348 



Case 109; Museum No, I. The tree is a native of the Mediter- 

 ranean region, extending to Asia Minor and probably further east- 

 wards in the Caucasus and Northern Persia. In France it is 

 common in Provence and Languedoc, being cultivated as coppice. 

 It has a straight trunk and branched head attaining 50 to 70 feet 

 in height and a girth of 10 feet, but in rare cases becoming 20 feet 

 in girth. The branches are long, slender and flexible, with a 

 grey bark spotted with white and covered with a slight down at 

 the extremities. The bark of the trunk is rich brown, in old trees 

 covered with warty excrescences* The leaves are dark green, 

 about 4 inches long and 1^ inches broad, oval-lanceolate in shape, 

 and are sometimes used for fodder. The flowers are of a greenish 

 colour and inconspicuous. The fruit, which, when ripe, is 

 blackish and resembles a very small withered wild cherry, is said 

 not to become edible until the first frosts, and it hangs on until 

 the following spring. It is remarkably sweet, and is considered 

 by some writers to be the Lotus of the ancients. The berries are 

 eaten in Spain and in Greece are known as Iloney berries. The 

 tree grows rapidly, more especially when once established and 

 afterwards cut down, sometimes producing shoots six or eight feet 

 in length. It is much used in the south of Italy and the south 

 of !F*rance for planting squares and public walks. In a recently 

 published Consular Heport on the Agriculture and Industries of 

 Piedmont, His Majesty's Consul gives the following particulars of 

 the local interest in this tree. — The hagolaro, known in the IJnited 

 Kingdom under the name of nettle tree and Lote wood, grows 

 naturally and plentifully in all the Alpine valleys of Piedmont, 

 especially in the Stura Valley, where it is found on the mountain 

 slopes as well as in the plain. It is also largely cultivated in the 

 commune of Nole, particularly in that zone stretching along the 

 left bank of the Stura River in the Lanzo Valley, and also, to a 

 less extent, in the adjoining communes. The tree furnishes a 

 compact, hard, heavy, and at the same time fibrous and elastic 

 wood, practically unbreakable, a stick of which can be bent almost 

 to a right angle without splitting. It is unaffected by inclement 

 weather, very rarely attacked hj woodworm and not liable to 

 crack. For these qualities the stems or trunks are largely used 

 for making whips, racquets, baskets, sticks, etc. It is said to be 

 also adapted for carriage shafts and poles, chairs, etc. At Nole 

 Canavese and neighbourhood, hagolaro is regularly cultivated as 

 an industrial plant of considerable economic value, being grown 

 on large tracts of land forming regular woods. When 10 or 12 

 years old, trees measure abo\it 4 to 6 inches in diameter, but are 



never cut down until they reach at least 4| inches in diameter, 



this work being performed in winter. 



The trunks thus obtained measure little less than 6 feet in length 



and weigh 55 to 77 lbs. avoir,, the price being 16s. for ordinarv 



trunks and £1 and £1 4s. for choice ones. 



Whip making from hagolaro wood was introduced into Nole 



about the beginning of the last century by a certain Mr. Harley, 



and was continued and gradually improved by small local firm^. 



At present it is carried out in regular factories employing som«B 



300 workmen. Whips so made are exported into France, Spain, 



