'' k. 





and hang 



MAG 



rhc bark is finooth and wliite, die branches are gar- 

 nifl:icd v/ith thick fmooth leaves, refembling thofe of 

 the Ba^, but are of an oval fhape, and fmooth on 

 their edges, being white underneath. The flowers 

 are produced in May and June at the extremity of 

 the branches, which are white, compofed of fix petals 

 which are concave, and have an agreeable fweet fcent. 

 After thefe are paft, the fruit Increafes in fize tobe 

 as large as a Walnut with its cover, but of a conical 

 Ihape, having many cells round the outfide, in each 

 of which is lodged a flat feed, about the fize of a 

 Kidney-bean. This fruit is at firfl: green, afterward 

 red, and, when ripe, of a brown colour. The feeds, 

 when ripe, are difcharged from their cells, 

 by a flender thread. 



In the natural places of its growth, there is a fuccef- 

 fion of the flowers on the trees for two months or 

 more, during which time the woods are perfumed 

 with them ; but all thofe trees which have produced 

 flowers in England, feldom have more than twelve or 

 fourteen flowers upon each, which are of ihort dura- 

 tion, and are not fucceeded by others ; the leaves of 

 this fort fall oflF in winter. 



The young plants of this fort frequently retain their 

 leaves through the greateft part of winter, and often 

 do not fall oflT till the young flioots thruft them off, 

 which has occafioned fome perfons to believe the 

 plants were evergreen ; but when they are three or 

 four years old, they confl:antly caft their leaves by the 

 beginning of November. 



When thefe trees are tranfplanted from the places of 

 their growth into dry ground, they make handfomer 

 trees, and produce a ereater number of flowers ; this 

 is to be underftood o 



M 



G 



and planted in tht full ground, but they puul i^^ 

 planted in a warm fituation, where thev m-v I 

 defended from the ftrong winds, and fc recn id tV ^ 

 the north and eafl:, otherwife they v/ili not r"'^ 

 abroad. 



ve 



There were a great number of young plants in F"? 

 land before the year 1739 ; but a great part of th'Si 

 were deftroyed by that levere winter, and fmce then 

 there have been few good feeds fent to Enaland fo 

 that there are not many of the plants at prcfent to be 

 fold in the nurferics i and as almoft every perfon w! 

 .is curious in gardening, is defirous to have fome of 

 thefe beautiful trees in their gardens, the demand for 

 them of late has greatly increafed their value. If 

 this tree can be fo far naturalized as to endure tlie 

 cold of our fevereft winters abroad, it will be one of 

 the greateft ornaments to our gardens •, and this we 

 may hope, will, in time, be effefttd, by diligent 

 obfervatlon and care ; for the time v.hen thefe pu^nj^; 

 fuffer moft, is in avcurnn, by the early fofls; for the 

 extremity of the fhcots being then tzn±^, as tlicv arc 

 then generally g.-ov/ing freely, a fmall froft will oinch 

 them, and afterward the v/hole fhoot freunentiy de- 

 cays ; fo that the plants fhould be guarded aaainft 

 thefe early frofts, by covering their tops' with'^niau 

 Uiitil the (hoots are hardened, after which time they 

 will not be in fo much danger of fufferinp ; for I 

 have conftantly obferved, that if thefe plants efcape 

 the early frofts of the autumn, they are feldom in- 

 jured afterward: in the fevere winter in the year 

 * 739-40, I had a pretty large plant grov/ing in the 

 open air, which was killed down by the froft, and I 

 fuppofed was entirely deftroyed, as there was not the 



-t* 



America, for ^ in Europe they I leaft appearance of life in the ftem ; fo that after 

 do not thrive fo well in a dry foil as in a moifl: loamy | Midfummer "" ' ' ' 

 land. The greateft number of thefe tre^s, Which are * 

 now growing in England, are at hisGrace theDuke pf 

 Norfolk's, at Workfop Manor, in Nottinghamihire. 

