440 ARBORETUM ET FRUTICETUM BRITANNICUM. 
begins to form a head, and in ten years will attain the height of 20 ft. 
This head will continue increasing slowly, though the tree seldom grows much 
higher, for the greater part of a century; after which, as it appears by the 
oldest trees that we have observed or heard of in Scotland, the extremities 
of the branches begin to decay. The tree will not bear lopping, but grass 
and other plants grow well under its shade. The wood, when dry, weighs 
51 1b. 12.0z. per cubic foot. It is homogeneous, fine-grained, hard, capable 
of being stained any colour, and of taking a high polish ; and it is applied to 
all the various uses of P. A‘ria and P. torminalis, when it can be obtained of 
adequate dimensions. In Britain, the tree forms excellent coppice wood, 
the shoots being well adapted for poles, and for making excellent hoops ; and 
the bark being in demand by tanners. As it will grow in the most exposed 
situations, and rapidly, when young, it forms an admirable nurse tree to the 
oak, and other slow-growing species ; and, being a tree of absolute habits ; 
that is, incapable of being drawn up above a certain height by culture, it has 
this great advantage, that, after having done its duty as a nurse, instead of 
growing up with the other trees, and choking them, it pees submits to be 
over-topped, and destroyed by the shade and drip of those which it was 
planted to shelter and protect. It may be mentioned, as somewhat singular, 
that the alpine laburnum, though naturally a much lower tree than the moun- 
tain ash, will, when drawn up in woods, attain twice the height of the latter 
tree. The fruit of the mountain ash is greedily devoured by birds : and, in 
various parts of the North of Europe, these berries are dried and ground into 
flour, and used as a substitute for the flour made of wheat, in times of great 
scarcity. In Livonia, Sweden, and Kamtschatka, the berries of the moun- 
tain ash are eaten, when ripe, as fruit ; and a very good spirit is distilled from 
them. As an ornamental tree, the mountain ash is well adapted for small 
gardens ; and it is also deserving of a place in every plantation, where the 
harbouring of singing-birds is an object. In the grounds of suburban gardens in 
the neighbourhood of the metropolis, the mountain ash forms almost the only 
tree that makes a great display by means of its fruit ; for, though many species of 
Cratze‘gus would be equally effective in this respect, they have not yet become 
sufficiently well known to the planters of such gardens. One great advan- 
tage of the mountain ash, in all gardens, is, that it never requires pruning, and 
never grows out of shape. The mountain ash will grow in any soil, and in the 
most exposed situations, as it is found on the sea shore, and on the tops of 
mountains, in Forfarshire, as high as 2500 ft. Plants are almost always raised 
from seed, which should be gathered as soon as it is ripe, to prevent its being 
eaten by birds, which are so fond of it as to attack it even before it is ripe. 
When gathered, the fruit should be macerated in water till the seeds are sepa- 
rated from the pulp, and they may be then sown immediately ; but, as they will, 
in that case, remain 18 months in the ground before coming up, the common 
mode adopted by nurserymen is, to mix the berries with light sandy soil, and 
spread them out in a layer of 10 in. or 1 ft. in thickness, in the rotting ground ; 
covering the layer with 2 or 3inches of sand or ashes, and allowing them to 
remain in that state for a year. They are then separated from the soil by 
sifting, and sown in beds of light rich soil, being covered a quarter of an inch. 
The plants having large leaves, the seeds should not be dropped nearer toge- 
gether than 2in., which will allow the plants to come up with sufficient 
strength. They may be sown any time from November to February, but not 
later: they will come up in the June following, and, by the end of the year, 
the strongest plants will be 18in. high, and fit to separate from the others, and 
to plant out in nursery lines. 
% 30. P. america‘na Dec. The American Service. 
Identification. Dee. Prod., 2. p. 637. ; Hook. Fl. Bor. Amer., 1. p. 204.; Don’s Miil., 2. p. 648. 
Synonymes. Sérbus americana Ph. Fl. Bor. Amer. 1. p. 341., Willd. Enum 520.; S. americana 
(var. B Miche. Fl. Amer. p. 290.; P. canadénsis Hort. 
Engravings. Wats. Dend. Brit., t, 54.3 the plate of this species in Arb. Brit., Ist edit., vol. vi. ; 
and our fig. 791. 
