8 



Betula alba. Birch- tree. 



Woods, &c. in moist situations 9 . 

 Alnus. Alder. 



In low marshy situations 10 . 

 Ilex Acjuifolium. Holly or Holm. 



In hedges, &c. u 



exceedingly fine-pointed, tapering, hollow substances, with a per- 

 foration at the point of each, and a bag at the base. The sting 

 readily punctures the skin, and an acrimonious fluid is forced up 

 from the bag, into the wound, and produces the stinging effect. 

 The stalks may be dressed like flax or hemp, for making cloth or 

 paper. An excellent cotton, proper for the manufacturer, may be 

 obtained from this common and useful plant. Woollen stuffs may 

 be dyed a beautiful and permanent green with the juice of nettles 

 only. The roots boiled with alum will dye yarn a yellow colour. 

 Asses are fond of it, and cows eat the leaves when a little 

 withered. 



9 The wood is firm, tough, and white; women's shoe-heels, 

 clogs, and packing-boxes are made of it. If a hole be bored into 

 the tree when the sap rises in the spring, a sweet liquor distills 

 from it, which properly fermented, with the addition of sugar, 

 makes a pleasant wine. 



10 Alder will not live in a chalky soil. It is easily propagated 

 by seeds, but not by slips or cuttings. The wood is soft, but en- 

 dures a long time under water : women's shoe-heels, clogs, cogs 

 for mill-wheels, and various articles of the turner, are made of it. 

 The bark yields a red colour ; and with the addition of copperas, 

 a black. The catkins dye green. The whole plant is astringent. If 

 planted in a low meadow, the ground will become boggy ; whereas 

 if Ash be planted, the roots of which penetrate a great way near 

 the surface, the ground will become firm and dry. 



11 All the varieties which gardeners reckon, amounting to 40 or 



