DESCRIPTIVE LIST OF FLOWERING SHRUBS. 429 
covered with delicate foliage, are at all times a pleasant 
sight, but more particularly when covered with its pro- 
fusion of bloom. 
RHAMNUS,—Bvucrrnorn. 
(The ancient Greek name.J 
Rhamous catharticus— The Common Buckthorn.— 
The great value of the Buckthorn, with us, is for hedges. 
It is perfectly. hardy, grows rapidly, and bears pruning 
better than any other shrub with which we are acquaint- 
ed. Another important item in its value is, that it is 
never attacked by insects of any description. It is, also, 
very tough, and flourishes in any soil. No animal, ex- 
cept sheep or goats, will feed upon it. We consider it, 
therefore, the only plant for general use for the formation 
of hedges. “It puts forth its leaves early in the spring, 
and retains them late in the fall, and its bunches of rich 
berries are very showy in autumn.” 
The plants are easily raised from seed, which may be 
planted either in the fall or very early in the spring. 
When planted in autumn, it may be done as soon as the 
berries mature. — . 
The berries should be first mashed and washed, so that 
they may be planted more evenly. The seed may be 
sown in drills eighteen inches apart, or in beds. The fall- 
sown seed will vegetate very early in the spring, while 
those sown in the spring will not appear under four or 
five weeks from the time of planting. The second year, 
the plants may be transferred to the nursery, and should 
be headed down as soon as they begin to grow. This 
causes them to thicken at the bottom; a very important 
point to be remembered, for unless they are first grown 
with branches from the bottom, no after-cultivation can 
remedy the neglect. 
