710 AKBOKETUiM AND FRUTICETUM. I'ART 111. 



The fruit, though nauseous to the taste when eaten fresh from the tree, gives 

 an agreeable flavour to brandy; and is sometimes added to home-made wines. 

 In Sweden and Lapland, and also in some parts of Russia, the bruised fruit is 

 fermented, and a powerful spirit distilled from it. A strong decoction of the 

 bark is considered by the Finlanders as antisyphilitic. Sheep, goats, and swine 

 eat the leaves: cows are fond of them, but horses refuse them. (Lin.) In 

 Britain, the principal use of the Cerasus Padus is as an ornamental tree ; and 

 few make a finer appearance than it does, either when in flower, in April and 

 May ; or in August, when covered with its pendent racemes of black fruit. It 

 comes into flower a little before the ornamental crab trees, and about the 

 same time as the •S'orbus aucuparia and the Acer ^^latanoides. 



Soil, Situation, Propagation, 4'C- The bird cherry prefers a dry soil ; but it 

 will not thrive on such poor ground as the perfumed cherry. It will grow in 

 almost any situation ; but, to attain a tunber-like size, it requires the shelter 

 either of a favourable locality, or of adjoining trees. The species is propa- 

 gated by seeds, which should be treated in all respects like those of C. Mahdleb. 

 The red-fruited variety, which is properly a race, will frequently come true 

 from seed ; as, doubtless, will the early-flowering and late-flowering varieties, 

 which may be observed in copse woods where this tree abounds. C. P. 

 bracteosa Ser., which is a very remarkable variety, and one which deserves a 

 place in every collection, both on account of its large racemes of flowers and 

 its fruit, will most certainly be continued by grafting or budding. 



Accidents and Diseases. The leaves of the bird cherry seem to be more 

 relished by the caterpillars of moths and butterflies, than those of other 

 species of the genus. This may be observed where plants occur in the neigh- 

 bourhood of London, where they may frequently be seen, in the beginning of 

 June, almost entirely denuded of leaves, while other species of Cerasus around 

 them have their leaves uninjured. In Belgium, where the tree is particularly 

 abundant in the natural woods, and where the caterpillars are collected at 

 certain seasons, in conformity with the provincial laws established for the 

 preservation of forests, this tree is always found nuich more injured by them 

 than any other. Hence, a writer in a Bavarian agricultural journal recom- 

 mends planting in orchards one bird cherry in every square of 1(J0 or 200 

 yards ; to w hich tree, he sa\ s, all the moths and butterflies w ill be attracted, 

 ^nd on which they will deposit their eggs. The ap|)earance of the bird 

 cherry, he says, will soon become hideous, but the fruit trees will be safe. 

 (See Gard. j\Iag.,\o\.i. p. 81.) 



Slatistics. The largest bird cherry tree that we know of in the neighbourhood of Ixindon is at 

 Syon, where it is 36 It. high, with a trunk 11 in. in diameter. In Cheshire, at Eaton Hall, 14 years 

 planted, it is 17 ft high. In Durham, at Southend, i.'0 years planted, it is 22 ft. high In Worcester- 

 fifiire, at Croome, 40 years planted, it is 35 ft. high. In Scotland, in the Glasgow Botanic Garden, 

 15 years planted, it is 22 ft. high ; in Banffshire, at Gordon Castle, it is 40 ft. high ; in Clackmannan, 

 shire, in the garden of the Dollar Institution, 12 years planted, it is 15 ft. high ; in Perthshire, at 

 Taymouth, 18 years planted, it is 30 ft high. The Rev. Dr. Walker mentions, in his Essays on Xa- 

 tural History, two hag-berries growing together in the parterre below the terrace at Drumlanrig, in 

 Nithsdale, in 1773. They were then about 70 years old, about 40 ft. high, and the trunk of the largest 

 measured 8 ft in circumference. The trees were at that time vigorous ; but, on our sending to en- 

 quire after them in 1834, we found they no longer existed, and that the time when they fell, or were 

 cut down, was unknown. In Forfarshire, at Kinnordy, there are some.large specimens. 



t 23. C. viRGiNiA^NA Michx. The Virginian Bird Cherry Tree. 



Identification. Michx. FL Bor. Amer., 1. p. 285. ; Dec. Prod., 2. p. 539. ; Hook. FL Bor. Amer., 1. 



p. 169. ; Don's MilL, 2. p. 515. 



■ Synonymes. /'rfinus rubra .drt. f/orA .Kftu, 1st ed., 2. p. 162., Witld. Abb., 238. t. 5. f. 1. ; P. argOta 



Bigelow in Litt. ; Cerisier de VMrginie, Fr. ; Virginische Kirsche, Gcr. ; Wild Cherry Tree, Amer. 



Engravings. Willd. Abb., 238. t. 5. f. 1. j Michx. Fl. Arb. Amer., 2. t 88. ; our fig. 418. ; and the plate 



of this species in our Second Volume. 



Spec. Char., ^-c. Leaves oblong, acuminate, doubly toothed, smooth ; the 

 petiole bearing about 4 glands. Racemes straight, petals round. Fruit red. 

 Different from the Priinus virginiana of Miller, which is C. (v.) serotina. 

 {Dec. Prod.,n. p. 539.) A tree, attaining a large size in Vn-ginia, Carolina, 

 and Canada. Introduced into Britain in 1724, and flowering in May and 

 June. 

 Description, 4"c. This tree, which is seldom found, in England, higher than 



soft, or 40ft., grows, on the banks of the Ohio, to the height of 60ft. or 



