44G 



HISTOKY OF THE VEGETABLE KINGDOM. 



attains a considerable size. The stems are covered 

 with a smooth gray bark; the brandies, while 

 young, have a purplish brown bark, and the 

 leaves are winged. They are composed of eight 

 or nine pair of long nan'ow lobes, terminated by 

 an odd one. The lobes are about two inches 

 long, and half an inch broad towards the base, 

 ending in acute points; and are sharply sawed 

 on their edges. The leaves on the young trees 

 in the spring, are hoary on their under side, 

 which about midsummer goes off; but those upon 

 the older branches have very little at any season. 

 The flowers are produced in large bunches almost 

 in form of umbels, at the end of the branches. 

 They are composed of fine, spreading, concave 

 petals, shaped like those of the pear tree, but 

 smaller; these are succeeded by roundish berries 

 growing in large bunches, which have a depres- 

 sion on the top, and are of a bright red when 

 lipe. The buds of this tree begin to open about 

 the beginning of April. The leaves are out by 

 the middle of the month, and the flowers are in 

 full blow by the sixth of May. This tree is 

 raised from seeds, which, when planted, frequently 

 remain till the second spring before they make 

 tlieir appearance. In the following spring the 

 young trees should be planted out. It may also 

 be raised from layers; but trees from these are 

 not so handsome as seedlings. It will grow in 

 almost any soil or exposure, flourishing on moun- 

 tains, or in woods and thickets; and is so hardy 

 as never to be afi^ected by tlie severity of the 

 weather. In autumn, when loaded witli its 

 clusters of rod berries, it has a rich and striking 

 effect amongshrubberiesand ornamental grounds. 

 The wood is used for tools, and was fonnerly 

 made into bows. 



Another species, the true service, we have 

 already shortly described under the head of fruit 

 trees. 



Laburnum (cf.um). This family of orna- 

 mental shrubs belongs to the leguminosce or pea 

 tribe, to which they are allied by the similarity 

 of their organs of fructification. They may 

 be considered rather as shrubs than trees, and 

 are very ornamental from the handsome form of 

 their leaves, which are composed of small oval 

 leaflets, and the beauty of tlieir dependent ra- 

 cemes of gay coloured flowers. There are two 

 species of the common laburnum, which are so 

 much alike, as often to be confounded together. 

 The c. alpinus is the tree laburnum, whose 

 timber is much prized by cabinet makers and 

 turners for its hard, compact, durable structure, 

 and which is called false ebony by the French. 

 Ilares and rabbits are so fond of the bark of this 

 species, that it is frequently planted on the out- 

 skirts of other plantations in order to protect 

 the more valuable trees. Though eaten to the 

 ground in winter, it will spring again next 

 season; and thus afford a constant supply for 



these animals, so as to save the other trees till of 

 a size to resist their attacks. Tlie timber has 

 been sold as high as ten shillings per foot, and 

 is most valuable when grown in light loams and 

 sandy soils. 



Even of the small size to which it is permitted 

 to grow, this wood is used for many purposes, 

 as wedges, pulleys, pegs, and handles of knives, 

 and other instruments. When of larger dimen- 

 sions, no timber is fitter for cabinet work of all 

 kinds. It takes a fine polish, looks well, and is 

 durable. Chairs made of it are stronger than 

 those made of mahogany. It has been objected 

 to the wood, however, that in consequence of 

 its oily nature, it does not hold glue so well as 

 the drier woods. This property, on the other 

 hand, fits it well for pins, blocks, and cogs, in 

 mill-work, as its unctuous nature prevents it 

 from being abraded. Many of the purposes for 

 which it was once used, ai-e now supplied by 

 lignum vitiE, which is a harder wood, and still 

 more unctuous; but it is more splintry. For 

 pillars, bed posts, feet for tables, and other pur- 

 poses, laburnum wood is well adapted, and fre- 

 quently used. 



The seeds are possessed of narcotic and pois- 

 onous qualities; and it is said that if a garland 

 of the flowers be worn around the neck, that 

 they produce headache. 



The purple-flowered, and winged-leaved spe- 

 cies, purpureus and wolgaricus, are very hand- 

 some and ornamental shrubs, and are frequently 

 engrafted on stocks of the common laburnum 

 five or six feet in height. 



The medicago arborea is, as we have already 

 stated, supposed to be the cytisus alluded to by 

 Virgil and the ancients. 



The Pigeon Pea (cj/tisus cagan), is frequently 

 planted in the West India islands chiefly in rows, 

 as a fence to the sugar plantations; and will 

 thrive on very barren land. The seed is eaten 

 by the negroes, and is esteemed a wholesome 

 pulse. In the island of Martinico, the better 

 sort of people hold it in estimation, and prefer 

 it to the European pea : the chief use of it in 

 Jamaica is for feeding pigeons, whence its name. 

 The branches, with the ripe seed and leaves, are 

 given to feed hogs, horses, and other cattle, which 

 grow very fat on them. 



Acacia (rohinia). Natural family legumin- 

 osce; diadelphia, decandria, of Linnaeus. This 

 is a family of useful and ornamental trees; natives 

 of America, and allied in their general appear- 

 ance to the foregoing. The common acacia is a 

 thriving, fast growing tree, of middling stature, 

 and ornamental when young; and very well 

 adapted for copse wood and rough timber. The 

 leaves come out late in spring, and fall off early 

 in autumn, like those of the ash. 



Tliis is the locust tree of America, the tinilier 

 of which is much valued there, and is said to 



