in Extra-Tropical Countries. 13 



wheel-wrights' work, wooden dishes, founders' patterns and flooring; 

 not apt to warp; preferred for shoe-lasts; when knotty or curly it fur- 

 nishes the Bird's-eye and Curly Maple- wood. From the end of Feb- 

 ruary till the early part of April the trees, when tapped, will yield 

 the saccharine fluid, which is so extensively converted into Maple- 

 sugar, each tree yielding 12 to 24 gallons of sap in a season, 3 to 6 

 gallons giving 1 Ib. of sugar; but exceptionally the yield may rise to 

 100 and more gallons. The tapping process commences at the age of 

 20 years, and may be continued for 40 years or more without destruc- 

 tion of the tree (G. Maw). According to Porcher, instances are on 

 record of 33 Ibs. of sugar having been obtained from a single tree in 

 one season. The Sugar-Maple is rich in potash, furnishing a large 

 proportion of this article in the United States. The bark is import- 

 ant for the manufacture of several American dyes. The tree is par- 

 ticularly recommendable in Australia for sub-alpine regions. It bears 

 a massive head of foliage on a slender stem. The autumnal coloring is 

 superb. In the Eastern States of North-America the Sugar-Maple is 

 regarded as the best tree for shade-avenues. Numerous other maples 

 exist, among which may be mentioned Acer Creticum (Linne) of 

 South- Europe, 40 feet; A. laevigatum, A. sterculiaceum and A. 

 villosum (Wallich) of Nepal, 40 feet'. 



Achillea Millefolium, Linn& 



Yarrow or Millfoil. Europe, Northern Asia and North- America. 

 A perennial medicinal herb of considerable astringency, pervaded with 

 essential oil, containing also a bitter principle (achillein) and a peculiar 

 acid, which takes its name from the generic appellation of the plant. 

 Fitted for warrens and light sandy soil. Recommended by many for 

 sheep-pastures, but disregarded by Langethal. Found indigenous in 

 Norway as far as 71 10' N. (Schuebeler). 



Achillea moschata, Wulfen. 



Alps of Europe. The " Genipi " or " Iva " of the Swiss. This 

 perennial herb ought to bear transferring to any other alpine moun- 

 tains. With the allied A. nana (Linne) and A. atrata (Linne) it enters 

 as a component into the aromatic medicinal Swiss tea. A. fragran- 

 tissima (Reichenbach) is a shrubby species from the deserts of Egypt, 

 Turkey and Persia, valuable for its medicinal flowers. 



Achras Sapota, Linn^. (Sapota Achras, Miller.) 



The " Sapodilla-Plum " of the West-Indies and Central America. 

 A fine evergreen tree, producing delicious fruit. Yields also gutta- 

 percha. The bark possesses tonic properties. Achras Australis (R. 

 Brown; Sideroxylon australe, J. Hooker), a tree yielding also tole- 

 rably good fruit, occurs in New South Wales and Queensland. Other 

 sapotaceous trees, producing table-fruit, such as the Lucuma mammosa 

 (the Marmalade-tree), Lucuma Bonplandi, Chrysophyllum Cainito 

 (the Star- Apple), all from West India, and Lucuma Cainito of Peru, 

 might also be subjected to trial-culture in sub-tropical forest-valleys; 



