110 Select Plants for Industrial Culture 



Cupressus sempervirens, Linn. 



The Common Cypress. South-Europe and South-Eastern Asia, on 

 Mount Lebanon up to 5,000 feet. It is famous for the great age it 

 attains, and for the durability of its timber, which is next to imperish- 

 able. Doors from this wood in St. Paul's Church in Rome have 

 lasted over 600 years. Both varieties, namely C. pyramidalis (Tar- 

 gioni) and C. horizontalis (Miller) widely under culture; attains in 

 warm countries occasionally a height of 100 feet and a stem-girth of 

 9 feet. Hardy in England. Near Somma a cypress is still shown, 

 which so it is said was renowned already at Caesar's time on account 

 of its great size. The wood is prized for trunks and boxes, as rendering 

 the contents proof against most kinds of insects (Dr. Brandis). At 

 present its wood is much sought for the manufacture of musical in- 

 struments. Young records the stem-circumference of a Cypress at 

 Lago Maggiore at 54 feet, and this was known even 600 years ago as 

 a venerable tree, thus far one of the few most favored trees in the 

 whole creation. 



Cupressus thurifera, Humboldt, Bonpland and Kunth. 



Mexican White Cedar; 3,000 to 4,500 feet above sea-level. A 

 handsome pyramidal tree, upwards of 40 feet high. 



Cupressus thuyoides, Linn& (Chamcecyparis sphwroidea, Spach; Thuja 

 sphceroidalis, Cl. Richard.) 



White Cedar of North- America; in moist and swampy ground. 

 Height of tree reaching 80 feet; diameter of stem 3 feet. The wood 

 is reddish, light, clear, easy to split, soft and fragrant; it turns red 

 when exposed to the air. Extensively used for a great variety of 

 purposes for boat-building, cooperage, railway-ties, particularly also 

 shingles; it is fine-grained and easily worked. Mohr says, that the 

 wood when well seasoned offers the finest material for hollow-ware. 

 For furniture, it admits of a high finish and has a pleasing hue. The 

 old wood resists the successions of dryness and moisture better than 

 any other American Cypress hitherto tried. Circumferential rate of 

 stem-growth in Nebraska 22 inches at 2 feet from the ground in 

 12 years (Furnas). 



Cupressus torulosa, Don.* 



Nepal-Cypress. Northern India; 4,500 to 8,000 feet above the 

 sea-level. Average ordinary height 40 feet, but much larger dimen- 

 sions are on record ; thus Dr. Stewart and Major Madden mention a 

 tree 150 feet in height and 17 feet in stem-girth. The reddish fra- 

 grant wood is as durable as that of the Deodar-Cedar and highly 

 valued for furniture. The tree prefers limestone-soil. Splendid for 

 wind-breaks and tall hedges. Dr. Brandis thinks, that it may attain 

 an age of 1,000 years. 



Cyamopsis psoraloides, De Candolle. 



Southern Asia. This annual is mentioned by Dr. Forbes Watson 

 among the plants, which furnish throughout the year table-beans to a 

 portion of the population of India. 



