AN 
ENCYCLOPADIA 
OF HORTICULTURE. 4 
Taxus—continued. 
anterior to historic times. It is found among the 
buried trees on the Norfolk coast, near Cromer. It also 
“crops up in another forest, now beneath the Bristol 
Fic. 9. BRANCHLET, WITH FRUIT, OF TAXUS BACCATA ADPRESSA. 
Channel, in which, if there be any truth in bones, the 
elephant, rhinoceros, and beaver roamed” (Q. C. n. s., 
vi., p. 99). The wood, which is hard and compact, but 
Taxus—continued. 
quently tipped with galls of a Gall-midge (Cecidomyia 
Taxi). One of these is shown in Fig. 8. The female 
midge lays her eggs in the terminal bud of a twig; the 
larvæ hatch, and the result of their operations is the 
formation of a gall, which bears a strong resemblance 
to a cone in its form, and in the overlapping of the 
leaves of which it is composed. Among the leaves the 
small larvæ of the midge may be found. These galls 
are usually solitary ; though two, or even three, may be 
found side by side at the tips of the twigs, the growth 
of which they check. They do not, however, inflict much 
injury on the trees. Should it be desired to get rid of the 
galls, they are so conspicuous that they can be readily 
detected and cut off. This should be done as soon as 
possible after their formation, while they still inclose 
the larve. Yews thrive in almost any soil. They are 
readily propagated from seeds, which should be sown in 
spring; the ripe fruits, after being gathered, should be 
mixed with sand and treated similarly to those of the 
Hawthorn until sowing time. Cuttings also afford a ready 
means of increasing any desirable form; these should be 
inserted in sandy soil, in August, and kept shaded under 
handlights, or in cold frames, during bright sun, until 
rooted. The golden varieties, and those of weeping habit, 
are frequently grafted on tall stems of the common 
upright type. Layering may also be advantageously re- 
sorted to. 
T, baccata (berried). Common Yew. fi., male catkins jin. long; 
females minute. March. fr. 4in. long, rounded, with a red, 
mucilaginous cup. J. linear, more or less falcate, acute, sin. to 
lżin. long, coriaceous, shining above, paler beneath. Trunk 15ft. 
ta boft. bigh. sometimes as ‘much as 27ft. in girth, channelled ; 
Fig. 10, TAXUS 
flexible and elastic, was in olden times in great request 
for the manufacture of bows. The branches are fre- 
BACCATA DOYASTONT. 
| 
hes spreading. Europe (Britain), India, &c. Tree. See 
me A The Pac aza pa varieties are enumerated by Gordon, in 
‘The Pinetum”: 
