Ih'.l ARBORETUM ET FRUTICETUM BRITANNICUM. 



table fences ; and it has this great advantage over deciduous-leaved trees and 

 shrubs, that it is seldom liable to be attacked by insects ; and, if shorn, the 

 outer surface becomes impenetrable even to birds, who cannot build their nests 

 in it. The wood is almost as white as ivory, except in the centre of very 

 old trur-ks, where it is somewhat brown. It is very hard, with a fine grain, 

 suscej'vlble of a high degree of polish, and is readily stained with black, green, 

 blue, or red. It weighs, when dry, at the rate of 47 lb. 7 oz. per cubic foot. 

 Tiie veins of the wood, and its annual layers, are so small as scarcely to be 

 perceptible. It is applied to a great many pur|)oses, in joinery, cabinet-making, 

 and turnery; in engineering, in mathematical-instrument-making; and it is 

 even used for wood-engraving. The bark affords birdlime, which is prepared 

 by boiling and evaporation. The holly attains the largest size in a' rich sandy 

 loam ; but it will grow, and even thrive, on almost any soil, provided it is not 

 overcharged with moisture. As its seeds, like those of the hawthorn, do not 

 come up the first year, to save ground and the expense of weeding, the ber- 

 ries are commonly buried in the soil, or kept mixed up in a heap of earth for 

 one year ; after which, if sown in autumn, they will come up the following 

 June. The varieties are propagated by budding and grafting. These ope- 

 rations are performetl at the usual times, and in the usual manner ; but it has 

 been observed by Tschoudi, that cleft-grafting does not succeed nearly so 

 well with the holly as whip-grafting or budding. In England, the stocks 

 budded or grafted on are generally of four or five years' growth ; and the 

 grafting is effected in March, and the budding in July. The variegated kinds 

 are also propagated by cuttings, which are made in autumn, of the ripened 

 summer shoots. They are planted in sandy soil, in a shady border, anil covered 

 with hand-glasses ; and they generally put forth roots the following spring. 

 Holly hedges should never be clipped, because, when the leaves are cut 

 through the middle, they are rendered unsightly ; and the shoots should 

 therefore be cut with a knife close to a leaf. The proper season for cutting 

 would appear to be just after the leaves have attained maturity ; because 

 at that season, in the holly, as in the box, the wound is comparatively soon 

 obliterated by the healing over produced by the still abundant sap. 



i 2.1. (A.) balea'rica Z>exf. The Minorca Holly. 



Identification. Desf. Arb., 2. p. 262. ; Don's Mill., 2. p. 17. 

 Synonymes. I. ylquifblium var. S Lam. Diet. 3. p. 14;"). ; /. made- 



rensis Willd. Enurn. Suppl. 8. according to Link. 

 Engraving. Our fig. 223. 



S}]cc. Char., ^-c. Leaves ovate, acute, flat, shining, 

 entire or spiny-toothed. Umbels axillary, tew- 

 flowered, short. (Don's Mill.) An evergreen low 

 tree. Minorca and Madeira. Height 10 it. to 20 ft. 

 in England ; in Madeira 60 ft. to 80 ft. Introduced 

 in 1744. Flowers white; May and June. Drupe 

 scarlet ; ripe in December. Decaying leaves yellow, 

 dropping in June and July. 



A very distinct variety of the common holly, readily 

 distinguished at eight, by its yellowish green leaves, 

 which are sharply acuminated, but very slightly waved 

 at the edges, and with few prickles. It is propagated by 223. /. {^.) iraieav-c*. 

 budding or grafting on the common holly. 



i 3. /. OPA^CA AU. The opaque-feai^ed, or American^ Holly. 



Jdenlification. Ait. Hort. Kew, 1. p. 177. ; Oec. Prod., 2. p. 14. ; Don's Mill., 2. p. 17. 

 Synonymes. .Igril'blium vulgaro Clnyt. Flor. Virgin.; 7'lex ^quifblium Gronuv and Walt. Fl. 



Car. 241. ; dimkelblattrige Stechpalme, Ger. ; Agril'olio a Foglie di Querela, Ital. 

 Engravings, The plate of the species in Arb. Brit., 1st edit., vol. v. ; and our fig. 224 



Spec. Char., ^c. Leaves ovate, flat, coriaceous, acute, toothed in a scalloped 



manner, spiny, and glabrous, but not glossy. Flowers scattered, at the 



base of only those branches that are a year old. Teeth of the calyx acute. 



Sexes dioecious. {Dec. Prod.) A beautiful evergreen low tree. Canada 