 The fecond fort grows in Florida and South Carolina, 

 where it rifes to the height of eighty feet or more, 

 with a ftrait trunk upward of two feet diameter, hay- 

 ing a large regular he^d ; ^ the leaves of this tree re- 

 femble thofe of the common Laurel, but are much 



&t temainihg, which, to my great furprize, Ihot up 

 again the year after. This I men don, to caution peo- 

 ple from being too hafly in defl:roying plants afcer 

 hard froft, but to hayt them wait until therfe can be- 



^* 



larger, and of a fhining green on their upper fide, 

 and, in fome trees, they are of a ruflet, or buff co- 

 lour, on their under fide ; thefe leaves continue all 

 the year, fo that this is one of the moft beautiful 

 evergreen trees yet knownl The flowers are produced 

 at the end of the branches -, they are compofed of 

 eight or ten petals, which are narrow at their bafe, 

 but broad at their extremity, where they are rounded, 

 and a littl^ waved ; thefe fpread open wide, and are 

 of a pure white colour. In the center is fituated a 

 great number of ffiamina and ftyles, fattened to one 

 common receptaculum ; thefe flowers are fucceeded 

 by oblong fcaly coiies in the places where it grows 

 naturally, but tHefummers are not warm enough in 

 England to produce any fruit to perfeftioh, thougli 

 fome old plants do often form cones, Thefe 



pro- 



1 V V ^-v K 



plants 

 trees in their native places of 



cones, 



h.bcgin 



to 



^ 



• t 



ducc their flowers in May, and contmue a lone; time 



m flower, fo that the woods are perfumed with their 



odour the gfeatelt part of fummer ; tut thofe which 



Bavc flowered in England, feldom begin till the mid- 

 dle or latter end of Ju;ie» ^nd do not contbue Ion 



in beauty.^ The largeft tree of this kind, which 



have met with in England, is in the garden of Sir 



John CoUiton, of Exihouth, in Devonftiire, which 

 . has produced flowers for feveral years ; there are alfo 



nia,ny pretty large plants of this fort in the gardens of 

 ;his Grace the Duke of Richmond, at Goodwood, in 



; Suffex, one of which has has produced flowers feveral I thefe ftiould be put up in fand, and fent over to Eng- 

 'years ; and in the nurfery of Mn Chriftopher Gray, I land as foon as poffiblcj for if they are kept long 



no hopes of their recovery. 



The third fort grows in Carolina pretty frequent, but 

 in Virginia it is pretty rare ; this ufually grows from 

 fixteen to twenty feet high, with a flender trunk ; the 

 wood is foft ana fpongy ; the leaves of this tree are 

 remarkably large, and are produced in horizontal 

 circles, fomewhat refembling an umbrella, from 

 whence the inhabitants of thofe countries have <yiven it 

 the title of Umbrella-tree. The flowers are compofed 

 often or eleven white petals, which hang down with- 

 out any order ; the fruit is very like that of the former 



fort ', the leaves of this fort drop off at the beginning 

 of winter, • „ « 



This tree is as yet very rare in Europe, but as it is 

 propagated from feeds, we may hope to have it in 

 greater plenty foon, if we can obtain good feeds from 

 Carofina, for it is rarely met with in Virginia. 

 - The fourth fort is alfo very rare in England ; there ' 

 . are but few of the plants at prefent here, nor is it very 

 common in any of the habitable parts of America: 

 fome of thefe trees have Seen difcovefed by Mr. John 

 . P,artram, growing on the north branch of Sufque- 

 hannah river. ' The leaves of this tree are near eight 

 . mcnes long and five broad, ending in a point. 1 he 

 flowers" come out early in the Ipring, which' are com- 

 -pbled of twelve white petals, fiiaped like thofe of the 

 .fecond fort ; the fruit of this tree is longer than thofe 

 of the other fpecies, but in other refpedls agrees widi 

 them. The wood of this tree is of a fine grain', and 

 an Orange colour. 



All thefe forts arc propagated by feeds, which mufl 

 be procured from the places of their natural growth -, 





neatT Fulham, there is one very handfome plant, which 

 has alfo produced many flowers feveral years. 

 As this fort is a native of a warm country, it is a lit- 

 tle impatient of cold, efpecially while young, there- 

 fore the plants fhould be kept in pots, and Iheltered 



out of the ground, they very rarely grow, therefore 

 the feeds ftould be fown as foon as poffibie, when 

 they arrive here. 

 Some years paft I received a good quantity of the^e 



feeds from Carolina, which I fowcd in pots as foon as 



■ -' - - - ^ ' old 



in winter for fome years, until they have acquired I I received' them, and pluna;ed the pots into 



ftrength, when they may be fhaken out of the pots, f hot bed of tanners bark i and with this management 



. I 



