SEPTEMBER. 



427 



tlie common locust in its appearance, having similar pendu- 

 lous clusters of white flowers. 



The tree grows in its native locality to the height of thirty 

 or forty feet, rarely exceeding forty, and in general not at- 

 taining these dimensions. The bark is smooth, of a greenish 

 color, and never furrowed as in most other trees. The leaves 

 are six or eight inches long, and composed of two rows of 

 leaflets, from three to five on each side, terminated with an 

 odd one. The lower part of the footstalk contains the bud. 

 The flowers, which appear in pendulous bunches, are of ele- 

 gant form, white and fragrant. The seeds resemble those of 

 the locust, and are contained in pods that difll'er only in be- 

 ing narrower. In its native habitats it grows of preference on 

 gentle declivities in a loose, deep and fertile soil, usually 

 accompanied by the coff'ee tree, black walnut, «fcc. 



The Virgil ia is easily raised from seeds, which may be 

 procured in abundance in the West. They should be plant- 

 ed in boxes in the autumn, and have the shelter of the green- 

 house or frame during winter, in either case protecting them 

 from the attacks of mice. They will vegetate early in spring, 

 and before autumn make nice plants. After another year's 

 protection in a cold frame they may be removed from the 

 boxes to nursery rows, in a light rich and well drained soil, 

 where they will soon make handsome trees. The Virgilia 

 may also be propagated from layers, but it is a slow process. 

 It may be also increased by grafting it upon the Sophora 

 japonica, as now practised in France, where the latter is 

 abundant. Though confined to so limited a space, and so 

 far south as Tennessee, it is perfectly hardy, and young trees 

 in our grounds have never had a limb injured by the winter. 

 Its rate of growth is moderately rapid, attaining the height of 

 sixteen to twenty feet in ten years. 



The Yellow Wood ranks among the finest of our orna- 

 mental trees. Less massive in foliage than the Magnolia, 

 and less showy in its flowers, it is still no less attractive. 

 The airiness of its finely pinnated leaves, the beauty of its 

 pendent clusters of fragrant white flowers, and the lively tint 

 of its gay yellow foliage in autumn, renders it an object of 

 admiration at all times. 



