PERSIMMON. 



PINE TREE. 



productive, furnishing in the proportion of 600 

 gallons of liquor to the acre, where the trees 

 are full grown. See CIHKR and PEAR. 



PERSIMMON (Diopyros Virginiana). The 

 banks of the Connecticut, below lat. 42, has 

 been considered by Michaux as the northern 

 limit of this American tree. But it is rendered 

 rare in those parts by the severity of the win- 

 ter, whilst in New Jersey, southern Pennsyl- 

 vania, and others of the Middle, Southern and 

 Western States, it is abundant. The French 

 call it Plaquenrinier, and its fruit plaquemines. 

 The tree varies surprisingly in size in different 

 soils and climates, being in the vicinity of New 

 York not more than half as large as in the 

 more Southern States, where, in favourable 

 situations, it is sometimes 60 feet in height and 

 18 to 24 inches in diameter. The tree belongs 

 to the class of plants of which the male and 

 female flowers are on different stocks. It is 

 remarkable for producing a great abundance 

 of fruit of a roundish-oval shape, about an 

 inch in diameter, of a reddish orange colour 

 when mature, which is generally just after the 

 first autumnal frosts. Whilst green, the fruit 

 is proverbial for its harshness and astringency, 

 but when ripe, it abounds in saccharine and 

 other properties which render it luscious, 

 wholesome, and highly nutritious. 



PHLEUM. See CAT'S TAIL. 



PHLOX (From phlox, a flame ; alluding to 

 the appearance of the flowers). This is an 

 elegant genus of plants. The species are all 

 rendered more valuable from their lively red, 

 purple, or white flowers, being produced at a 

 season of the year when the majority of the 

 plants that flower at the same period are syn- 

 genesious, and for the most part yellow. All 

 the species root freely by cuttings "under glass, 

 or by divisions. 



PHOSPHORIC ACID. See ACIDS. 



PIE. A provincial term for a raised mound, 

 or pit for preserving potatoes and other roots ; 

 and it is also applied to the compost heaps 

 formed when the farm-yard dung is carried into 

 the fields. 



PIECE-WORK. That which is done by the 

 job or piece. It is sometimes called task-work. 

 See LABOUR. 



PIG. See SWIKE. 



PIGEON (CWiMw&o). This bird, with all 

 its numerous varieties of tumblers, carriers, 

 powts, &c., is derived from one common spe- 

 cies, denominated the stock-dove. Mr. Yarrell, 

 in his History of British Birds, describes five 

 species of doves or pigeons, viz. 



1. The ring-dove, or wood pigeon (C pahim- 

 bus}, so called from the white feathers which 

 form a portion of a ring round its neck, a well- 

 known bird, which is also called a wood pigeon 

 in many parts of England, is the largest wild 

 pigeon known in Europe. In England, the 

 ring-dove is also called the cushat, and the 

 queest: the last names having reference to a 

 tone of sadness which pervades their notes. 



The whole length of this bird is 17 inches. 

 The plumage of the upper parts of the body is 

 bluish-gray, the neck and breast are vinous 

 purple-red ; the belly, &c., ash-gray ; legs and 

 toes red. 



2. The stock-dove (C. anas'). This species 



890 



derives its name from building in the stocks of 

 trees, particularly such as have been headed 

 down, and have become in consequence rug- 

 ged and bushy at the top. The plumage is for 

 the most part bluish-gray, the sides of the neck 

 glossy, with green reflections ; breast purple- 

 red. The whole length of the female is 13 

 inches. 



3. The rock-dove (C. livia), as its name im- 

 plies, is a species which, in its natural and 

 wild state, inhabits high rocks near the sea- 

 coast, in the cavities of which it lives the 

 greater part of the year. The whole length of 

 the bird is 11 inches. 



4. The turtle-dove (C. turtur) is only a sum- 

 mer visitor. These birds arrive in England 

 from the African coast about the end of April 

 or the beginning of May, and are rather more 

 numerous in the south-eastern, southern, and 

 midland counties, than in those which are 

 farther north. The plumage is in general 

 brown, of various shades ; legs and toes yellow- 

 brown. The whole length of the bird is 11 

 inches. 



5. The passenger pigeon (C. Ectopistes migra- 

 torius'). This beautiful bird is a native of North 

 America. Its appearance on the English coasts 

 is very rare. The whole length of an adult 

 male bird is 17 inches. 



PIGEON'S DUNG. See DOVE-COTK and 



GuAXO. 



PIGGERY. A collection of small sties 

 where hogs or swine are lodged. See SWIWE. 



PIKE. A word of various signification in 

 different districts. In some counties it is ap- 

 plied to a prong, or what is generally called a 

 fork, used for carrying straw, &c, from the barn, 

 cocking of hay, &c. In others it signifies a 

 sort of stacklet or load, cock of hay, &c. In 

 the midland districts it means to glean. 



PILE. A sharpened beam of wood driven 

 down into the ground to protect the banks of 

 rivers or for other similar purposes. Pile is 

 also provincially applied to the breaking off 

 the awns of thrashed barley, and to a blade 

 of grass. 



PILING-IRON. A tool used in breaking off 

 the awns of barley, and sometimes the tails of 

 oats, an operation which with the farmers is 

 :alled piling barley. See HUMMELLER. 



PILEWORT CROWFOOT. See CROWFOOT. 



PILL-WORT (Pihdaria, from pilula, a pill ; 

 hape of the heads containing the reproductive 

 organs). The creeping pill-wort, or pepper- 

 2;rass (P. globuliferd], is in England an obscure 

 little plant, found in dark meadows among 

 grass, especially where they have been over- 

 lowed with water during winter. It is peren- 

 nial in habit, putting forth brown flowers in 

 June and July. 



PIMPERNEL (JlnagaUis}. A genus of very 

 pretty, interesting plants, of easy culture. 



PINE TREE (Finns, from pinos ; a Greek 

 word used by Theophrastus, to designate a pine 

 tree; and some authors derive it from the Celtic 

 pin or pyn, a mountain or rock, alluding to the 

 habitat of the tree). This much-esteemed and 

 well-known genus, belonging to the gymnosper- 

 mous division of exogens, contains some of 

 the trees of most universal use in civilized so- 

 ciety, and which form a very important article 



