BLACK-THORN. 



BLACK-THORN {Prunus spinosd). — DIFFICULTY. 



This bushy shrub is common enough in our hedgerows, 

 where its white flowers display themselves to advantage in 

 March and April, ere the Hawthorn is in bloom, though Burns 

 says : — 



" The Hawthorn's budding in the glen, 

 And milk-white is the sloe ;" 



as if both were flowering at the same time. The bark is of a 

 brown hue nearly approaching black, and the branches ter- 

 minate with a sharp thorn. The well-known fruit under the 

 name of the sloe, is small, somewhat oval, of a blackish purple, 

 and is covered with a fine whitish powdery bloom. The juice 

 is very sour, astringent, but not disagreeable at the season of 

 perfect ripeness. It is said to be largely used in making 

 British Port wines ; we hope its astringent properties are 

 not applied to the improvement ij) of rough-flavoured wines 

 of Portugal (so called.) The tree furnished the means to 

 dishonest people of adulterating tea, by the admixture of 

 its leaves with the products of China. A Parliamentary 

 inquiry proved that it formed fictitious tea in England to 

 the extent of four million pounds a year ! 



There is a proverbial saying made use of when a 

 perplexing question comes before us, " It is a perfect 

 bundle of thorns ; we don't know where to begin, nor 

 how to act ! " 



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