TliK ELDEK HEDGE. 



HOW TO KNOW THE FLOWERS OF 

 THE HEDGES 



By the Rev. H. PUREFOY FITZGERALD, F.L.S. 

 Illustrated with Photographs by HENRY IRVING 



THE Blackthorn, or Sloe {Primus 

 spinosa), is one of the first of the 



bushes to put forth its blossoms. 

 As Gilbert White remarks. " This tree 

 usually blossoms while cold north-east 

 winds blow ; so that the harsh, rugged 

 weather obtaining at this season is called 

 by the country people ' blackthorn win- 

 ter ' ' ; so that this flower is said to 

 mark the division of the seasons — the end 

 of winter and the live spring. The bark 

 is of a blackish tint, and its common name 

 is derived from this fact, so as to distin- 

 guish it from the Whitethorn, or May, 



100 " 78 



which flowers later and whose branches 

 have a much lighter tint. Towards the 

 end of March, then, or, at any rate, quite 

 early in April, the pure white blossoms of 

 the Blackthorn should be fouml in the 

 hedges, frequently before the leaves liave 

 begun to develoj) ; the flower will be 

 seen to resemble that of the Wild Rose. 

 The ends of the short branches are very 

 pointed and thorny, and the ]ilant must 

 be handled with care. The leaves begin 

 to develop generally before the flowers 

 have withered, and the fruit is a small, 

 glol:)ular, black plum, covered with a 



