AMERICAN ROSE BAY-TREE. 



361 



able with balls, they may be transplanted at every season of the year, though 

 autumn and spring are the periods generally made choice of. In consequence, 

 also, of peat soil readily adhering to the fibrils of the plants of this genus, and, 

 indeed, of all the EricaccEE, it becomes less necessary to grow them in pots for 

 the convenience of removal, than is the case with most other rare and valuable 

 trees and shrubs. 



Properties and Uses. The wood of the American rose bay is hard, compact, 

 and fine-grained; but, from its diminutive size and comparative scarcity in the 

 more populous parts of the country where it grows, it has not, hitherto, been 

 appropriated to any particular use in the arts. The leaves are sudorific and nar- 

 cotic, and have been successfully employed in the cure of rheumatism. The 

 almost entire use to which this species is applied, both in Europe and in America, 

 is for ornament; and, from its delicately-coloured flowers, of the beautiful red 

 and white tints of the apple blossom and of the rose, which strikingly contrast 

 with its smooth, evergreen leaves, it richly deserves a place in every collection. 

 46 



