82 MY SHRUBS 



given a chance, M. tormentosa would grace a sunny wall of the 

 West Country. The very latest thing in myrtles is M. nummu- 

 larifoltay from the Falkland Islands, concerning which my far- 

 famed friend, Herr Reuthe, tells us that the price can be learned 

 on application. In my green youth I used to respond to this 

 invitation, and rush in where angels fear to tread ; but the result 

 has usually been so shocking, that I have long abstained from 

 probing these gloomy mysteries. 



Of the fragrant myrtle race are the famous Pimenta, the all- 

 spice trees that bear cinnamon, cloves, and pimento in the West 

 Indies and tropical America. 



