^48 JONES ON THE VEGETATION OF THE BERMUDAS. 



flowers appearing before the leaves. In winter it has a curious 

 appearance, having the seed berries hanging in bunches from 

 the ends of the twigs denuded of leaves. The wood is brittle, 

 and high winds play sad havoc with the lengthy branches. Its 

 light and feathery foliage recommends it as one of the best of 

 shade trees, but strange to say although hundreds of young trees 

 shoot up every spring from the fallen seed of the previous win- 

 ter, the idea of transplanting them about the woodlands to re- 

 lieve the monotonous appearance of the interminable red cedar, 

 is never entertained by the inhabitants. 



CEDKELACEJE. 



SwiETENiA MAHAGONi, X. *• Mahogany Tree." *' Caoba" of the 

 Spaniards. Hab. West Indies and Central America. The Ber- 

 muda trees are stunted in growth compared with those of the 

 tropics. The oldest known tree in the islands is at the entrance 

 gate to the house of the late Mr. Samuel Musson, at the Flatts. 



Chloeoxylon Swietenia, D. (7. (Swietenia chloroxylon, 

 Hoxb.) *' Satin-w^ood." Hab. East Indies. 



AURANTIACEiE. 



Citrus atTrantium, L* '* Sweet Orange." Hab. Asia. The 

 climate of the Bermudas appears to suit the Citri well, for the 

 trees are remarkable for vigorous growth and the flavour of 

 the several kinds of fruit is excellent. Of the sweet orange 

 some three or four varieties are cultivated, but to so small an 

 extent that the supply is nothing like equal to the demand. In 

 the year 1854-5 the orange trees became diseased from the at- 

 tack of a species of Coccus, and hardly an orchard escaped save 

 those of the parish of Somerset at the western end of the islands. 

 In many cases not a tree survived the ravages of these insects, 

 and in one instance an orchard of fine young trees 300 in num- 

 ber about twelve years old was entirely destroyed. The fruit 

 sometimes attains a large size, and one of a dish of oranges 

 which took the first prize at the Bermuda Exhibition of January 

 1872, measured 13f inches in circumference, and nine of these 

 oranges weighed 10 J lbs. These large oranges, however, are 



