920 ARBORETUM AND FRUTICETUM. PART III. 



mountains, in Forfarshire, as high as 2500ft. Hence it is an excellent tree for 

 plantations intended to resist the sea breeze, or to be placed in exposed 

 situations ; but, wherever it is wanted to attain a large size, it ought to be 

 planted in free soil in a moist climate, or near water, and in a situation that 

 is open and airy. Few trees suffer more from extreme heat and drought than 

 the mountain ash. 



Propagation and Culture. Plants are almost always raised from seed, 

 which should be gathered as soon as it is ripe, to prevent its being eaten by 

 birds, which are so fond of it as to attack it even before it is ripe. 

 When gathered, the fruit should be macerated in water till the seeds are 

 separated from the pulp, and they may be then sown immediately ; but, as 

 they will, in that case, remain 18 months in the ground before coming up, 

 the common mode adopted by nurserymen is, to mix the berries with light 

 sandy soil, and spread them out in a layer of 10 in. or 1 ft. in thickness, in the 

 rotting ground ; covering the layer with 2 in. or 3 in. of sand or ashes, and 

 allowing them to remain in that state for a year. They are then separated 

 from the soil by sifting, and sown in beds of light rich soil, being covered a 

 quarter of an inch. The plants having large leaves, the seeds should not be 

 dropped nearer together than 2 in., which will allow the plants to come up 

 with sufficient strength. They may be sown any time from November to Fe- 

 bruary, but not later : they will come up in the June following, and, by the 

 end of the year, the strongest plants will be 18 in. high, and fit to separate 

 from the others, and to plant out in nursery lines. 



Statistics. In the environs of London, there are trees from 25 ft. to 30ft. high, at Syon, Kenwood, 

 and various other places ; and many may be seen, of 25 ft in height, and upwards, in the suburban 

 gardens by the roadsides. In Surrey, at Bagshot Park, 22 years planted, the tree is 25 ft. high ; in 

 Durham, at South End, 18 years planted, it is 30ft. high ; in Hertfordshire, at Cheshunt, 16 years 

 planted, it is 17ft high; in Suffolk, at Finborough Hall, 70 years planted, it is 30ft. high; in War- 

 wickshire, at Coombe Abbey, 48 years planted, it is 28ft. high. In Scotland, in Ayrshire, at Bar- 

 ganny, where the tree is indigenous, are many very large specimens ; in the village of New Dailly, 

 one has a trunk free from brandies to the height of 20ft., the diameter at the base being 2ft. 3 in., 

 and at the point where the branches originate 2 ft. 8 in. In Bantt'shire, at Gordon Castle, it is 30 ft 

 high, the diameter of the trunk 2ft. 8 in., in strong loam, on clay in Cromarty, atCoul, 35ft. high; 

 in Forfarshire, at Old Montrose, 65 years planted, and 50ft. high, the diameter of the trunk 2ft. 10 in., 

 and of the head 40 ft. : in Kircudbrightshire, at Cally, is a tree, 25 ft. high, with an orbiculate head 

 30ft. in diameter, and branches drooping to the ground. In Ireland, at Dublin, in the Glasnevin 

 Botanic Garden, 35 years planted, the tree is 3()ft. high; in Galway, at Coole, it is 20ft. high. 

 In Saxony, at Worlitz, 34 years planted, it is 30ft. high. In Bavaria, at Munich, in the Botanic Gar- 

 den, 34 years planted, it is 30ft. high. 



29. P. AMERICANA Dec. The American Service. 



Identification. Dec. Prod. ,2. p. 637. ; Hook. Fl. Bor. Amer., 1. p. 204. ; Don's Mill., 2. p. 648. 

 Xynoni/mes. Sorbus americana Ph. Fl. Bor. Amer., 1. p. 341. ; WiUd. Enum., 520 ; S. americana 



var./3 Michx. Fl. Amer., p. 290. 

 Engravings. Wats. Dend. Brit, t. 54. ; and the plate of this species in our Second Volume. 



Spec. Char., fyc. Leaflets acute, almost equally serrated, glabrous, as is the 

 petiole. Pomes globose, of a purplish tawny colour. (Dec. Prod., ii. p. 637.) 

 A tree, closely resembling the common mountain ash ; a native of the 

 woods of Canada and Newfoundland. Introduced in 1782, and growing 

 to the height of 15ft. or 20 ft. It is, apparently, a more robust-growing 

 tree than the European mountain ash, with larger leaves, shining above, 

 and smooth beneath ; but it is, in reality, more tender. The young 

 shoots are of a dark purplish colour; and it has small, dark, or pur- 

 plish red, fruit. Sir W. J. Hooker says of this species, " In the leaves 

 and flowers I can perceive no difference between this and the Euro- 

 pean P. aucuparia;" and Michaux considered it only a variety of that 

 species. Pursh says that the berries are purple, and not scarlet, as 

 in the European mountain ash. Torrey says that the berries are copper- 

 coloured; which agrees better than the description of Pursh with the 

 appearance of those produced by the trees in the Horticultural Society's 

 Garden, and in other gardens in the neighbourhood of London. The tree 

 appears much more tender than the common mountain ash ; and, though 

 it has been so many years in the country, we do not know of a large, old, 

 handsome specimen of it any where. It is propagated by grafting on the 



