ARBUTUS. 



screen private walks or low buildings, as it 

 gives out Hat spreading branches near the 

 ground ; but it has a sombre appearance, un- 

 less associated with more cheerful foliage, or 

 ornamented by some gay climbing plant, as 

 the everlasting pea, the flaming nasturtium, or 

 our native bindweed. 



The arbor vitce, which we have borrowed 

 from the extremity of the east and of the west, 

 as a mere ornament to our pleasure-grounds, 

 forms an article of utility and profit to the in- 

 habitants of its native soil. It is reckoned the 

 most durable wood in Canada, where it is 

 known by the name of the white cedar. All 

 the posts which are driven into the ground, 

 and tlie palisades round the forts, are made of 

 this wood. The planks in the houses are made 

 of it; and the thin narrow pieces of wood 

 which form both the ribs and the bottom of the 

 bark boats commonly made use of there, are 

 taken from this wood, because it is pliant 

 , for th<; purpose, when fresh, and also 

 it is v.-iy liu'ht. The thuja wood is 

 reckoned one of the best for the use of lime- 

 kilns. Its branches are used all over Canada 

 for brooms, which leave their peculiar scent in 

 all the houses where they are used. The arbor 

 vitce affords [a popular remedy for rheumatic 

 and ^ome other complaints among the Indians 

 and >ettlers of North America.] 



The finest trees are al\vay> raised by seed, 

 but they are more easily propagated by layers 

 or cuttings. (Phil. Syl. Flr.) 



ARBUTUS. A genus of evergreen shrubs 

 which is characterized by its fruit being a 

 berry, containing many seeds. The only va- 

 riety necessary to be enumerated in these 

 pages is the Arbutus unedo, or strawberry tree. 



In IMiny's time, when Home abounded in 

 wine and oil, they called the tree nnedn, which 

 was an abridgment of unn/n edn, meaning, 

 "Yon will eat but one." It has the name of 

 strawberry-tree with us, because its berries so 

 nearly resemble in appearance that delicious 

 fruit. It is found growing spontaneously on 

 rocky limestone situations in the west of Ire- 

 land, particularly in the county of Kerry, near 

 the lake of Killarney, where the peasants eat 

 the fruit. The arbutus is a native of the south 

 of Europe, Greece, Palestine, and many other 

 parts of Asia. 



Horace celebrates the shade of this tree : 



" Nnnc viridi membra sub arbuto 

 Stratus." 



But Virgil describes its foliage as rather thin 

 (Eel. vii.), and recommends the twig as a 

 winter food for goats. 



The arbutus tree succeeds best in a. moist 

 soil, for when planted in dry ground it seldom 

 produces much fruit. It is therefore recom- 

 mended to place it in warm situations ; and if 

 the earth is not naturally moist, there should 

 be plenty of loam and rotten neat's dung laid 

 about its roots, and in dry springs it should be j 

 plentifully watered. 



The arbutus trees may be propagated by j 

 layers, but they are principally raised from 

 seed ; and they require to be kept in pots for 

 several years before they are ready for the 

 plantation. We meet with a variety of this 



ARROW-HEAD. 



tree in our shrubberies with double blossoms, 

 and another with red flowers. Aiton enume- 

 rates five different species of the arbutus, and 

 there are several varieties of them in the Pari- 

 sian gardens not to be seen ii our shrubberies. 

 The leaves of the arbutus are said to be use- 

 fully employed by tanners in preparing their 

 leather. (Phillips' s Sylm Florifera.) 



This beautiful evergreen grows to the height 

 of ten and fifteen feet. Its flowers, which are 

 of a yellowish white or red colour bloom in 

 September, October, and November, and are 

 succeeded by the fruit, which remain till the 

 llowers of the following year are full blown, 

 thus giving the tree a beautiful appearance. 



ARCHED. A term employed among horse- 

 men. A horse is said to have arched legs 

 when his knees are bent archwise. This only 

 relates to the fore-quarters, and the infirmity 

 sometimes happens to such horses as have 

 their legs spoiled in travelling. 



ARGILLACEOUS. [Clayey.] Containing 

 clay. 



ARM OF A HORSE. A term applied to the 

 upper part of the fore-leg. 



ARNOTTO. See AXNOTTA. 



AROMATIC. An epithet applied to such 

 plants, and other bodies, as yield a fragrant 

 odour, and have a warm spicy taste. 



AROMATIC REED (Acarus calamus}. The 

 common sweet-flag. A marshy perennial plant 

 of the easiest culture, flowering from June till 

 August, which grows among rushes in moist 

 ditches and watery places, about the banks of 

 rivers, but not very general. Root, thick, 

 rather spongy ; leaves, erect, two or three feet 

 high, bright green, near an inch broad. It 

 rarely flowers unless it grows in water, but 

 when it does bloom, it puts forth a mass ot 

 very numerous, thick-set, brownish green 

 flowers, which have no scent except when 

 bruised. Every part of the herbage is stimu- 

 lant, and very aromatic, but the roots are espe- 

 cially so. The dried root powdered is used by 

 the country people of Norfolk, [England,] for 

 curing the ague. It is affirmed to possess car- 

 minative and stomachic virtues, having a 

 warm, pungent, bitterish taste, and is fre- 

 quently used in preparing bitters, though it is 

 said to impart a nauseous flavour. It is the 

 Calamus aromaticua of the shops, and Linnoeus 

 says, the roots powdered might supply the 

 place of foreign spices. (Eng. Flor. vol. ii. p. 

 157; Paxton's Bot. Diet. ; Willich's Dum. 

 Enct/c.') 



ARPENT. The French name for an acre, 

 [The French arpent contains 51,691 square 

 English feet, or very nearly one acre and three- 

 quarters of a rood English measure.] 



ARROW-GRASS (Triglochin). Perennial 

 marsh herbs, of which there are two kinds, the 

 marsh arrow-grass and the sea arrow-grass, 

 both perennials, flowering from May till Au- 

 gust. They grow in wet boggy meadows and 

 salt marshes, &c., abundantly, and are very 

 grateful to domestic cattle, the herbage con- 

 taining a large proportion of salt. (Eng. Flor. 

 vol. ii. p. 200.) 



ARROW-HEAD (Sngittaria sagittifoha, 

 from sagiffa, an arrow; because of the resem- 

 blance of the leaves to the head of that weapon) 



