40 ILEX. 



an additional life and charm wherever the Holly is present 

 to intermingle its glossy foliage with the various tints 

 around it. Oft have we stood and lingered in our walks 

 to watch and admire the bright and fleeting lights pro- 

 duced by our favourite evergreen, as moved by the gentle 

 zephyr, its polished leaves have reflected in diamond-like 

 coruscations, the rays of light as they penetrated the 

 recesses in which it grew, at the same time that its rich 

 dark green foliage by force of contrast, gave an additional 

 value to the paler tints of the mountain ash, the hazel, 

 and various other shrubs which grew around it. 



Another important application of the Holly, and for 

 which it is peculiarly adapted from its great durability, 

 its patience under the shears, and its impenetrable surface 

 when kept in proper order, is the formation of living 

 fences or hedges ; for this purpose, and when the hedge 

 is meant to be permanent, the qualities we have just men- 

 tioned render the Holly superior to any other plant we 

 possess ; besides, holly hedges may be trained to a greater 

 height than any other kind, and with sufficient strength 

 to bear and resist the heaviest winds ; at all seasons, too, 

 they present a cheerful and lively appearance, and as the 

 plant is attacked by few insects, the leaves are rarely 

 eaten or disfigured, its only enemy being a very small 

 caterpillar which feeds upon the parenchyma of the leaf, 

 and whose tortuous course beneath the cuticle is only 

 visible on close inspection. 



The usual, and indeed the only objection to the Holly 

 as a hedge plant, is the slowness of its growth ; this ob- 

 jection, however, we think will only be found to hold 

 good where the necessary attention to the due prepar- 

 ation of the soil, and the removal and after-culture of 

 the plants have been neglected. We have known and seen 



