90 
ON THE VEGETATION OF 
ETNA. 
( Continued from p. 52. ) 
2. The woody region commences very 
decidedly on Mount Etna at 8,300 feet, 
extending over Milo, Zaffarana, and the 
road that leads from Nicolosi to the sum- 
mit, and stretching to the South and East 
sides of the mountain to an elevation of 
6,000 to 6,200 feet. Ferrara, in his Des- 
crizione dell’ Etna, states, quite erroneous- 
ly, that it reaches to 8,000 feet. The girdle 
that it forms round the mountain is 3,000 
feet broad, interrupted only by naked lava 
Streams, and here and there a single field 
of rye. An interesting statistical account 
of the woods of Etna has been published 
by Professor Scuderi of Catania. This re- 
gion was formerly more extensive, stretch- 
ing farther down, and the trees were thicker 
and more beautiful than at present; but 
while the volcano, whose eruptions might 
be considered so destructive, has injured 
them but little, the devastating hand of 
man has spread the widest ravages. The 
immense forest, which, in earlier times, ex- 
tended from the northern declivity of Etna 
to the walls of Castiglione, was cut down 
early in the sixteenth century by the Mar- 
chese Inveno, to permit of the increase of 
arable land. About the same period, the 
beautiful wood of Plane trees (Platanus 
orientalis, or cuneata) disappeared, and 
whereas it had fringed the shores of the 
Onobola, now only a few scattered shrubby 
trees remain to attest its original existence; 
On the road from Francavilla to Fonda- 
beginning of the sixteenth century, says, in 
his Dialogus de Etna, “ Nam illis ( Plati- 
nis) posteaquam in Italiam transvectze sunt, 
et quidem ab ipse Sicilia primum, multe 
‘abundavere.” Pliny states that the 
S brought from the East to Sicily, 
and Dionysius the Elder planted it in his 
garden at Syracuse. The originally large 
ON THE VEGETATION OF ETNA. 
wood of Mascali has given place to a vine- 
yard, and where once grew the forest of Cata- 
nia, there now stand the villages of Nicolosi, | 
Trecastagne, Pedara, Mascaleia, Torre del 
Griso, and Plachi, which are frequently 
spoken of collectively under the denomina- 
tion of Villaggi del Bosco. The entire sur- 
face of the woody region is estimated by 
M. Scuderi at 17,734: salme, of which lava 
occupies one-fourth, arable and meadow 
land one-seventh, and wood nearly three- —— 
fifths, the latter chiefly consisting of Oaks, 
Beech, and Pines, the number of stems of 
the former being calculated at 715,863, of 
Fir or Pine, 841,356, and of Beech, 78,414. 
The Chestnut (Castanea Vesca) does not 
appear to be wild any where on Etna, but 
always cultivated. We noticed it on the 
sides of Mount Zoccolaro at a height of 
3,900, aud Gemmellaro is said to have 
traced it so high as 5,100; but this is pro- 
bably a mistake, arising from an erroneous 
calculation of the altitude. On the South 
side of the Alps the Chestnut trees reach” 
to 2,500, and on the Pyrenees to 2,800 
feet. Etna is celebrated for the great age 
and colossal dimensions of its Chestnut 
trees. The noted Castagno di Cento Ca- 
valh has a circumference near the root of 
180 feet, the Castagno di Santa Agata 70, - 
and the Castagno della: Nave 64 feet. 
These stems, however, attain no great 
height, but soon branch off above the 
ground; and, in regard to the first-men- 
tioned one, it seems probable to me that 
not one stem, but many shoot from the 
same root—for there are now five indivi- 
dual trunks separate from each other, and P 
it is a general custom in Sicily, when these 
trees attain a diameter of about a foot, to- à 
cut them down just above the root, whena 
number of new shoots are thrown out, _ 
M. 
Brunner is of the same opinion, as is stated 
in his Excursion through the East of Li- 3 
guria, Elba, Sicily, and Malta. The forests P 
of Etna consist chiefly of Quercus pubescens — 
(Willdenow), for such this tree is ascer- 
tained to be by my respected instructor, 
which shortly become trees in. 
Professor Link, and myself. I am 
to ascertain the name given to this species - 
ies Sede as EAE 
ax Aet as ee AAY 
— Áo 
ec —— !eÓÁà 
