut or pinnatified leaves was the first introduced, which 

 Parkinson tells us, in 1640, was then growing in the garden of 

 Master Tradescant, at South Lambeth. It is noticed also by Parkin- 

 son, in his " Garden of Pleasant Flowers," of 1629, but he there 

 states that it was a stranger to England, and that he described it 

 from foreign accounts, with a hope that some one might be induced 

 to bring it to this country. It is, therefore, clear, that its first intro- 

 duction was between these two dates. It was formerly called the 

 Persian jasmine by our nurserymen, although it was first introduced 

 into Europe with the Persian name of Agem. It is generally sup- 

 posed that the white Persian lilac is only an accidental variety, either 

 raised from seed, or produced from suckers of the blue sort. 



The Chinese lilac was first brought to this country in 1*795. It is 

 of a middle stature, between the Persian and the common lilac, and 

 its leaves smaller than the common kind, with branches that are 

 generally better furnished with blossoms, and that are both larger 

 and deeper coloured than those of the Persian lilac. 



The lilac should never have its branches shortened, as the flowers 

 are always produced at the ends of the shoots of the former year, and 

 just below the girandole of flowers other shoots come out to succeed 

 them, and contribute much to the beauty of the flower. The part on 

 which the flower stands, decays down to the young shoots every 

 winter. Thus nature prunes the lilac, but the trees of the common 

 lilac are greatly improved, by attention in keeping the stem free 

 from suckers, as it will always be observed, that those plants which 

 are so trained, produce the finest and most abundant flowers, and on 

 this account, the plants that are raised from seeds are much to be 

 preferred, as they are not so apt to abound in suckers. If the seeds 

 be sown as soon as ripe, they come up the following spring, and 

 generally flower the third or fourth year from seed, which is earlier 

 than those that are taken from suckers. As the Persian lilac seldom 

 ripens its seed with us, it is usually propagated by suckers, but it is 

 more desirable to multiply the tree by laying down the young 

 branches, which in one year will be sufficiently rooted to transplant. 



We cannot close our account of the lilac without observing that it 



