AVERAGES. 



AZOTE. 



only bear removing very well, but that is green 

 in the spring almost as soon as any plant what 

 ever, and continues so equally long. It make 

 an incomparable hedge, and is preferable t 

 all other trees for lofty espaliers. The lime i 

 very useful on account of its regular growtl 

 and fine shade ; and the horse-chesnut is pro 

 per for such places as are not too much ex 

 posed to rough winds. The common chesnu 

 does very well in a good soil, or on warm gra 

 vels, as it rises to a considerable height when 

 planted somewhat close ; but, when it stands 

 single, it is rather inclined to spread than grow 

 tall. The beech naturally grows well with us 

 in its wild state, but it is less to be chosen fo 

 avenues than others, because it does not bea 

 transplanting well. The abele may also be 

 employed for this use, as it is adapted to al 

 most any soil, and is the quickest grower of 

 any forest tree. It seldonr fails in transplant 

 ing, and succeeds very well in wet soils, in 

 whicto the others are apt to suffer. The oak is 

 but seldom used for avenues, because of its 

 slow growth. 



The old method of planting avenues was by 

 regular rows of trees, a practice which has 

 been adhered to till lately ; but now, when they 

 are used, a much more ornamental way of 

 planting them is adopted, which is by setting 

 the trees in clumps or platoons, making the 

 opening much wider than before, and placing 

 the clumps of trees from one to three hundn-d 

 feet distant from each other. In these clumps 

 there should always be planted either seven or 

 nine trees ; but it must be observed that this 

 method is only proper to be practiced where 

 the avenue is of considerable length, as in short 

 walks such clumps will not appear so sightly 

 as single rows of trees. The avenues made 

 by clumps are the most suitable for large 

 parks. The trees in the clumps in such should 

 be planted thirty feet asunder ; and a trench 

 thrown up round each clump to prevent the 

 deer from coming to the trees and barking 

 them. 



AVERAGES (Fr. aver; Lat. nneragium). 

 In the corn trade, is the average amount of the 

 prices at which the several kinds of corn are 

 sold in the chief corn markets of England, as 

 ascertained by the returns of certain inspec- 

 tors, according to the act of the 9 G. 4, c. 60. 

 (See Couv LAWS.) 



AVERDUPOIS, or AVOIRDUPOIS 

 WEIGHT (Avoir du poid, Fr., Dr. Johnson 

 says, but he should have added, averia ponde- 

 ris, Lat., literally goods of weight, goods sold 

 by weight ; arer in old French, and avoir in 

 modern, signifying goods, like the low Lat. 

 averium, avenim, avert). That kind of weight 

 commonly made use of for weighing most 

 kinds of large and coarse goods, as cheese, 

 butter, salt, hops, flesh, wool, &c. According 

 to it, sixteen drachms make an ounce, sixteen 

 ounces one pound, one hundred and twelve 

 pounds one hundred weight, and twenty hun- 

 dred weight one ton. It is most commonly 

 written avoirdupois. 



AVIARY (Lat. avis, a bird). A place set 

 apart tor the feeding and propagating birds. 



AWNS (Goth, ahanrt; Sw. agrz) The nee- 

 dle-like bristles which form the beards of 

 17 



wheat, barley, and other grasses. The word 

 is in some parts of England pronounced ails 

 and ties. 



AXIS (Lat., axel, Sw.), or axle-tree. The 

 strong piece of wood or iron which supports 

 the weight of wagons, carts, carriages, &c., and 

 round the extremities of which the wheels 

 turn. 



AZALEA. American honey-suckle; the 

 white-flowered (Lat. Azalea viscosa). A hardy 

 shrub growing three feet high, and blowing its 

 white flowers in June and July. Azalea nudi- 

 Jlira, also a native of North America, grows 

 three feet high, with red flowers, blooming in 

 May and June ; and Azalea pontica, a native 

 of the neighbourhood of the Black Sea, bloom- 

 ing yellow flowers in May : it grows three feet 

 high. These hardy shrubs love shade and a 

 moist soil. Propagate by layers and suckers : 

 the seed does not ripen well in this climate. 

 Do not prune, only cut out the dead wood. 

 Remove the young well-rooted plants with a 

 good ball of earth in the autumn or early in 

 spring. 



AZOREAN FENNEL (Anelhum azoricum, 

 or Finochio ; from etm&H, on account of its run- 

 ning up straight). A plant kept in kitchen 

 gardens ; it is not in much esteem here, its 

 peculiar flavour being agreeable to few pa- 

 lates. In Italy, and some other countries, it is 

 served with a dressing like salads. 



AZOTE is as commonly known by the name 

 of nitrogen. The name of azote (derived from 

 the Greek at, from, and fai, life), was given to 

 it by the French chemists, from animals being 

 unable to breathe it [in a state of purity.] This 

 gas, which constitutes 79-16 parts per cent, of 

 the air we breathe, was discovered in 1772 by 

 Dr. Rutherford. Before his time there had been 

 much confusion with regard to the composi- 

 tion of the atmospheric and other gases; they 

 were chiefly regarded by the old chemists as 

 being all of the same kind, but mixed with 

 various unknown substances. When all the 

 oxygen is absorbed from a confined portion 

 of atmospheric air, the remainder is nearly 

 jure azote ; it is known only in the state of 



. Azotic gas is invisible and elastic, and 

 las no smell ; its specific gravity is 0.969. 

 \nimals cannot breathe it [in a pure state :] 

 when they are placed in a jar of it, they die 

 as rapidly as if immersed in water ; neither 

 will it support combustion. It unites with 

 >xygen in various proportions : thus, 



fcrt*. PiH. 



75 azote and 2 oxygen forms nitrous gas. 



'75 5 nitric acid, or aquafortis. 



75 4-178 nitrous acid. 



Azote, or nitrogen, abounds in animal sub- 

 tances, for it forms 16-998 per cent, of gela- 

 ine ; 15-705 per cent, of albumen (white of 

 gg), &c., and these are commonly present in 



all animal substances. Azote unites also with 

 iydrogen gas, and forms the volatile alkali 



ammonia, which is composed of 



Azote - 

 Hydrogen - 



- 74 



parts. 



Now, as both these substances exist in ani- 

 mal matters, when such substances putrefy, or 

 re subjected to the destructive distillation, 



129 



