IVIES 57 



Although Ivy is so generally beloved it has been re- 

 peatedly assailed by a few people on two grounds. Re- 

 garding the first, that its presence on trees is injurious to 

 them, this cannot be gainsaid. It has a strangling effect 

 and checks the circulation of sap. In course of time Ivy will 

 kill the strongest tree. But the idea that the plant is a 

 parasite capable of obtaining nourishment from a living 

 host is erroneous. 



The second objection to Ivy concerns its presence 

 on buildings. Those keenly alive to architectural beauties 

 assert that a cloak of vulgar Ivy in many cases conceals 

 the builder's greatest triumphs ; and many people believe 

 that it renders buildings damp. As regards covering what 

 is beautiful it is obvious that some discrimination should 

 be exercised, but it cannot be denied that very often, 

 in masking the ugly, Ivy is a public benefactor. A wall 

 originally damp becomes drier when Ivy-clothed, for the 

 leaves shoot off the rain, and the stem-roots suck the 

 moisture from the fabric to feed the plant. 



Few plants are as variable as Hedera Helix. But it is 

 only within the last half century that much advantage has 

 been taken of this peculiarity. As the result of Ivy hunting 

 in the woods, purchases from gardens, and cross-breeding, 

 Mr. Hibberd obtained more than two hundred varieties, 

 many of them with the most diverse characteristics. Fifty 

 of the best were named and put into commerce, and 

 others have since been added. The Kew Hand-list of Trees 

 and Shrubs contains ninety-three varieties, all represented 

 in the cultivated collection, and the best nurserymen offer 

 ample selections. 



One of the museums at Kew forms an object-lesson in 

 being charmingly clothed with a wealth of the best and 



