232 C&e Garten's 



look, or to have assumed an autumnal hue be- 

 fore its time. The fern-leaved and cut-leaved 

 varieties are both fine ; and S. ntgra, a medium- 

 sized European species, gives us handsome pur- 

 ple-black berries in the fall. The Halesia, or 

 silver-bell (H. tetraptera), a beautiful, large 

 shrub, with white, bell-shaped flowers in May, 

 should not be overlooked. Besides its peculiar 

 flower, it is distinguished by its large, four- 

 winged fruit. 



During latter June the laurel-leaved privet 

 (Ligustrum laurifolium) is laden with its spikes 

 of creamy-white flowers. This and the box- 

 leaved variety are probably the two finest ; the 

 latter retains its thick, dark-green leaves for a 

 long period, and both are of erect and handsome 

 habit. But the privet is liable to suffer from 

 extreme cold, and is slow to recover when af- 

 fected. The white alder, or sweet pepper-bush 

 (Clethra alnifolid), should have a partially 

 shaded and sheltered position, as well as abun- 

 dance of moisture, to do it justice, its natural 

 habitat being swamps and low woods. A drive 

 through the woods on the New England coast 

 in August is rendered doubly delightful by its 

 delicious breath, rising from the shaded thickets 

 where it grows in the greatest luxuriance. On 

 account of its graceful and fragrant flower- 



