290 THE NURSERY. [MARCH 



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RHUS, OR SUMACH. 



The various kinds of rhus or sumach, may be propagated by suck- 

 ers, layers, or seed. The seeds, if preserved in sand, and sown 

 early in March, will rise freely the same season, and when one or 

 two years old, may be transplanted into nursery-rows, and having had 

 there two years' growth, may be planted where intended to remain. 



THE CORK-TREE. 



The Quercus suber, or cork-tree, may be cultivated with good suc- 

 cess in the southern States, and consequently deserves to be noticed 

 among other articles of great national importance. It is a native of 

 the south of Europe, and the northern parts of Africa. At present 

 there are considerable woods of them between Rome and Naples, be- 

 tween Pisa and Leghorn, and also in Spain, Portugal, and the south 

 of France. 



The uses of the cork are well known amongst us, by sea and land, 

 for its resisting both water and air ; the fishermen who use nets, and 

 all who deal in liquors, cannot do well without it. Some persons 

 prefer it to leather for the soles of their shoes, being light, dry, and 

 resisting moisture, whence the Germans name it Pantoffel-hohs, or 

 slipper-wood; it was first applied to that purpose by the Grecian 

 ladies, whence they were called light-footed. The poor people in 

 Spain, and other parts of the south of Europe, lay planks of it by 

 their bed side to tread on, as great persons use Turkey and Persian 

 carpets ; they also employ it for bee-hives. For this last purpose, 

 they roll the bark into a cylinder, or into a conical form, and it an- 

 swers the end extremely well. It is also used for making cork jack- 

 ets, which have been found eminently useful for mariners, passen- 

 gers at sea, and for all those who resort to bathing-places for the 

 benefit of their health ; as such will enable the most timorous to swim 

 with perfect safety. 



Of the cork-tree there are two or three varieties, one with broad 

 leaves, a second with narrow leaves, both evergreen, and one or two 

 which cast their leaves in autumn ; but the broad-leaved evergreen 

 kind is the most common, and said to produce the best cork. The 

 leaves of this are entire, about two inches long, and an inch and a 

 quarter broad, with a little down on their under sides, having very 

 short footstalks ; they continue green through the winter, and gene- 

 rally fall off just before the new leaves come out, so that the trees 

 are often bare for a short time. The acorns are very like those of 

 our common white oak. 



The exterior bark is the cork, which is taken from the tree every 

 eight or ten years ; but there is besides an interior bark which nour- 

 ishes them, so that the stripping off the outer coat is so far from in- 

 juring the trees, that it is of real service ; for when it is not taken off 

 they seldom last longer than fifty or sixty years in health ; whereas 

 trees which are barked every eight or ten years will live one hundred 

 and fifty, or more. The bark of a young tree is porous and good for 

 little ; however, it is useful to take it off when the trees are twelve 



