Myrica. 21 



to see it in that shape will certainly come to the conclusion 

 that the tree has been and is still much overpraised. There 

 is scarcely room for carrying this pruning process too far ; 

 for if the last year's wood is cut to the ground in early 

 spring, new shoots will put forth and soon reach six to 

 ten feet, and thus become a thing of beauty scarcely 

 equalled on the lawn or in the border. When wished, 

 the trunk may be pollarded, and thus the head carried 

 as much higher as desired. The individual flowers are 

 about one and a half to two inches long, violet-purple, 

 with dark spots inside, and in terminal panicles of great 

 size. While not especially beautiful, these never fail to 

 attract attention. They appear in June, and are followed 

 by abundant fruit. 



MYRICA. 



THOUGH this is not one of the most beautiful of 

 American shrubs, it is for some purposes and in 

 some situations one of the most useful. The 

 family is a large one, though only a few species are known 

 in America. They grow in all sorts of soil and far to the 

 north, often taking possession of the hillsides and sandy 

 plains, and so fully occupying the ground as to be regarded 

 a nuisance, especially if the land is wanted for something 

 else. There is a common saying that the roots extend as 

 deeply into the ground as the stems and branches do into 

 the air. However this may be, they evidently come to 

 stay, and in their tenacity and indifference to situation is 

 found one of their virtues when they come to be utilized 

 as garden plants. The best of these, as well as the most 



