XXVIII 

 THE LAURELS 



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^ H E name of Laurel with one or another 

 prefix is applied to several very 

 different shrubs, all of which are ever- 

 green and occupy an important position 

 in gardens. The principal ones are the " Common 

 or Cherry Laurel," Prunus Laurocerasus ; the 

 " Portugal Laurel," Prunus lusitanica ; the " Bay 

 Laurel," Laurus nobilis ; the " Sheep Laurel," 

 Kalmia angustifolia ; the " Alexandrian Laurel," 

 Danaea Laurus; the "Spurge Laurel," Daphne 

 Laureola ; the " Great Laurel," Rhododendron 

 maximum. Of this number the three first 

 mentioned are of the greatest service 



The Common Laurel = " Prunus Laurocerasus." 

 Although of late years it has become 

 the custom to heap abuse on the "Common 

 Laurel," and generally decry its culture, this has 

 been carried too far, and if people would only 

 apply their abuse to the absurd way in which the 

 plant is too often treated and recommend more 

 rational methods of culture it would be far more 

 to the point. The fact of its being of a peculiarly 

 accommodating nature, lending itself readily to 

 all kinds of work, coupled with the fact that it 



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