34 WORCESTEK COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. [1899. 



tbily thousMnd tons have been sent to England alone in a single 

 year. 



The wild olive, Elceagnufi augufitifolia, grows abundantly in 

 low situations and humid soils. It has more the habit and 

 appearance of a willow than an olive, though the underside of 

 the leaf is hoary and sometimes quite silvery. The fruit is dry, 

 mealy and saccharine and retains for a long time its usual size 

 and form. It is sold extensively in the markets. 



The Acacia juUbrassin, though not a native, is found in every 

 garden in and around Constantinople, The foliage, though not 

 sensitive to the touch, is highly susceptible to the variations of 

 the atmosphere. On a bright day the dense pinnate foliage 

 gives a thick shade, but if rain threatens, the leaflets close their 

 under surfaces together and the tree seems denuded of leaves. 

 The beautiful, large clusters of stamens of bright pink color 

 and rich silky texture make it an essential favorite among the 

 Turks who have given to it the poetic name of Gul Ibrisim or 

 Silk Rose, and from this has arisen the specific botanical name 

 of Julibrassin. 



The Smilax excelsa runs riot in all the woods covering the 

 hills on either side the Bosphorus. It climbs to the tops of the 

 highest trees, and descending in streaming branches forms a lofty 

 green wall by the roadside. In autumn, loaded with rich, red 

 berries, it is wonderfully beautiful. 



The cherry, a pale, amber-colored, transparent variety, grows 

 wild in the woods of Asia Minor. The flavor is delicious. 

 The peculiar fact about the trees is their great height, the low- 

 est branch being thirty to forty feet from the ground and the 

 whole tree measuring seventy to ninety feet. 



Other fruits abounding are apricots, figs, walnuts, plums, 

 medlars, chestnuts and filberts. The pears and apples are not 

 worth mentioning. The fig-trees grow to very large size. The 

 trunk of one standing in my father's garden was about the 

 circumference of my body, and in its branches I used to sport 

 in my boyhood's days. The apricot-trees were likewise large, 

 the size of our largest apple-trees, the fruit more nearly the size 

 of the peach and more juicy than those grown in this country. 



