28 



Commercial Gardening 



American Sassafras Tree, 15-50 ft. high, has entire or three-lobed leaves 

 which assume brilliant red and yellow tints in autumn. 



Lavender (Lavandula vera). "Sweet" Lavender is an important 

 crop commercially in the neighbourhood of Mitcham, Surrey, and in 

 parts of Hertfordshire around Hitchin and Elsenham. Small plants 

 are largely grown for sale by many nurserymen. 



The Lavender is a shrubby South European plant about 3 ft. high, 

 with grey or hoary leaves, and long erect spikes of bluish-purple flowers 

 in July and August. The plants nourish in any ordinary garden soil, 

 but prefer a rather heavy loam on a chalky subsoil, and sunny situations 

 sloping to the south. They are increased by slips or cuttings taken in 

 August or September, and inserted in sandy soil under lights if possible. 

 They root well by the following March, April, or May, and are then or 

 the following autumn planted out about 1 ft. or 18 in. apart, and are 

 often intercropped with Lettuces, Parsley, or other crops. The following 

 year the plants in alternate rows are lifted to make a new plantation, 

 thus leaving the others in rows about 3 ft. apart, or about 4840 to the 

 acre. The ground is well dug, and hoed occasionally every year, and 

 when the plants are about seven years old they are dug up, and new 



plantations are made. 



In July in early seasons, but usually in 

 August, the flower spikes are cut with sickles. 

 The flowers are distilled to extract the pale- 

 brown-coloured oil, which is worth about 8 per 

 4J-lb. bottle. The average yield per acre is about 

 25 Ib. of oil, but in good seasons this is surpassed. 

 About 600 cwt. of flowers are required to produce 

 this quantity. 



Leyeesteria formosa. A fine deciduous Hima- 

 layan shrub, 4-10 ft. high, with green hollow 

 stems, ovate leaves, and drooping racemes of white 

 tubular flowers with conspicuous leafy, purplish 

 bracts. It grows in any soil and is easily raised 

 from seeds and cuttings. 



Ligrustrum (PRIVET). The Common British 

 Privet, vulgare, is largely grown for hedging and 

 game coverts, and has several varieties, including 

 a broad-leaved one, buxifolium\ one with golden- 

 yellow instead of purple-black berries; and one 

 with leaves variegated with gold. L. ovalifolium, 

 from Japan, has larger leaves which remain 

 longer on the plants in winter, and is grown in 

 thousands for hedges. The golden-leaved variety 



(aureum) is a splendid plant which shows its colour best in sunny places. 

 It is raised from cuttings or is grafted on standards of the green kind. 

 L. japonicum is a fine Japanese Privet, 6-8 ft. high, having oblong ovate 



Fig. 428. Liguttrum coriaceum. 

 (A.) 



