THE SERVICE. Ill 



with the dark phies and wavinp; birch, which cast a 

 solemn liloom over the hills of the north. In sum- 

 mer, the liiiht o-reen tint of its foliage happily con- 

 trasts with t!ie deeper g-reen of the surroundins^ trees; 

 and, in autumn, its glowing: berries sjiarkle amidst the 

 dark brown cones of the larch and the spruce. 



#> 



Service — Pyrus domestica. 



The True Service (Pyrus domestica) is a native 

 of the south of Europe. It is g'enerally cultivated 

 here as a shrub, but in time, though a very long time, 

 it becomes a tree of considerable size. The wood is 

 com])act and strong, and often made into weavers' 

 shuttles, and the wooden parts of other small tools 

 and im])lements. Notwithstanding the goodness of its 

 timber, the service-tree could never be profitably culti- 

 \-ated in this country, in consequence of the slowness 

 of its growth. 



The fruits of the service remain on the tree during 

 a part of the winter: they ha\;^ cathartic properties; 

 but the people of Kamschatka use them as food when 

 they have been mellowed by frost. In some parts of 

 the North an ardent spirit is produced from them by 

 distillatiou. 



L 2 



