B I G 



B I G 



lectcJ by boring; the trees in the early spring 

 months, as about March or April, and intro- 

 ducing pipes, formed of cider, into the holes 

 to conduct the I'.quur into bottles placed lor the 

 purpose of rccc'iving it, a good and pleasant 

 wine is prepared, by letting it afterwards undergo 

 the process of fermentation. 



1 he twigs and small branches of these trees 

 may be occasionally cut over for the purpose of 

 making birch brooms. 



BILlNMAL PLANTS, such as are only of 

 two years duration. These are of the esculent 

 as well as the flower kind. 



There are various plants of this tribe, which 

 being raised one year from seed, generally attain 

 perfection, either the same or in about the pe- 

 riod of a twelvemonth afterwards, and which in 

 the following spring or summer shoot up stems, 

 flower, and perfect their seeds ; after which 

 most of the sorts either soon wholly perish ; or, 

 when any particular sort survives another year, 

 the plants assume a dwindling and straggling 

 growth, and gradually decline. Bienniah are 

 consequently ahvavs in their prime the first or 

 second summer after they rise : they must in 

 general, of course, be raised annually from seed, 

 tor successional supplies in the difterent kinds. 



The most common of the esculent kind arc 

 the Callage, Savoy, Carrot, Parsvcp, Bett, Onion, 

 Leek, and some others. And of the flowery tribe, 

 the Canterbury -bell, French Honeysuckle, If'ull- 

 jioiver. Stock, July-Jlower, Sii cet IVilliam, China 

 Pink, Matted Pink, C<irnntion, Scabious, Tree 

 Mallow, Fen ain Mallow, Tree Primrose, Honesty 

 or Moon-wort, and some others, all which rise 

 the spring after being sown, and in tlic fol- 

 lowing spring shoot up into stem, flower, and 

 perfect their seeds in autumn, after which 

 most of them dwindle and decline, though the 

 Wall-flowers, Stocks, Sweet Williams, and Car- 

 nations, soinetimes survive, and flower the fol- 

 lowing year ; but the plants become weak and 

 straggling, and the flowers small and badly 

 coloured. On these accounts it is necessary to 

 raise a fresh supply annually, from seeds of all the 

 different sorts. The Wall-flowers, Carnations, 

 and Pinks, mav however be continued by plant- 

 ing slips and layers in the sunmier, in a peren- 

 nial state, in the utmost perfection. 



BIGNONIA, a genus comprehending several 

 plants of the shrubby and tree exotic kinds. The 

 Trumpet Flower, or Scarlet Jasmine. 



It belongs to the class and order Didynamia 

 Angiospermia, and ranks in the natural order of 

 FersonatiP. 



The characters are : that the caly.x is a one- 

 leafed, erect, cup-form, five-cleft perianthium : 



the corolla monopetalous, cauipanulate : tiil)« 

 very small, the length of tlie calvx : throat 

 very long, \entrlci)Sc beneath, obloiij^-cani- 

 |)anulate : border live-parted, the two upper di- 

 visions rellex, lower patulous : the stamina con- 

 sist of four subulate (ilameiil-i, shorter than the 

 corolla ; two longer than the other two : the 

 anthers reflex, obTong, as it were double : the 

 pistilliun is an oblong germ, the style (jliform, 

 having the situation and form of the stameiis : 

 the stigma is ca]titate : the pfricar|)iu.',i is a two- 

 celled, two-valved siliquc: partition uienihrana- 

 ceous, parallel and thickened at the sutures: the 

 seeds are very many, imbricate, compressed, 

 and membrane-winged on both sides. 



The -ipeeies chiefly cultivated fur omameiital 

 purpose-i are : I . B. Catalpa, Catalpa and Tree 

 IJignonia. 2. B. scmpervirens, Lvergreen Carolina 

 Bignonia, or Yellow Jasmine. 3. B. unguis, 

 Cut-claw Bignonia. 4. B. radicans, Hooting 

 Ash-leaved Scarlet Bignonia. 



The first is a deciduous tree, rising with an 

 upright stem, covered with a sinooih brown 

 bark, to the height of thirty or forty feet in its 

 native situation, but not nearly so high in this 

 climate : it sends out many strong lateral 

 branches, having very large, heart-shaped, or 

 ovate, leaves on them, placed opposite at every 

 joint. The flowers are produced in large branch- 

 ing panicles tow ards the end of the branches ; 

 they are of a dirty white colour, with a few pur- 

 ple spots, and faint stripes of yellow on their 

 inside : the tube of the corolla is much shorter, 

 and the upper part more spreading than in the 

 fourth sort : the segments also are deeper cut, 

 and waved on their edges. The flowers are suc- 

 ceeded by long taper pods in its native situation; 

 but these have not as vet been produced in 

 this climate. It is a native of South Carolina, 

 and flowers in August. 



The second species rises with slender stalks, 

 which twist themselves round the neighbouring 

 plants, and mount to a considerable height : 

 the leaves come out single and opposite to each 

 other at every joint : they remain green through 

 the year. The flowers come out from the wings 

 of the leaves at every joint, someiimes but two, 

 at other times four at each joint ; these stand 

 erect, are trumpet-shaped, yellow, and have a 

 very sweet sctnl ; and, in the countries where 

 they grow tiaturally, are succeeded by short 

 taper |K)ds filled with small winged seeds. It 

 is a native of South Corolina. • 



The tliird rises with slenderstems w hich rcfjuire 



support. The leaves arc small, ovate, entire, 



and placed opposite at every joint ; at the same 



places cume out the tendrils, by which the plant* 



Z 2 



