TREES GROWING IN DRY SOIL. 265 



with a pleasant fragrance and spicy taste. About the foliage 

 there is a wholesome, clean look, and in the autumn it turns to 

 a delicate yellow and reddish hue. The brilliant fruit also adds 

 greatly to its charm, but this is of short duration. The birds 

 greedily devour it, as soon as its colour flashes upon their 

 watchful eyes. 



The wood of the sassafras is brittle, but it is also durable. 

 From the bark of its roots a powerful, aromatic oil is extracted 

 which is largely used as a stimulant. It has now, however, 

 lost the flavour it formerly had in the treatment of rheumatism. 

 Although the tree is reported to grow to the height of one 

 hundred and twenty-five feet, it is rather small at the north 

 and often becomes a shrub. Even in winter the bright, lus- 

 trous green is not driven from its twigs, and it is a cheery, en- 

 couraging sight. 



WILD BLACK CHERRY. RUM CHERRY. CABINET 



CHERRY. (Plate CXLIV.) 



Primus serdtina. 



FAMILY SHAPE HEIGHT RANGE TIME OF BLOOM 



Plum. Head, narrow ; branches, 50-90 feet. Southern Ontario to May, June. 



horizontal. Fla. and westward. Fruit: july-Seft. 



Bark : reddish brown or blackish ; rough and broken into plates ; becoming 

 smoother towards the top of the tree. Branchlets : rich, reddish brown, and 

 marked with tiny orange-coloured dots; aromatic; bitter. Leaves: simple; 

 alternate ; oblong or oval-lanceolate ; taper-pointed at the apex and pointed or 

 rounded at the base ; finely serrate, with small, incurved teeth ; at maturity 

 glabrous; firm; glossy; the light coloured midrib very distinct. Flowers: 

 white ; growing on pedicels in long, slender racemes which terminate leafy 

 shoots. Calyx : bell-shaped ; five-lobed. Corolla : of five small petals. 

 Stamens : numerous. Pistil : one. Fruit : almost black ; a small, round 

 drupe ; vinous, although not disagreeable to the taste. 



Such a pretty point is brought to mind by the illustration of 

 the black cherry. In early spring when the bloom unfolds, it 

 is so soft and light that its stem holds it uprightly in the sur- 

 rounding atmosphere ; but as it fades away and the rich, heavy 

 fruit matures, the slender stalk is not equal to its weight. So it 

 supplely bends and the clusters are seen drooping all through 



