SAMYDA. 



259 



SAND. 



points of the shoots are so deeply 

 tinted as to have the appearance of 

 flowers. The plants differ in their 

 habits as much as in their flowers ; 

 some are shrubby, some perennial, 

 some biennial, and some annual ; and 

 some are so tender as to require a 

 stove ; while others must be kept in 

 a frame or greenhouse, and the greater 

 part are quite hardy in the open air. 

 All the kinds should be grown in a 

 light rich soil ; and they are propa- 

 gated by cuttings, division of the root, 

 or seeds, which last nearly all the 

 species ripen in great abundance. 

 There are above a hundred and fifty 

 distinct species of Salvia, besides varie- 

 ties. 



Sambac — The Indian Jasmine. 

 See Jasminum. 



Sambucus. — CaprifoliacecB The 



Elder. The common Elder, Sambu- 

 cus nigra, is a low tree, seldom, if 

 ever exceeding twenty feet in height, 

 and generally having the character of 

 a shrub rather than that of a tree. 

 The species is not ornamental, but 

 there is a variety with cut leaves, S. 

 n. laciniata, which is very much so. 

 The most ornamental kind of Elder 

 is, however, S. racemosa, with loose 

 panicles of large dark scarlet berries, 

 which look like bunches of bright 

 scarlet grapes. All the different 

 kinds of Elder thrive most in rich 

 soil kept moist, and they are propa- 

 gated by layers, cuttings, and seeds, 

 which ripen freely. They are all 

 quite hardy, and require very little 

 attention from the gardener. 



Samphire. — Crithmum mariti- 

 murn. — A British rock plant which 

 grows on the sea-coast, and is used as 

 a pickle. 



Samyda. — Samydece. — Pretty 

 stove shrubs with very curiously- 

 shaped flowers, natives of the West 

 Indies. They should be grown in 

 loam and peat, but they are rather 

 difficult to cultivate. 



Sand is an important article in the 

 propagation and culture of plants ; 

 and no good garden, whether small 

 or large, ought to be without a stock 

 of it. Sand relatively to gardening 

 is of two kinds : pure white silver 

 sand free from earthy matter and 

 ferrugineous particles, which is only 

 found in particular situations ; and 

 common brown or grey sand which is 

 found in pits either with or without 

 gravel, and on the shores of rivers or 

 the sea. The first kind of sand is 

 used for striking heaths, and other 

 plants difficult to root by cuttings, 

 and also for mixing with peat for 

 growing the more tender kinds of 

 house plants. This sand is procured 

 in abundance in the neighbourhood 

 of London and Paris from pits ; but 

 throughout the country in general, it 

 is chiefly to be found mixed with 

 peat, and forming Avhat is called 

 heath soil on the surface of heaths or 

 commons. In these situations this 

 sand, from being exposed alternately 

 to the air, the sun, and the action of 

 rain, becomes white by bleaching, and 

 is indispensable to the gardener ; but 

 when it exists in heath soil in a suffi- 

 cient proportion for growing plants, 

 pure sand is only wanted by the gar- 

 dener for striking cuttings. It is, 

 however, so useful for this purpose, 

 that a quantity of it ought to be pro- 

 cured, and carefully kept in a box 

 where it will not be mixed with other 

 soil, by every person who grows 

 plants in pots. 



Common coarse sand is used for 

 striking the commoner kinds of plants 

 either by cuttings or layers ; it is also 

 used for placing under bulbs when 

 planting them, and in general for 

 mixing with soil of different kinds 

 with a view to render it more free and 

 pervious to water. This description 

 of sand may be procured in almost 

 every part of the country ; and it is 

 only necessary to guard against pit- 

 S 2 



