Notes and Gleanings. 179 



that they are not so much disfigured by caterpillars as the species ; and, as for 

 any other advantage in respect to their employment in gardens, we may as well 

 reckon their less robust growth in their favor. 



Thorns will grow in almost any soil and situation. On chalk and gravel they 

 thrive, if there is some depth of earth. On clay they grow vigorously, provided 

 the land is well drained ; and, in common with all other trees, a fertile, mellow 

 loam suits them admirably, and only in such a soil can they be said to attain 

 perfection as timber-trees. In any and every case thorns require free exposure; 

 they wil! not long live in the shade and drip of other and larger trees. The 

 vigorous berry-bearing kinds may be propagated from seeds, which usually vege- 

 tate the first season after sowing, if sown in autumn; though some remain in 

 the ground a whole year or more before they start. But the double-flowering 

 and delicate-habited kinds are commonly grafted on the hawthorn ; and this sys- 

 tem enables the cultivators to produce fine specimens quickly, and of any height 

 up to eight or ten feet. No ornamental tree is more obedient to the pruning- 

 knife ; for, if spurred close in, they form close, compact heads, and flower freely. 

 The small-leaved kinds, however, bear hard pruning best ; but unless there are 

 special reasons for forming the head to a certain shape, it is better not to prune 

 at all ; then the tree acquires a free, graceful aspect, and some of the varieties of 

 pendant habit " weep " to the ground. 



Cratcrgiis oxycantha, the common " white thorn," "hawthorn," or "may," is 

 well known for its summer bloom and autumn berries. In the green glades of 

 a well-wood«:l park, a few ancient thorns are always objects of interest ; the best 

 garden varieties are the following : — 



C. o. multiplex, the double white-flowered ; one of the most effective white- 

 flowering trees of its season, and a charming thing when well grown in a pot, 

 in the form of a small bush, for the conservatory. 



C. 0. punicea, single scarlet-flowered. The flowers are exceedingly rich in 

 color, and they emit a delightful fragrance. In autumn the tree is loaded with 

 berries. 



C. o. rosea superba, single rose-flowered ; a charming tree for the garden, or 

 to flower as a dwarf pot-tree in the conservatory. 



C. 0. rosea flore-pleno, double pink-flowered. A single sprig of its flowers 

 is like a bouquet ; the color bright and cheerful. It is not very fragrant, and 

 rarely produces berries. 



C. 0. fioribtis coccinejis plenis, double-flowering scarlet. The color is not 

 a true scarlet, but rather a deep pinkish red, remarkably effective when seen 

 in a mass, supported as it is by an abundant bright green leafage. This 

 splendid thorn was first presented to public notice at the International Hor- 

 ticultural Exhibition of 1866, where it was at once pronounced a valuable 

 acquisition to our collections of hardy flowering trees. The variety first origi- 

 nated as a "sport" in the garden of Mr, Boyd of Waltham Cross. It was 

 again exhibited at the early summer shows at Regent's Park in 1867 and 1868, 

 by Messrs. Paul & Son, of Cheshunt. 



C. Mexicana, the Mexican thorn, is an evergreen species of most elegant 

 habit and free growth, which soon proves an effective specimen on a lawn. The 



