6o September 1748- 



found that fome were ten years old; but that 

 mod of them were above one year old. When 

 the cut is made, a yellow juice comes out be- 

 tween the bark and the wood. One or two of 

 the nioft outward circles are white, but the in- 

 nermoft are of a yellowifh green. It is eafy to 

 diftinguifh them one from another. They con- 

 tain a very plentiful pith, the diameter of which; 

 is frequently half an inch, and fometimes more. 

 It is brown, and fo loofe that it is eafily pufhed 

 out by a little ftick, in the fame manner as the 

 pith of the elder tree, rafpberry, and blackberry 

 buihes. This fumach grows near the enclofures, 

 round the corn-fields, but efpecially on fallow 

 ground, The wood feemed to burn well, and 

 made no great crackling in the fire. 



Sept. 20. IN the morning we walked in the 

 fields and woods near the town, partly for ga- 

 thering feeds, and partly for gathering plants for 

 my herbal, which was our principal occupation ; 

 and in the autumn of this year, we fent part of 

 our collection to England and Sweden. 



A SPECIES of R/JUS, which was frequent in 

 the marihes here, was called the poifon tree by 

 both Englijk and Swedes. Some of the former 

 gave it the name vtfw amp -fumach, and my coun- 

 trymen gave it the fame name. Dr. Linnaus 

 in his botanical works calls it Rbus Vernix. Sp. 

 pi. i. 380. Flor. Virgin, 45. An incifion be- 

 ing made into the tree, a whitiih yellow juice, 

 which has a naufeous fmell, comes out between 

 the bark and the wood. This tree is not known 

 for its good qualities, but greatly fo for the effec't 

 f its poifon, which though it is noxious to fome 



people, 



