I 



Lilacs and Privets 



Soil and Cultivation. The Lilacs should be grown 

 in a deep loamy soil, not too moist, and be well 

 manured every other year. The vigorous suckers 

 which they throw off from their roots should be 

 sternly repressed as they grow ; beside this little 

 pruning is necessary. The better varieties are often 

 grafted on Common Lilac or Privet, but this is not a 

 good practice. Propagation should be effected by 

 layers or cuttings. 



THE PRIVETS . . Ligustrum 



The Privets belong to the same family as the 

 Lilacs, viz. the Oleacecz, and through the Privet Lilacs 

 the two are very closely allied. One can hardly count 

 the Common Privet, L. vulgare, among beautiful shrubs, 

 but seen at its best, say on the sunny chalk of Dover, 

 its little cream flower pyramids doing themselves full 

 justice, there is something distinctly attractive about 

 it. A peculiar fragrance floats around, a fragrance of 

 an old-fashioned sweetness to some minds, to others a 

 scent that is absolutely distasteful. This scent, together 

 with the abundance of honey that fills the flowers, 

 draws all manner of insects, as does the Lilacs', but 

 one handsome moth in particular is so constantly in 



attendance that it has come to be called the Privet 



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