82 DICOTYLEDONE^E. 



trees, a good deal of attention being required to 

 check the natural luxuriance of their growth, and 

 dispose them to yield their fruit in the shortest 

 possible time. The fruit are produced on the side 

 branches of the leading shoots ; these, therefore, are 

 stopped in the early stages of their growth, to ensure 

 the production of a tertiary order of branches, which 

 are usually fertile. 



Next is the order Myrtdcece, containing many 

 beautiful as well as useful plants. Among them a 

 singular instance of inflorescence is exhibited by the 

 Malaleuca, which ejects its flowers in long whorls 

 from the buck of the young wood. In looking over 

 the remainder of this sub-class we meet with many 

 objects of floral beauty, and numerous genera possess- 

 ing highly valuable medicinal and other useful quali- 

 ties ; and in which, moroever, though variety of form, 

 texture, and disposition of vegetable elements are 

 really admirable, still there is no one genus so 

 decidedly different from others as to require parti- 

 cular notice. We may, however, notice the order 

 Rosacece, and Leguminosce; the first contains many 

 fine fruit trees, and among them should not be 

 forgotten the estimable though humble strawberry. 

 The constitutional structure of this favourite plant 

 may be described as consisting of a compound crown, 

 having one bud central and principal, surrounded by 

 inferior gems of two descriptions, namely, branches 

 and runners. The principal bud is developed and 

 produces flowers and fruit in the second year ; 



