184 LANDSCAPE GARDENING. 



It is almost unnecessary to say, that all the willows grow 

 readily from slips or truncheons planted in the ground. So 

 tenacious of life are they, that examples are known where 

 small trees have been taken up and completely inverted, by 

 planting the branches and leaving the roots exposed, which 

 have nevertheless thrown out new roots from the former tops, 

 and the roots becoming branches, the tree grew again with 

 its ordinary vigour. 



The Sassafras Tree. Laurus. 



Nat. Ord. Lauracese. Lin. Syst. Enneandria, Monogynia. 



The sassafras is a neat tree of the middle size, belonging to 

 the same family as the European laurel or Sweet bay. It is 

 found, more or less plentifully, through the whole territory of 

 the United States. In favourable soils, along the banks of 

 the Hudson, it often grows to 40 or 50 feet in height ; but in 

 the woods it seldom reaches that altitude. The flowers are 

 yellow, and appear in small clusters in May, and the fruit is a 

 small, deep blue berry, seated on a red footstalk or cup. The 

 bark of the wood and roots has an agreeable smell and taste, 

 and is a favourite ingredient, with the branches of the spruce, 

 in the small beer made by the country people. Medicinally, 

 it is considered anti-scorbutic, and sudorific ; and is thought 

 efficacious in purifying the blood. It was formerly in great 

 repute with practitioners abroad, and large quantities of the 

 bark of the roots were shipped to England ; but the demand 

 has of late greatly decreased. 



The sassafras is a very agreeable tree to the eye, decked as 

 it is with its glossy, deep green, oval or three-lobed leaves. 

 When fully grown, it is also quite picturesque for a tree of 

 so moderate a size ; as its branches generally have an irregular, 

 somewhat twisted look, and the head is partially flattened, 



