LIST OF FOREST TREES. 



101 



however grow well on very thin heath 

 soil, nor on damp clays. In Cornwall 

 the common sort (ulex europ&us) at- 

 tains to 8 feet in height. In Devon- 

 shire, according to Vancouver, this 

 species is termed French furze, al- 

 though we suspect the ulex provin- 

 cialis is the species which ought to 

 come under this name. In some places 

 the ulex nana is called French furze. 

 The botanical distinctions are as fol- 

 low : 



The Common Furze, Ulex Europeans. 

 Branches, erect, somewhat villous ; calyx, 

 pubescent, teeth obsolete converging, brae- 

 teas densely downy, oval, loose. 



French Furze, Ulex Provincials. 

 Branches, erect, somewhat smooth ; calyx^ a 

 little pubescent, nearly as long as the co- 

 rolla, teeth lanceolate, distant, bracteas 

 minute, compressed. 



Dwarf Whin, or Furze, Ulex n&na. 

 Branches, decumbent, hairy; teeth of the 

 calyx, lanceolate, distant, and spreading ; 

 bracteas, minute, rounded, and close pressed. 



From the above it is evident that the 

 common furze and the French species 

 are nearly allied ; the dwarf furze has 

 the leaves or spines shorter and closer, 

 and the branches decumbent. These 

 points of structure distinguish this spe- 

 cies from the others at the first sight 

 Its value is estimated, in comparison 

 to that of the common, as two to one 

 inferior. 



The common furze generally attains to 

 its full size in four years, and it ought 

 not to be cut more frequently. In 

 local cases, as in the neighbourhood 

 of potteries, Vancouver observes il 

 makes a return of from 15s. to 20-5. an 

 acre annually. The wood is very hard 

 but never attains to a size available 

 for the business of the carpenter. It 

 is chiefly used for fuel, fences, and 

 food tor cows, horses, and sheep. On 

 soils such as now alluded to, it makes a 

 good fence, but requires peculiar ma- 

 nagement to prevent it becomingnaked 

 at the root. Sowing in three tiers on a 

 bank is perhaps the best mode, as it 

 allows of one to be kept low by the 

 shears or bill, the second of higher 

 growth, and the last to attain its natu- 

 ral stature. Respecting its merits as an 

 article of fodder, a good deal has been 

 written ; as, for instance, by Duhamel in 

 France, Evelyn in England, and Doc- 

 tor Anderson in Scotland ; and at this 



time, and for that purpose, as we are 

 informed, it is cultivated successfully 

 by Mr. Attwood of Birmingham. It 

 requires to be chopped or bruised, as 

 a preparative to its mastication. It 

 would be valuable information to know 

 the comparative value of the Whin to 

 that of Lucern, Turnip, Red Clover, 

 cultivated separately, or a combination 

 of Ddctylis glomerata, Lolium pe- 

 rcnne, Festuca duriiiscula, P6a pra- 

 tensis, Cynosurus cristdlus, Lotus 

 corniculdtus, Phleum pratcnse, Trifb- 

 lium repens, Trifolium minus, Medi- 

 cdgo lupulina, and a small portion of 

 Achillea millefolium. The produce of 

 plants constituting the richest pasture 

 plants, when combined on a furze soil, 

 are proper to compare with the pro- 

 duce of furze, to ascertain the most 

 profitable crop with which to occupy 

 the soil in question, and this point has 

 not yet been determined. 



Eng. Name. 



LABURNUM. 



Bot. Name. 



CYTISUS. 



Calyx, labiate ; leyurnc, or seed-pod, tapering 

 at the base ; seed, kidney-shaped, com- 

 pressed. 



Time of sowing seed March. Soil 

 This tree attains the greatest perfec- 

 tion on a sandy loam, but it may be 

 planted in almost any kind of soil, 

 except where stagnant moisture pre- 

 vails. Uses Although an ornamental 

 tree, yet its wood or timber is valuable 

 for various kinds of fancy wood- works, 

 such as musical instruments, handles 

 of knives, &c. The wood is very hard, 

 takes a fine polish, and, when of suffi- 

 cient size, may be manufactured into 

 the most elegant kinds of furniture. 



In the species here enumerated, the pods 

 are one or two-jointed, joints glo- 

 bular. 



Species for Timber as well as for 

 Ornament, S^c. 



Monadelphia Dccandria. Linn. 



LABURNUM. CVTISUS. 



Com. laburnum . . laburnum . .Eur. . 1025 

 Scotch laburnum .alpinus. . . . 

 ROBINIA, or LOCUST-TREE, 



FAJ.SE ACACIA, &c. ROBINIA *. 



Calyx , one-leafed, four-cleft ; legume, com- 

 pressed, long, gibbous ; seed, kidney-form. 



Time of sowing the seed. The end of 

 March, on a bed of light earth. The 



* So named by Linnaeus in honour of J. Robin, 

 a French botanist, who first introduced the tree 

 into France from Canada, in the reign of Henry 

 IV., about the year 1601. Mich. 



