THE CEANOTHUS. 
329 
only a strip of ground a foot wide all along 
a wall which has fruit-trees against it, and to 
keep the space between the trees, right and 
left, for lettuce, radishes, &c, but never to 
bring them in front of the stem of the tree at 
all. It is further necessary to rake the surface 
of this little border from time to time, and 
also to use the Dutch hoe occasionally, so as 
to keep the surface clean, and in a proper 
state to receive the rain and atmospheric effects. 
" When the tree is planted out, the proper 
depth is about six inches ; this must be care- 
fully attended to where the soil is wet, for fear 
of cankering the root, but in dry ground it 
matters less. 
" The month of October is the proper time 
for moving Peach trees, and February and 
June for pruning them ; the latter consists in 
cutting off the superfluous branches, and nail- 
ing the remaining ones to the wall. 
" Some experience is requisite to know 
which branches to cut away and which to 
train, although, as a general rule, the old 
wood may be cut away, and the new shoots 
left, provided they grow in a direction to be 
easily spread along the wall ; the shoots, 
which grow straight forward out of the tree, 
must all come away, as they are neither sightly 
nor convenient to train. 
" The next operation is one requiring great 
care. As soon as the blossom buds show 
themselves, they must be thinned, in order to 
prevent the tree from exhausting itself in 
bearing a greater quantity of fruit than it 
can possibly ripen. While the fruit is ripen- 
ing, a constant watch should be observed, in 
order to keep the tree as clean from insects of 
all kinds as possible. When the fruit ripens, 
the wasps begin their attacks ; the best, indeed 
the only method of counteracting which is by 
suspending half-a-dozen bottles containing 
moist sugar and water, about the tree. 
" To retain too many leaves on a fruit tree 
in bearing is not desirable ; but we cannot 
advise thinning them frequently, as it is as 
much by the moisture, and other properties 
contained in the atmosphere which the leaves 
absorb, that the fruit swells, as from the 
nourishment drawn into the tree by the 
roots." 
THE CEANOTHUS, OR RED ROOT 
The name Ccanothus is altered from a 
name ( Keanothus) given by Theophrastus to 
a spring plant, and derived from henteo, to 
prick. The plant of Theophrastus is not, how- 
ever, the same as the modern Ceanothus. The 
genus belongs to the natural order Rhanuia- 
cese, and in the Linnavm arrangement to Pel t 
andria monogynia. The species enumerated 
below consist of evergreen and deciduous 
shrubs. 
Ceanothus americanus (the American 
Red-root, or New Jersey Tea) is a decidu- 
ous shrub from North America, growing from 
two to five feet high, with ovate, acuminate, 
serrated leaves, and elongated axillary thyrses* 
of small white flowers, which appear in June 
and July, and are succeeded by bluntly tri- 
angular fruits. The whole plant is pubescent, 
or downy ; it is found in the dry woods from 
Canada to Florida, and in most parts of the 
North American Continent; is commonly 
known by the name of New Jersey Tea, in 
consequence of the leaves having been dried 
and used for this purpose during the war of 
independence. In Canada it is used for dye- 
ing wool of a nankin or cinnamon colour. 
Ceanothus azureus (the azure-flowered 
Red-root) is a beautiful evergreen shrub, of 
robust habit, nearly, but not quite Hardy. In 
mild winters, and in favourable situations as 
to soil and climate, it will stand out without 
injury ; but in winters of more than ordinary 
severity, or where the situation is unfavoura- 
ble, it is liable to be killed down. Trained 
against a wall, where temporary protection can 
be afforded to it when necessary, it will grow 
with the greatest facility, and producing, as 
it does, its bunches of lovely blue flowers in 
great profusion, it is particularly worth)' of 
such a situation ; in fact, wherever there is a 
wall devoted to plants of this nature, (usually 
called a conservative wall,) if but half a dozen 
plants can be accommodated, this ought by 
all means to be one. It is a free growing 
plant, attaining a considerable size when 
trained over the surface of a wall, but seldom 
rising very high when planted out singly ; its 
nature is to spread over a larger surface, 
reaching perhaps five or six feet in altitude. 
The leaves are. ovate-oblong, and acutely ser- 
rated ; and the flowers, produced in May,which 
are of a light and most lovely azure-blue, are 
borne in dense elongated panicles from the 
axils of the leaves, near the upper part of the 
stems and branches. It is a native of Mexico. 
Ceanothus intermedius (the intermediate 
Red-root) is a deciduous shrub, from two to 
four feet high, witli oval-oblong leaves, and 
loose corymbose panicles of white flowers, 
produced in June and July. It is a native of 
North America. 
Ceanothus MTCROriiYLLUs (the small- 
leaved Red-root) is a low deciduous shrub, 
seldom reaching more than two feet in height, 
with very small leaves, of an oblong-obtuse 
form and quite entire. The habit is some- 
what decumbent, and the whole plant is of a 
» A thyrse is a bunch of flowers, arranged like those 
of (lie Lilac. 
