52 



HISTORY OF FRUITS. 



in the spring, it had a pleasing effect in the shrubbery ; 

 but was so offensive for about a fortnight, that no one 

 could walk near it during that time. It seems particu- 

 larly attractive to singing-birds, especially the bullfinch 

 and the goldfinch, both of which often build in these 

 bushes. 



A very singular circumstance has been stated respect- 

 ing the barberry-shrub ; that corn sown near it, proves 

 abortive, the ears being in general destitute of grain ; 

 and that this influence is sometimes extended to a dis- 

 tance of three or four hundred yards across a field. This, 

 if correct, is a just cause for banishing it from the hedge- 

 rows of our arable fields, for which, otherwise, its thorny 

 branches would have made a desirable fence. 



Mr. Macro, a very respectable farmer at Barrow, in 

 Suffolk, planted a barberry-bush in his garden, on pur- 

 pose to ascertain the fact. He set wheat round it three 

 succeeding years, and it was all so completely mildewed, 

 that the best of the little grain it produced, was only 

 about the size of thin rice, and that without any flour, 

 He adds, that some, which he set on the opposite side of 

 his garden one of the years before mentioned, produced 

 very good grain, although the straw was a little mildewed . 

 From this observation the author was induced to try the 

 experiment by sowing clumps of canary seed in his shrub- 

 bery. Those which were planted immediately under the 

 barberry-bush certainly produced no seed; but other 

 plants of this grass yielded seed, although not at many 

 yards distance. The celebrated Duhamel, and Mons. 

 Broussonet, who have paid such particular attention to 

 agriculture, assure us that there is no just reason for 

 ascribing this baneful effect to the barberry-bush. 



The flowers of the barberry have this singular property, 

 that if you touch the chives which support the stamen 

 with a pin or a straw, &c. they incline towards the pistil- 



