140 SYLVA FLORIFERA. 



the under side. These leaves hang much 

 more gracefully than those of the common 

 laurel, and are not so liable to be injured by 

 the frost in severe winters. 



The severe winter of 1740, which killed 

 most of the common laurels, scarcely affected 

 the Portugal laurel, and although these shrubs 

 were injured by the frost in January 1776, most 

 of them recovered when cut down. They 

 love a loose moist soil, not too wet, but will 

 thrive in most kinds of earth ; although they 

 do not prosper so well when planted in a very 

 dry soil, or in ground that is over wet. The 

 finest trees are raised from seeds, as they are 

 then more disposed to take an upright growth. 

 To obtain the seeds perfectly ripe, it is ne- 

 cessary to protect them from the birds. They 

 should be sown in drills as soon as gathered ; 

 for if kept until the spring, they will not ger- 

 minate until the second year. It is advis- 

 able to cover the beds with any light litter 

 that will protect the ground from the frost, 

 and to keep the young plants moist by water- 

 ing should the summer prove dry, by which 

 means they will be fit for transplanting the 

 following autumn. 



The best season for propagating these trees 

 by cuttings is about the end of September, 

 as soon as the autumnal rains fall to moisten 



