A I L 



A I L 



all over nappy. The flowers fiAiii the top and 

 forks, solitary. The flower-stem rises near a 

 foot or a foot and a half high, and tlie flowers 

 grow in umbels on the top of the stalk, and are 

 of a bright red eolour. It flowers in Jiilv, and 

 the seeds ripen in September. It is a native of 

 the mountains of Switzerhuid. 



Citlline. — In eultlvating these plants all the 

 single kinds may be easily propagated hv the 

 seeds, whieh may be sown either in the spring 

 or autumn on a bed of conmion earth ; and after 

 the plants have attained the height of about three 

 inehes, they should be priekcd out into another 

 bed, at the distanee of six or seven inehes from 

 eaeh other, water being immediately applied in 

 not too large a quantity, and afterwards ocea- 

 sionally repeated. In the autumn or spring 

 following the plants will be in a proper situa- 

 tion to be transplanted into the places where they 

 Are to remain for the purpose of flowering in the 

 ensuing sunmier months. And as the plants 

 frequently eome up from the self-sown seeds 

 with equal strength and vigour, these may be 

 transplanted in the same manner, and often sue- 

 cecd fully as well. 



As the double sorts aflTord no seed, they ean 

 only be propagated by parting the roots ; which, 

 as they mostly afford abundance of offsets, may 

 be easily effected. This should be performed in 

 the autumn, as soon as the flowering is over, every 

 head being parted that c.-in be slipped oft' with 

 roots. These should then be planted out in fresh 

 ground that has not lately reeeiyed any manure, 

 at the distance of six or seven inches from eaeh 

 other ; water being applied in a sparing >Tianner 

 until they haye taken fresh root, after which it 

 must be wholly omitted, as nuich moisture is 

 very prejudicial. In the spring they should be 

 put into the situations \yhere they are to remain 

 for flowering. 



A few plants may likewise be placed in pots 

 of good fresh mould, in order to be set out in the 

 yards or other compartments about the house. 



The second sort admits of the same methods 

 of cultivation, but succeeds best in a rather moist 

 soil, where the situation is somewhat shady. 



Both the species and all yarieties are well 

 suited for the purposes of ornament, aflording a 

 very agreeable diversity in clumps and boi"ders. 



AILANTHUS, a genus comprising a tree of 

 the hardy exotic kind, and of lofty growth. 



It belongs to the class and order of Polijgamla 

 ]\Ionwcia. 



Its characters are : that it has male and female 

 hermaphrodite flowers : the calyx of the male is 

 a one-lealcd, fiye-parted, yery small perianthium : 

 the corolla has five petals, lanceolate, acute, con- 

 roluic at the base, and spreading : the stiimiiia 



have ten tilamcnts, compressed, of the length of 

 the corolla : the antherae are oblong and versatile : 

 the calyx of the female is like that of the male, 

 permanent ; the corolla the same : the pistilhnn 

 has from three to five tierms, curved inwards : 

 the styles are lateral, and the stigmas capitate : 

 tile peiicarpium has as many capsules as there 

 are germs, compressed, membranaceous, sabre- 

 shaped, acute, on one of the edges emarginate : 

 the seeds are solitarv', lens-shaped, bony, close 

 to the emarginature : the calyx of the herma- 

 phrodite is the same with that of the male and 

 female : the corolla the same as in the male : 

 the stamina have two or three filaments, as in 

 the male : the pistillum, periearpium and seed as 

 in the female. 



There is only one known species, which is 

 the A. ghmdiilosits, or Tall Ailanthus. 



It rises with a straight trunk to the height of 

 forty or fifty feet : the bark is gray, slightly fur-- 

 rowed, and has white marks on it : the young 

 twigs are covered with a flne velvet down. The 

 leaves are large, smooth, alternate, unequally 

 pinnate, and disposed horizontally. The com- 

 mon petioles form an angle more or less acute, 

 or sometimes a right one w lib the branch : they 

 are slender, and from one to two feet in length. 

 The leaflets are from twenty to thirty, alternate 

 and opposite, from two to three inehes in length, 

 and from one to two in breadth, standing on a 

 short petlolule ; and laterally towards the base 

 are some blunt teeth glandulose beneath : the 

 rest of the leaflet is commonly entire. The 

 flowers are of a white colour, yery numerous in a 

 close terminating panicle, usually in groups, on a 

 common peduncle, each flower beingon it< proper 

 pedicel : they are male and female, with a tew 

 hermaphrodites : the males are the most nume- 

 rous. A disagreeable odour is said to issue from 

 the flowers. It was supposed to be a species of 

 Rhus, before the nature of its fructification was 

 understood. It is a native of China. 



In this climate it has yet produced only male 

 flowers ; but in France and Holland it has borne 

 female flowers and fruit : the latter, however, 

 has not ripened. Some years it bears only male 

 flowers ; but in France, about twice in ten years, 

 it has produced both male and female flowers. 



Culture. — In the propagation of this tree, the 

 best and most easy method is that by the yoimg 

 plants which proceed from the root near to the 

 surface of the ground. These should be taken 

 up in the early part of the spring, and then be 

 planted out in good land, in an open expo.-ure, 

 at the distanee of a foot or eighteen inches from 

 each other, where they may remain for two or 

 three years. They may afiervvards be trans- 

 phuitcd into the proper silu.ai'ms, 

 F 



