The =St. John’s Wort= (_Hypericum calycinum_) can confidently be recommended for planting as a ground covering beneath our larger trees. It increases readily, and if occasionally cut over, shoots out all the more freely and thickly. For the showy yellow flowers it is also a desirable shrubby plant. The =Mezereon= and =Spurge Laurel= (_Daphne Mezereum_ and _D. Laureola_) are excellent, medium-sized shrubs for planting in shady positions, where they not only succeed well, but flower freely. They are both increased by layering. =Euonymus Radicans Variegata= is a useful, procumbent shrub for planting in the shade, and succeeds well in smoky localities. The =Butcher’s Broom= (_Ruscus aculeatus_) grows with great freedom beneath the densest shade of our forest trees, and being an evergreen is to be recommended for such situations. =Gaultheria Shallon= and =G. Procumbens= may also be recommended for planting where the shade is not too dense; they both flower and fruit freely, and are of neat procumbent growth. Amongst taller growing subjects for planting in the shade, mention may be made of the holly and yew, both of which thrive beneath the shade and drip of forest trees and where they often assume a dwarf, procumbent habit of growth. Two at least of the recent shrubs introduced from China have just claims to be included in the list of suitable species for planting in the shade. These are _Sarcoccos humile_ and _S. ruscifolia_. They are of particularly neat growth, with persistent leaves and bear yellowish-white flowers. The =Common Ling= or =Heather=, =Blackberry=, and =Andromeda Catesbœi= all succeed well in the shade of trees, particularly if the soil be inclined to peat. It frequently happens that the soil beneath large trees is thoroughly exhausted, and that the small, fibrous rootlets are so abundant as to render planting almost impossible. Under such conditions it is advisable to first gently loosen the soil, without disturbing the larger roots, and add a top-dressing of, say, three or four inches of good friable loam. This, thoroughly incorporated with the existing soil, will give the young plants a start and allow of their becoming strong and established before the encroaching roots rob the ground of its nourishment. CHAPTER XXI INSECT ENEMIES OF TREES