DESCRIPTIVE LIST OF FLOWERING SHRUBS. 429 



covered with delicate foliage, are at all times a pleasant 

 sight, but more particularly when covered with its pro- 

 fusion of bloom. 



RH AMNTJS. —Buckthorn. 



[The ancient Greek name.] 



Rhamnns catharticus. — The Common Buckthorn. — 

 The great value of the Buckthorn, with us, is for hedges. 

 It is perfectly hardy, grows rapidly, and bears j)runing 

 better than any other shrub with which we are acquaint- 

 ed. Another important item in its value is, that it is 

 never attacked by insects of any description. It is, also, 

 very tough, and flourishes in any soil. No animal, ex- 

 cept sheep or goats, will feed upon it. We consider it, 

 therefore, the only jDlant for general use for the formation 

 of hedges. " It puts forth its leaves early in the spring, 

 and retains them late in the fall, and its bunches of rich 

 berries are very showy in autumn." 



The plants are easily raised from seed, which may be 

 planted either in the fall or very early in the spring. 

 When planted in autumn, it may be done as soon as the 

 berries mature. 



The berries should be first mashed and washed, so that 

 they may be planted more evenly. The seed may be 

 sown in drills eighteen inches apart, or in beds. The fall- 

 sown seed will vegetate very early in the sjjring, while 

 those sown in the spring will not appear under four or 

 five weeks from the time of planting. The second year, 

 the plants may be transferred to the nursery, and should 

 be headed down as soon as they begin to grow. This 

 causes them to thicken at the bottom ; a very important 

 point to be remembered, for unless they are first grown 

 with branches from the bottom, no after-cultivation can 

 remedy the neglect. 



