

CHAP. CI. ri.MA CE;K. CE I.'I'IS. 111.1 



seldom touched by insects, either on the Continent or in England; and the 

 Tossus Lignipi'rda and Scolytus destructor, which are so injurious to the 

 timber of many other trees, never touch either that of Celtis, that of Planeiv/ 

 Richard*, or that of Pyrus iS'orbus. C. australis is found on both the shores of 

 the Mediterranean, throughout the whole of the south of France, Italy, and 

 Spain. It is particularly abundant in Provence ; and there is a celebrated tree 

 at Aix, under which it is said that the ancient sovereigns of Provence delivered 

 their edicts to the people. The European nettle tree is much used in the 

 north of Italy and the south of France, for planting squares and public walks, 

 where it is frequently found from 40ft. to 50ft. high, with trunks from l^ft. 

 to 3 ft. in circumference. The wood of this tree is extremely compact ; ranking 

 between that of the live oak and that of the box, for hardness and density. 

 According to Baudrillart, it weighs, when dry, 70 Ib. 3 oz. per cubic foot. The 

 wood of the branches is elastic, and so extremely supple, that a piece 5ft. or 

 G ft. long, and 1 in. in diameter, may be made into a circle without breaking. 

 Its compactness renders it susceptible of a high polish ; and, when it is cut 

 obliquely across the fibres, it very much resembles satin-wood. It is principally 

 used for furniture, and, by the sculptors in wood, for carving into the statues of 

 saints ; but it is also employed for making tubs and cisterns, and the branches 

 for hay-forks. These divers uses, says M. De Cubieres, " remind one of the 

 verses of La Fontaine, when he makes his carver in wood exclaim, 



Scra-t-il dieu, table, ou cuvette?" 

 What shall I make of it ? ay, that 's 

 A god, a table, or a salt-fish tub ? " 



The principal use, however, of the nettle tree, in the south of France, is for 

 making hay-forks ; for which use the pliability and toughness of its branches 

 render it particularly suitable. Plantations of the tree, for this purpose, are 

 common near Lyons, and in several parts of the south of France; and in 

 the department du Gard there are about seven acres of rocky ground which 

 would be quite useless for any other purpose, but which are planted with 

 nettle trees, from which above 5000 dozens of hay-forks are made every 

 year, producing a yearly revenue of 25,000 francs. The stem of this tree, 

 when cut over by the ground, throws up thick and vigorous shoots, which 

 make excellent handles for coach whips, ramrods to muskets, and walking- 

 sticks, which have almost the flexibility of a supple-jack. When the trees 

 are intended for this purpose, they are planted in masses very close to one 

 another, in order that they may be drawn up, and increase in length rather 

 than in thickness. The inhabitants of Narbonne, and of the department of 

 Aude, cultivate the nettle tree for these purposes, in the very best soil ; and 

 the shoots produced form an article of extensive commerce, under the name of 

 boi.s de Perpignan, furnishing, according to Baudrillart, whip-handles to all the 

 coachmen in Europe. It is also much used for musical instruments, and for 

 the shafts and axletrees of carriages, the poles of sedan chairs, and the naves 

 of wheels. The root is used for dyeing yellow ; the bark for tanning ; and 

 an oil is expressed from the stones of the fruit. 



Statistics. In the environs of London, the largest tree is at Mitcham, in the grounds which for- 

 merly belonged to Mr. Dubois; where the trunk is 6ft. Sin. in circumference, and the head 50ft. in 

 diameter. It bears abundance of fruit every year, as noticed, with other particulars, in p. 63. At Kew, 

 there is a tree 40 ft. high ; and one at Kenwood, which, in 40 years, has attained the height of 40 ft., 

 with a trunk 1 ft. in diameter. In Dorsetshire, at Melbury Park, 30 years planted, it is 28 ft. high'; 

 the diameter of the trunk is 2 ft, and of the head 21 ft At Coul, in Cromarty, it is 16 ft. high. Near 

 Dublin, atTerenure, it is 10 ft. high. In France, in the Jardin des Plantes, in Paris, 60 years planted, 

 it is 60 ft. high, the diameter of the trunk 1$ ft. ; in the Botanic Garden at Toulon, 50 years planted, 

 it is 40 ft. high, and the diameter of the trunk 1 ft. ; near Montpelier, there is a tree with a trunk 

 .3 ft. t in. in diameter. In Italy, at Monza, 100 years old, it is 70ft. high ; the diameter of the trunk 

 .3ft., and of the head 72 ft. 



t 2. C. (A.) CAUCA'SICA Willd. The Caucasian Celtis, or Nettle Tree. 



Identification. Willd. Sp. PL, 4. p. 994. ; Poiret in Encycl. Suppl., 3. p. 688. ; Rcem. et Schult Svst 

 Veg., 6. p. 305. 



Spec. Char., %c. This is very closely akin to C. australis ; but it differs in its leaves being more ovate 

 having the acuminate part shorter, and being glabrous, except in so far as is stated below. The' 

 leaves of C. oaucasica may be described as follows : Oblong, acuminate, serrate with large teeth a 



