270 Ornamental Shrubs. 



George Nicholson says : " Under cultivation I have seen 

 this thrive in a dry, hungry, sandy soil, and attain 

 tree-like proportions, with a stem as much as a foot in 

 diameter. This deciduous species is capable of being 

 turned to good account by the landscape gardener." 

 E. hortensis is a native of mid- Asia, where it grows freely 

 on the mountains, often at an elevation of three thou- 

 sand feet and upwards. It is there largely cultivated 

 by the natives in orchards, for its fruit. It is scarcely 

 known in this country, but might possibly be introduced to 

 advantage. A report from South Dakota is to the effect 

 that it flourishes in that section, where the thermometer 

 sometimes registers thirty degrees below zero, and where 

 the annual rainfall does not exceed twenty-two inches. 

 The foliage is late in breaking out, so that it escapes late 

 frosts, and the roots go deeply into the earth, thus en- 

 abling it to withstand periods when the rainfall is so 

 light that many other sorts fail. It may be used for low 

 hedges, as the lower branches are well preserved, thus 

 constituting an effective windbreak. 



E. tinibellatus has sometimes by nurserymen and others 

 been confounded with E. longipes, and sold as such ; but 

 it is not the same. The foliage differs but slightly from 

 that of the type, having the silvery cast, but the fruit is 

 the color of amber and speckled with white, and if possible is 

 still more abundant. It is about the size of a large currant, 

 and fully as valuable. When first ripened it is quite acid 

 to the taste, but a little later it becomes sweet and mellow. 

 Those who know it best speak highly of its value for 

 cooking purposes, and it is likely to come into common 



