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Weather fliould be dry ; and k will 

 be proper to add a little frefli Mulch 

 about thefe Trees in October, to 

 iceep the Froft from penetrating to 

 their Roots : This may be repeated 

 the three firft Winters after plant- 

 ing out, after which Time they 

 will have taken fufficient Root in 

 the Grou-nd, fo as to be able to 

 endure our Cold very well ; and it 

 is by the Negledl of this at firft 

 that many young Trees milcarry 

 an Winter at their firft planting 

 Abroad . 



Thefe Trees are, at prefcnt, very 

 rare, and only to be found in fome 

 curious old Colle<fl;ions ; their Seeds 

 being feldom brought into Eagland, 

 there are few young Plants to be 

 £net with, though this Tree will 

 tak-e by Layers i but they will ne- 

 ver thrive fo well as thofe rais'd 

 from Seeds, and they are common- 

 ly two Years before they ftrikc 

 Root. 



The Wood of this Tree is of 

 great Ufe in the Levunt, where 

 they grow to be large Timber, 

 nnd is by many thought to be the 

 Shittim'-woodmcnuond in the Scrip- 

 ture, of which many of the Orna- 

 ments to the famous Temple of 

 £olo?no7J were made : It is account- 

 ed excellent Wood for Cirving, as 

 alfo for many Sorts of Utenfils, and 

 i-s thought to be equal to almoft 

 any Sort of Timber for Duitble- 

 xiels. 



CEIBA 5 Silk Cotton Tree ; 

 'vulgo. 



The Char alters arc ; 

 It hath a rofaceous Flower, Cdn- 

 fiftirig offeveral Leaves placed in a 

 circular Order, from- r:hofe Calyx 

 arifes the Tointat, -which afterwards 

 becomes a Fruit fl?afd like a BottJey 

 divided iyitofive Farts from the Top 

 to the Bottom, in which are con- 

 tained jeveral round S'jcd: wrappid 



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up inafoft dow?i, andfaftenedtothe 

 Jive cornered pyramidal Placenta. 

 The Species arej 



1 . Ceiba J V it ids jolils, caudice 

 actdeato. Flum. N*)v, Gen. The 

 Silk Cotton with a thorny Stem. 



2. Ceiba ; viticis foliis, caudice 

 glabro. Flum. Nov. Gen. The 

 Silk Cotton Tree, with a fmooth 

 Stem. 



Thefe tv/o Trees do grow very 

 plentifully both in the Eajl and 

 TFefl Indies, where they do arrive 

 to a prodigious Magnitude: The 

 Inhabitants of the ]4r(l Indies do 

 hollow the Trunks of thefe Trees 

 to make their Canoes, for which 

 they are chiefly valued. It is re- 

 ported, that in the Ifland of Cubay 

 in Coluw^iis's firft Voyage, was 

 feen a Canoa made of a hollowed 

 Trunk of one of thefe Trees, 

 which v/as ninety-five Palms long, 

 and capable of containing one hun= 

 drcd and fifty Men. And fome 

 modern Writers hsve affirmed, that 

 there are Trees now growing in 

 the tVeJi Indies fo large, as fcarcely 

 to be fathomed by lixteen Men, 

 and fo high, that an Arrow can 

 fcarcely be fliot to their Tops. 



The Wool of thefe Trees is of a 

 dark Colour, and too fliort to fpin, 

 fo that it is little valued j but fome- 

 times the Inhabitants do fluff Beds 

 and Pillows with it, tho' it is ac- 

 counted unwholfome to lie upon. 

 The Inhabitants of the Pl'eji Indies 

 do call this Silk Cotton, but the 

 antient American Name for this 

 Plant being Ceiba, Father Flumier 

 hath continued it under that Name, 

 and conftituted a Genus of it. 



Thefe Plants are prcferved in 

 fome curious Gardens in Europe, 

 where they do thrive very well, 

 it they are placed in a Bark-Stove, 

 but as they are Trees of a large 

 Growth:, ib it can hardly be ex- 

 pected 



