202 THE MANSE GARDEN. 



shelter; of the same character the yew, glorious for 

 its country's defence, and though venerable in years, 

 looking young with berries of brighter hue than 

 polished coral; the evergreen thorn, which, with the 

 help of a wall, though it can stand alone, will glow 

 all winter with an incredible profusion of scarlet fruit 

 it agrees ill with lifting, but is easily propagated 

 by layers; various kalmias, pretty, but tender, re- 

 quiring shelter and peatmoss, which last is not thrown 

 away on the rhododendrons, or on the aucuba Japo- 

 nica, of olive green and spotted leaf, very foreign and 

 tender looking, but growing surely from slips, and 

 more hardy in the spring frosts than common laurel; 

 the arbutus, having red bark, a beautiful evergreen, 

 to which a fixed place should be assigned, as it cannot 

 endure flitting ; the sweet bay, requiring the best of 

 shelter, and not very patient of removal ; the ilex or 

 evergreen oak, riot remarkably beautiful, but inter- 

 esting on account of the difficulty of getting it to 

 grow; the pyrus Japonica, of sorts, that having scar- 

 let flowers being as worthy of a piece of wall as a 

 peach, when well grown it abhors transplanting ; 

 the box tree, variegated and plain, raised from slips, 

 by layers, freely, and having a turfy root, cares no- 

 thing for transplanting. These, with some of the 

 junipers, and a few hardy exotic heaths, with Irish 

 ivy for every bit of cold dark wall, where fruit is out 

 of the question, may serve to clothe the space be- 

 tween the outer defence and the flower borders, giv- 

 ing shelter to the house and to all manner of flowers, 

 and from perpetual verdure making winter more 

 cheerful than summer can be to a tasteless and un- 

 cultivated abode. 



