84 



JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



The blooming season of Acacia dcalbata lasts from the middle 

 of January to the end of February. Immense quantities of it are 

 then distributed all over Europe, and the price is maintained 

 at a pretty high figure (about £2 per cwt. on the spot), 

 owing to the limited area over which the tree will thrive. Only 

 in the Esterels and on the gneiss hills around Cannes is'the 



Fig. 2. — Acacia retinodes var. floribunda. 



proper soil for Acacia dealbata to be found in combination with 

 a suitable climate. On all clayey or calcareous soils the tree 

 sickens, turns yellow, and dies off rapidly. 



An artificial process has been in use for a few years in order 

 to anticipate the blooming season of Mimosa. Flowering branches 

 are cut a week or so before they would bloom in the open air, 

 and are submitted, with their butt end steeped in water, to the 



